# Best printing method for short magazine run? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2009, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-printing-method-for-short-magazine-run/504083 "2009-07-24T04:34:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BACI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@BACI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BACI)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-printing-method-for-short-magazine-run/504083/1 "2009-07-24T04:34:17Z")
A friend of mine is keen to start a magazine that she believes will appeal strongly to a specialist audience. To test the waters she would like to put together a small run of maybe 1,000 copies that she can distribute locally before going out and seeking bigger advertising commitments and perhaps shooting for a distribution agreement. I’ve had some experience in outsourcing larger runs of magazines (50,000 copies or so) but am unsure of the best and most cost efficient means of producing smaller production runs. What sort of printing process should we be looking at? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![sharding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@sharding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sharding)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-printing-method-for-short-magazine-run/504083/2 "2009-07-24T05:48:42Z")
“Digital offset” from something like an HP Indigo or a Heidelberg Quickmaster DI might be a good way to go. Decent quality, reasonable prices for short runs. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-printing-method-for-short-magazine-run/504083/3 "2009-07-24T14:15:16Z")
Is she trying for glossy color or something more like newsprint? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-printing-method-for-short-magazine-run/504083/4 "2009-07-24T14:42:25Z")
Contact a local print shop for rates. A lot depends on exactly what she wants – size of magazine, type of paper, binding, etc. For 1000, offset is probably better than photocopying, but the print shop can discuss the details. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-printing-method-for-short-magazine-run/504083/5 "2009-07-26T03:16:26Z")
I’ve had good luck with local printers that do newspapers. A magazine like this probably does not have strict timing to meet, so they can schedule it around the time when they are printing newspapers, at times when their presses would otherwise be empty. If you tell them 'I will deliver it to you on this date, and I want the completed print job 15 days later, that gives them a lot of flexibility, and they will often give you a very good price. ---
**Author:** ![BACI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@BACI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BACI)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-printing-method-for-short-magazine-run/504083/6 "2009-07-26T03:21:42Z")
Good feedback - thanks everyone for your thoughts. Re Filling Pages’ question - the closer to a traditional glossy look and feel, the better. Saddle stitch will be the binding in the short term, paper weight currently unknown. But digital offset sounds the goods.