Do It Yourself: Publications

If you are planning to have a brochure, poster, or other printed material produced, and you are not sure if our office will handle your job, please contact the Communications Department (communications@colby.edu) at ext.3276 for more information.

If we are unable to produce your project, there are several ways to find someone who can assist you. If you have students who are interested in designing projects, they are a good resource. Also, there is software available in the software library of ITS that will help you design your project. Software programs such as Word 98, and ClarisWorks are adequate for simple design pieces such as brochures. If you are unable to find campus resources for design help, the printers listed below can assist you in putting your project together.

1. Choosing a Designer/Printer

There are several firms in the Waterville area that offer publication services, from full-scale design and production to basic photocopying. The information below is up to date as of April 1997, but, as you can understand, it is fluid. Prices quoted are general estimates–a lot depends on the complexity of the project, the number of services involved (e.g. design and production, production only, printing only, etc.), the number of author’s changes (all of which call for new proofs to be made), etc.

You may have to adjust your expectations slightly when it comes to turnaround time for a project. Where Communications might occasionally have been able to squeeze a project in at the very last minute, most outside vendors will require a minimum of 10 working days to design and print a simple publication. The more complicated the job, the more time they’ll need.

The companies listed on the following pages that are marked with an asterisk have been used by our office. (Note: Design firms such as Papermoon and Grafico do not offer in-house printing, but for an additional cost they will see your job through the production and printing stages.)

2. Producing Your Job

Here are some design terms that may be helpful for you to know when you are trying to decide how to produce your job:

Production: In addition to design, production is the work necessary to get your job from the designer to the printer to a finished product (eg., scanning, page transposition, etc.). The more help you need with this, the more your job will probably cost.

Offset Printing: "Traditional" printing involving presses, film, plates, and mixing of inks to print on paper.

Digital Printing: Printing from disk directly to paper. Can be Docutech (duplication from disk to paper), Fiery (full color copies or disk to full color computer printing), Digital Press (computer printing), or direct to press (printing from disk to offset press).

Photocopying: Unlike offset printing and digital printing, photocopying involves the use of an original paper document that is simply copied. Note, detail is lost in each generation of the copy from the original. If you have an electronic file with scanned photos or shaded areas in your document you will want to use a service like SBS/Carbon Copy to go from disk to finished product.

In General:
before your project is designed, determine the quantity and quality of the project you wish to have.

one-color is the least expensive

the larger the quantity, the lower the unit cost. Roughly 75% of the cost is for the printer to set up the press for the job.

be aware of mailing regulations--odd sized pieces will cost more to mail. Check with Dan Quirion or Louie Huard (ext. 3287) in the mailroom to be sure.

the industry standard for printing colors is the Pantone^tm (PMS) system. Each color you choose will add to the cost of the job. If your job contains photos that you would like in full color, that is considered 4-color process and can be quite costly. In general, the more colors you have, the more expensive your unit cost will be—especially in lower quantities.

paper choices are quite varied in texture, color, and price—it can add up quickly.

if you use scans for a print job, they need to be at least 300 dpi TIFF images at the final size and may require alterations and film to print, which will add to the cost. Do not resize images after scanning.

photocopying is substantially less expensive than traditional offset printing. See the list of printers and copy centers below.

To give you a guide, we have a general list of costs versus quantities for certain projects. If you need help in selecting your colors and/or paper, please contact Communications to set up an appointment.

3. Design/Printers

Once your job is ready, collect all materials and take them to the printer/copy center. The printers and copy centers listed have extensive experience with Colby jobs. Names with asteriks are firms that we have done extensive work with.

For duplications, photocopying:

Dan Quirion
ext. 3287

Duplications is fast, on-campus, and cheap. Only hard copy photocopying (no disks), with limited selections in paper.

*SBS/Carbon Copy
54 Main Street
Waterville, Maine 04901
T: 873-4657
F: 873-7948
For price estimates: Charlie McCann

More information about mailing and duplicating services can be found at the Eustis Service Center Site

Offset printing, photocopying, color copies, digital printing/docutech, banners, and design services. $30/hour for design plus expenses. Price for design varies with complexities and specifics of job. Will handle production.

SBS has the capabilities to take jobs in Macintosh or Windows format and photcopy them. Call them for more details. They will also accept p.o.'s (not account numbers) from Colby.

Offset/Digital Printers

*Haskins Printing
Pine Acres Business Park
Kennedy Memorial Drive
Oakland, Maine 04901
T: 465-2155
F: 465-7377
Design: Neil Amalfitano
For price estimates: Frank Hosea

Offset printing, photocopying, color copies, digital printing, and design services. $40/hour for design in addition to printing costs. Price for design varies with complexities and specifics of job.

Haskins comes to Colby 2-3 times a day. They have quick turnaround and paper and color selection are extensive (depending on your budget). Have film output available. Very good to work with.

*Atkins Printing
115 Main Street
Waterville, Maine 04901
T: 872-5565
F: 872-0792

For price estimates: Dave Shaw

Offset printing, photocopying, color copies, digital printing (full color copies and photocopying from computer disk), and design services. $40/hour for design in addition to printing costs. Price for printing varies with complexities and specifics of job.

Atkins has quick turnaround and limitless paper and color selections (depending on your budget). They also have film output available at their location. Good to work with.

*Papermoon Graphics
Augusta Road (Route 201)
Winslow, Maine
T: 872.6011
Design/Price estimates: Bridget Campbell

Will handle design and production. Price for design varies with complexities and specifics of job.

Design firm only but will handle production for additional fee. Price for design varies with complexities and specifics of job.