The following are answers to commonly asked questions about BookMasters' Book Manufacturing & Printing Services.

Q: What print industry services does BookMasters, Inc., provide?
A: BookMasters, Inc., is a full-service book manufacturer. We can handle all aspects of your project from design to fulfillment to distribution.

Q: What are BookMasters most cost effective trim sizes and metric equivalent?
A: Our most cost effective trim sizes and metric equivalent are as follows:

Q: Where are you located?
A: Ashland, Ohio, about one hour south of Cleveland, Ohio or one hour north of Columbus, Ohio.

Q: What kind of quantities do you handle?
A: BookMasters is a short-run book manufacturer. We print quantities of 100 to 100,000. The most common quantities printed are 1,000 to 10,000 copies.

Q: What is your average turnaround time for a paperback book?
A: Standard turnaround time for offset-printed, perfect-bound, black text jobs is 10-15 business days from return of proofs, with minimal corrections needed.

Q: Do you print 4-color?
A: We routinely print 4-color process covers, dust jackets, and text.

Q: What are color separations?
A: Color separation is the process of separating color originals into the primary color components in negative form.

Q: What is the difference between a perfect bind and adhesive-bind paper cover?
A: These are the same binding styles; the terms mean the same.

Q: Can you process files from Windows-based software?
A: Yes, we have the capability to support any number of IBM PC software programs. Please contact your BookMasters representative for specific information. We also can provide output from current version Windows platform PageMaker and QuarkXPress application files.

Q: What are your "house" paper stocks?
A: BookMasters inventories both natural and white paper stocks with 50 lb. and 60 lb. being the most common. Coated papers are also stocked. In-house stocks provide the best value.

Q: Do you recommend sending my project on disk or as scan-ready copy?
A: BookMasters , Inc., accepts both. Copy on disk is output at 2540 dpi and is first generation quality. Scan copy's quality is only as good as the material submitted. If you are submitting your copy on disk, please review the electronic file submission sheet available from your BookMasters salesperson.

Q: What do you mean by trim size?
A: The trim size refers to the actual size of the finished book.

Q: What is PPI?
A: PPI, or pages per inch, is a "thickness" rating. A paper that is 360 PPI means that it takes 360 pages to equal 1 inch.

Q: What formula can I use to determine spine width on paperback books?
A: It is the page count divided by PPI.

Q: What are margins?
A: Margins are the unprinted area around the edges of a page.

Q: How do I indicate placement of photographs?
A: Boxes or corner marks are fine.

Q: What are LFI proofs?
A: Large format-imposed proofs are laser proofs made from your electronic files.

Q: What does "line screen" mean?
A: A line screen AKA screen frequency or screen ruling is measured in lines per inch (lpi) or lines of cells per inch in a tint or halftone.

Q: At what dots per inch (dpi) should I scan photos?
A: Photos should be scanned at twice the line screen they will be reproduced. Example: Most photos are produced at 133 for B & W and 150 line screen for color and should be scanned at 300 dpi. Scanning higher than necessary does not improve quality.

Q: When do I receive bluelines or laser proofs?
A: Bluelines or laser proofs are normally received about 10 days after we receive complete copy.

Q: What do you mean by PMS colors?
A: PMS (Pantone Matching System) is an ink color system used in the graphic arts industry. Almost any color can be found using this system.

Q: What are bleeds?
A: Bleeds are an extra amount of printed image that extends beyond the trim of a text page or cover. A cover bleeds if the background is printed a solid color.

Q: What are your bar code specifications?
A: BookMasters prefers .tiff or .eps files for bar codes, we can also create a bar code for you.

Q: What is the sales tax policy?
A: Sales tax is charged to customers based upon where their books will be shipped. Sales tax is charged on shipments to Ohio customers. Sales tax is not charged on shipments to foreign countries, including Canada. In order to be exempt from sales tax, the customer must provide BMI with proof of exemption. Two common justifications for exempt status are books that  will be resold or an organization that is recognized by the State of Ohio as being tax exempt. In either case, the customer must complete an exempt use certificate and forward it to BookMasters. BookMasters can provide a blank certificate for the customer to complete. Contact your Account Executive.

Q: Do you store books?
A: Yes, BookMasters provides storage and distribution / fulfillment for books, audio/video-cassettes, CDs, and other book-related materials.

Q: Can I advertise my book in your bookstore?
A: Yes, BookMasters can create a web page exclusively for your book and place it within our online bookstore.