Interesting facts on paper quality (hint for a certain publisher)

[Jukka Juutinen]

Fact: in a large format (A4) book with 320 pages the unit cost difference between poor paper and glossy art paper is no more than one USD! In other words, e.g. the average Classic hardback book would have 73 cents higher cost. So how many of you would shirk from paying 73 cents extra if the extra quaranteed a much better version of e.g. Steve Coates´s helicopter book?

[Ruy Horta]

Jukka, have you ever thought that some people might actually not like glossy art paper as much as you do?

[Jukka Juutinen]

No, not really as in every case I have asked fellow enthusiasts´ opinion on this I have allways been told that they prefer glossy art paper over crude, grainy paper in books. And this before letting them know my opinions.

BTW Ruy, do you really prefer bad quality over good quality? After all, the finer the surface of the paper is (i.e. finer=glossier), the better the printing quality can be. This is an undeniable fact. Of course, if the photo is a 9th generation scan by an incompetent tightwad using home PC (see e.g. Warship Pictorial-srs), not even the best paper can save it.

[Ruy Horta]

As to answer your indirect question directly, I do not find Classic publications of inferior quality, no.

[John Vasco]

Jukka,

Could you give some figures to back up your 'fact'? I would be most interested to see them, having had previous in-depth experience of publishing. It might be the case that in recent times the Asian printing market has undercut heavily western printers, and brought glossy art paper within the ambit of one dollar difference. That was certainly not the case in times past.

One other thing you do not mention, or consider, is the matter of a finite budget attached to the production costs of each book, set, in the particular case you quote, not by Classic, but almost certainly by the parent company. That budget encompasses everything, not just printing. It is a side of publishing that a lot of people fail to consider.

So perhaps you need to start getting off the back of Classic, and start writing common sense threads.

[Jukka Juutinen]

I won´t name the publisher, but here is the exact example: this publisher published a heavily illustrated hardback book with 320 pages in 8" x 11" size. The book as it is now uses very crude paper, far worse than Classic. Now, according to this publisher, replacing the crude paper by glossy art paper would have meant an additional cost of ONE USD per BOOK. And this book is printed in the USA. And the above exampel is perfectly corroborated by evidence from Finnish publishers. Or maybe the UK is a place where everything is the opposite of the rest of the world. Maybe.

As for the limited budget per production, why it is that the other companies under Ian Allan´s umbrella, like Midland Publishing, uses the better quality paper like the parent company itself?

And if the crude paper is so good, why do the promotional material of the same companies often use very glossy paper...

[Franek Grabowski]

I think some people forget the difference between a book and an album. Frankly, I get more and more irritated with expensive, glossy coated and heavilly illustrated volumes with lesser and lesser knowledge inside. I suppose nobody dropped such a brick on a toe.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Jukka Juutinen

Fact: in a large format (A4) book with 320 pages the unit cost difference between poor paper and glossy art paper is no more than one USD! In other words, e.g. the average Classic hardback book would have 73 cents higher cost. So how many of you would shirk from paying 73 cents extra if the extra quaranteed a much better version of e.g. Steve Coates´s helicopter book?

I hope I'm normally more polite than this, but sometimes the situation calls for a more direct approach.

Jukka, why don't you find yourself a new hobby? You pursue this crusade/vendetta as if Classic had insulted your mother or something. If you don't like their books, don't buy them and we'll take it as read that you'll hate whatever they publish.

We all have our own likes and dislikes. End of story.