Thursday, May 1, 2008

Grub Street Printing Newsletter #5 May / June 2008


Borders Watch

Unlike Yahoo’s rejection of the Microsoft buyout proposal, Borders Group has been blowing kisses at Barnes & Noble as a possible suitor for some months (if not years) now.

And while it seems that Barnes & Noble has finally noticed, the prospect of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) blessing this union seems very unlikely.


Quebecor Update

Quebecor World continued to address its bankruptcy by closing plants in Lincoln, Neb., Magog, Quebec, North Haven, Conn., and downsizing its Islington plant in Etobicoke, Ont. so far this spring.

Quebecor common stock is trading around 20¢ C, down from its $40 C high in 2002 and $15 C just a year ago.


Amazon’s Rules

In March, Amazon.com announced that any print-on-demand (POD) book sold by Amazon must be printed by Amazon subsidiary Book Surge, a POD manufacturer.Publisher associations are outraged and BookLocker.com, a well known POD producer, is suing for restraint of trade.Affected publishers are encouraged to contact the Federal Trade Commission Commission to plead their case.


Coming Soon - FSC Paper

Everyone seems concerned about their business’ environmental footprint, which explains why book paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council is gaining in popularity.

There are a number of factors and aspects involved in certification such as:

FM – FSC Management Certified company

FM/COC – FSC Forest Mgmt. And Chain-of-Custody certified company

COC – FSC Chain of Custody certified companies

FM/COC-NTFP – FSC non-timber forest product certified company

SS – Smart Step Certified company

CW – FSC Controlled Wood certified company

VER – Verification of Legal Origin, or Legal Compliance, or other Verification programs

SL – Smart Logging certified operations

Many printers are beginning to offer FSC certified text paper at no additional charge. FSC certified post consumer recycled book paper is in the works.


PDF Proofing

When you want to take a quick look at your PDF cover file, make sure you’re using Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Reader or other PDF programs may not render your cover properly.

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