download and print comics

Discuss the future, present and past of sequential art.

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rcar
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Post by rcar »

I have been playing with the idea of making my comics in a download and print format. I will still have the online version, but then take the frames and make a more traditional comic book that can be downloaded and printed. The print version will be a little different than the online, and a little better.

I can do the comics in Illustrator and save them as pdf. Pdf is great for printing, small file size and cross platform. Also in the back of my mind, if it gets popular that may be the way to go for micropayments. Have the free online comic or pay for the better printable one.

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions?

Randy
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Martinibianco
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Post by Martinibianco »

I was wondering about a similar, slightly more draconian system whereby the comics wouldn't actually be visible until they were printed out. You'd have a splash page on the site giving an impression of quality of artwork and general tone, and then you'd pay to download a file which can't be viewed on screen but can be printed out. It's then up to the reader to decide what weight of paper or print quality to use. I'm sure this is do-able using existing web technology.
Tim Mallos
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Post by Tim Mallos »

This would partially answer the concern some have voiced about customers who still want to "have and hold" comics they pay for.

Offer print-friendly versions of online comics folks pay for. For instance, if you have a daily strip, you create a printable collection every month.

This would also give new subscribers something more to buy: Back print issues.

But, there's a lot of quality variance due to the end-user's printer....

Anyway, just thinking out loud...

T
lylebclarke
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Post by lylebclarke »

There is a project underway <a href="http://www.dumbrella.com/cgi-bin/forumd ... r=10">over here</a> that you might find interesting. (I know that several people frequenting this board already know about it, but this might be news to some).

<i>Our goal is to create a cheap and portable comic book with a diverse variety of stories, something that will appeal to everyone from elementary school Digimon addicts to harried middle-aged commuters (and beyond.)</i>

<i>The current concept we're working with is a biweekly, black-and-white digest-sized publication, printed on the cheapest, least durable paper available, with at least 100 pages in each issue. One-shot stories and text pieces would supplement a core of ongoing serials, each with a six-to-eight-page episode per issue.</i>

A mixture of the suggestions already given in this thread, the book will be distributed partly via downloadable PDF's designed for printing (not reading).

The above text in <i>italics</i> is taken from <a href="http://www.dumbrella.com/ubb/Forum10/HT ... html">this thread</a> and is a great place to start to find out more about the project.

Don't be shy, you don't need to lurk, we want (and need) to hear what you have to say if the project is going to be a success.

Cheers
Lyle

(PS. BTW, this project is a solid chunk of the reason why I've been so quiet lately.)


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: lylebclarke on 2001-07-30 15:38 ]</font>
Martinibianco
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Post by Martinibianco »

Cool! This is a very exciting project -- I particularly like the logo which Jack Masters has designed. I hope to be able to get involved somehow. An initial reservation that the cost of printing locally on so small a scale will prove prohibitively expensive, but I dare say you've been discussing that already. Thanks!
lylebclarke
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Post by lylebclarke »

I particularly like the logo which Jack Masters has designed.
Cool isn't it!
I hope to be able to get involved somehow.
There is plenty to do. So don't be shy, choose a thread and get involved.
An initial reservation that the cost of printing locally on so small a scale will prove prohibitively expensive, but I dare say you've been discussing that already.
Yes, we have, partly <a href="http://www.dumbrella.com/ubb/Forum10/HT ... 5.html">in this thread here</a>, but like most of the ideas so far, it is constantly evolving and mutating, so if you have any ideas, please add them.

Cheers
Lyle
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