Lightning Source, that print arm of the Ingram Group I've long contracted with to produce my various and sundry titles, has acquired new commercial color inkjet printers of the sort that can print both black & white and color pages with alacrity and in a cost effective manner.
Huzzah!
Even more exciting for those of us who relish books you can hold on to, as opposed to those of us who relish books composed of little bits and bytes of non-existant data, is that the color options have been expanded to Standard and Premium, a significant upgrade from the former one shot all or nothing expensive color format. Bindings have been expanded signicantly too, allowing us little publishers to pick and choose even if those such as I seem to stick to a few stock sizes.
Mr. Stokes will be issued under the new Standard Option. That's a given. But what is more titillating is the possibility of improved printer handling of engraved and halftone images via these new machines which print at 378 PPI. I've selected Nicholson's Mechanic's Companion for a test run, one sample copy, to see what happens with the new printers.
Typically, halftone and fine engravings scan and print better at 400 DPI. I am hoping that at 378 PPI the moire effects that bedevil old books will either be a thing of the past or sufficiently lessened that titles I have wanted to reprint but have had to avoid can now be properly processed and issued.
Keep your toes and fingers crossed!
Till next, Gary
