Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before

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Wilshire

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« Reply #75 on: October 31, 2016, 03:37:56 pm »
The stamps were a huge time investment, but surprisingly not terribly expensive once I finally ordered them. Not cheap, but I think less than 20% of the total cost.
Leather was the biggest raw material cost, probably 66% of the total. Though if someone does in fact order and buy another copy, that cost drops to about 33% of the total (leather order was enough for 2 books, so that doesn't keep decreasing with more orders).
Stamps should be able to be reused about 1000 times, so I'm not worried about those. I think each was used about 5 times, so unless I start to get close to 200 orders it shouldn't be an issue.
The rest is labour, and time. All subsequent books should be cheaper and faster. Unfortunately, whoever buys this 2nd book is saddled with additional costs. Twist my arm and I might let it go for $1200.

Future options to control costs would reduce the overall quality slightly, but I'm talking differences that only your elitist bookbinders would sniff at. I'm not kidding about 90%+ quality, 10% of the cost. (well, maybe a bit more than that, but at least 50% less).

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Further on dyes:
They dyes were made exquisitely, but the foil stamping process is too imprecise. Many of the finer details that I painstakingly recreated for the stamp came out perfectly in the metal, but when stamped came out muddled. I'm not too worried about it as it still looks great, but I might tool around with the files and see if I can't make something better.

This is also why I'd like to try laser etching. Should be more precise, and I can etch over a larger area (the whole cover), which should doubly help with the details. That, btw, was another limitation on the hot-foil dyes - the size I made is the largest that anyone was willing to do.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2019, 04:08:46 pm by Wilshire »
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« Reply #76 on: October 31, 2016, 03:47:14 pm »
That's interesting, but I could understand how a stamp can only transmit a limited amount of detail, given the nature of leather.  How expensive is laser etching though?
I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor. . . ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and for the No-God in the great wars that authored this wilderness. I have scaled the ramparts of great Golgotterath, watched the hearts of High Kings break for fury. -Cet'ingira

Wilshire

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« Reply #77 on: October 31, 2016, 03:54:43 pm »
Well, laser etching might be free if the one out my public library works. Otherwise, there are a few places around me that I can get quotes from. I'm expecting it'll be low cost.
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« Reply #78 on: November 01, 2016, 01:52:01 pm »
Libraries have laser etchers?  Man, I haven't been to a library in years though, what else am I missing out on?   :)
I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor. . . ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and for the No-God in the great wars that authored this wilderness. I have scaled the ramparts of great Golgotterath, watched the hearts of High Kings break for fury. -Cet'ingira

Wilshire

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« Reply #79 on: November 01, 2016, 02:01:48 pm »
Libraries have laser etchers?  Man, I haven't been to a library in years though, what else am I missing out on?   :)
Well, I'm guessing the library here is special, but its got a laser etcher/cutter, three 3D printers, a poster printer (wish I knew about this before I made those TGO posters, would have save me like $100), button makers, free usage of computers with full adobe creative suites (photoshop, etc.), a studio quality sound proof recording booth (including audio editing), green screen and rentable video camera,  and probably something else I forgot about. This place was amazing.
If you haven't been to your nearest big city public library, maybe you should check it out. They also now, via an app called overdrive, allow you to borrow audiobooks and ebooks.

[edit]
forgot to mention a book printer. give them a PDF, and it will print you a mass market paperback book for about $0.05 a page.
« Last Edit: November 01, 2016, 02:04:58 pm by Wilshire »
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« Reply #80 on: November 01, 2016, 02:27:46 pm »
The local library here is almost literally a hole in the wall.

I have a feeling though that even the "biggest" (non-New Orleans) Libraries here wouldn't have anywhere near the much stuff.
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Wilshire

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« Reply #81 on: November 01, 2016, 02:33:31 pm »
The local library here is almost literally a hole in the wall.

I have a feeling though that even the "biggest" (non-New Orleans) Libraries here wouldn't have anywhere near the much stuff.
Yeah, major city libraries are where its at, apparently. We have some cool local ones, but none of them like the this library.
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« Reply #82 on: November 01, 2016, 10:25:24 pm »
@Wilshire, so when you say a 10% of the cost you paid, does that come to $1000? Or, 10% of $1000? I'm just trying to figure out if you spent $10,000 on this project of yours. If so, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have found the young, good looking rich guy that is always being mentioned as a Bakker fan!
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Wilshire

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« Reply #83 on: November 01, 2016, 11:07:08 pm »
Lol no the 'at cost' is in the $1000 neighborhood. So, a copy of this one will cost someone about $1000. (fyi, its about $500 in materials that I already purchased, and $500 for labour)

I know I can get something very similar for $500 after that - but I need to make some of my money back from the first two before I can do that. No cash left for me to subsidize that project.

I'm trying to figure out how to get something made between $100 and $200 - that's the 10% I'm talking about ;) . I know if using faux leather the cost drops, but I need to verify that the leather in question takes laser etching - it might just melt.

« Last Edit: March 24, 2017, 12:25:51 pm by Wilshire »
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Francis Buck

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« Reply #84 on: December 16, 2016, 09:05:52 am »
Just catching up now with the final version, looks fucking fantastic. Love the approach of avoiding any recognizable real world text, really makes it seem enigmatic and not unlike how such a tome might appear in the universe itself. Achamian's map on the back was quite clever and a nice final touch.

I love the idea of a copy of this just sitting tucked away in a library for someone to find be "huh, what's this" and read the opening pages. Would be akin to discovering a mysterious Epic from some long lost mythology.

Wilshire

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« Reply #85 on: December 16, 2016, 02:31:42 pm »
That's exactly what my thought process was :)

Glad you liked it, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.
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