Using RPGNow Printing

[maasenstodt]

I recently had a really good experience with RPGNow's print service, receiving a very nicely done hard cover copy of Stars Without Number. I'd put the quality at a level lulu has only occasionally hit in my experience (which includes about a dozen hard covers) but often falls short of.

Given that Goblinoid Games' .pdf products are already available through RPGNow, I hope a print option will be made available there to offer an alternative to lulu.

[Goblinoid Games]

I'm planning to get there, but i haven't been in a hurry since RPGnow uses the same printers as Lulu.

[bighara]

We've got one product up as PoD there (Re-Energizers), but that was because we had formatted it for Lightning Source before the PoD service went live. We may try and get some more up, but their template is different from the printer we normally use @ FMG.

[maasenstodt]

I'm planning to get there, but i haven't been in a hurry since RPGnow uses the same printers as Lulu.

Interesting. The facts that the binding on my copy of SWN is a bit different from anything I've previously seen out of lulu and that it is notably superior to the last couple of hardcovers I received from lulu made me think that RPGnow uses a different printer.

Perhaps it's all a crap shoot, then.

[Blood axe]

I recently had a really good experience with RPGNow's print service, receiving a very nicely done hard cover copy of Stars Without Number. I'd put the quality at a level lulu has only occasionally hit in my experience (which includes about a dozen hard covers) but often falls short of.

Given that Goblinoid Games' .pdf products are already available through RPGNow, I hope a print option will be made available there to offer an alternative to lulu.

How are the prices/shipping?
Are you in the U.S. ?

[maasenstodt]

How are the prices/shipping?
Are you in the U.S. ?

The Stars Without Number hard cover was $24.99. Shipping to the St. Louis area was $5.30. I received it within a week and a half of receiving it. As I mentioned, it was a very positive experience. (Oh, and the game itself is absolutely brilliant too, BTW )

Dan's information notwithstanding and all things being equal, if I had a choice to go through RPGNow or lulu for my next hard cover purchase, I'd go with RPGNow.

[Blood axe]

Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out. $5 shipping is reasonable.

[Dyson Logos]

RPGnow uses Lightning Source directly, and from what I've been told (over and over), Lulu is actually a (very successful) Lightning Source reseller.

[Mach Front]

Indeed. Same printing sources for Lulu and RPGNow. It's not that easy to judge quality on these things because it would seem sometimes a different local printer is used.

By way of example, just a couple of weeks ago, when BHP was about to stop selling Swords & Wizardry: WhiteBox, I decided I would get a hardcover. So I placed my Lulu order. Literally two days later I thought, "I should have ordered a second hardcover and a softcover as well." So, I placed the order. The orders were two days apart, and the second order arrived at my door first. The second, the day after.
The two hardbacks from the two separate orders are very obviously printing in different fashions.
First off, there's obviously a strip of fabric on the inner portion of the spine on one of them. The other looks only and just like a perfect-bound book-cum-hardback (which is what 'case bound' is anyway, so I understand).
One has a slight bit more thickness to it.
One has 'beefier' printing on the cover. So much to the point that one can easily feel the print on the cover, whereas with the second, the cover couldn't possibly be smoother. Yet, on the second, in just the right light and angle, one can see that the smooth cover has a slightly rough look to it.. The one whereon you can feel the print, is otherwise extremely shiny and slick.
Also, the part just to the inside of the spine...whatever that's called...where the cover sort of 'bends' on hardbacks. Whatever. Anyway, that part is longer and also more tightly crimped than on the other, which is shorter and has a shallower dip.

Lastly, one came with the books just tossed into the Lulu box, which had no plastic straps (which is what I encounter more often). The other order had the book tightly shrink-wrapped on a stiff cardboard back and the box was constructed differently and had the two plastic strips.

Again, note that these were both ordered from Lulu and only just under 48 hrs apart.

[maasenstodt]

Indeed. Same printing sources for Lulu and RPGNow. It's not that easy to judge quality on these things because it would seem sometimes a different local printer is used.

By way of example, just a couple of weeks ago, when BHP was about to stop selling Swords & Wizardry: WhiteBox, I decided I would get a hardcover. So I placed my Lulu order. Literally two days later I thought, "I should have ordered a second hardcover and a softcover as well." So, I placed the order. The orders were two days apart, and the second order arrived at my door first. The second, the day after.
The two hardbacks from the two separate orders are very obviously printing in different fashions.
First off, there's obviously a strip of fabric on the inner portion of the spine on one of them. The other looks only and just like a perfect-bound book-cum-hardback (which is what 'case bound' is anyway, so I understand).
One has a slight bit more thickness to it.
One has 'beefier' printing on the cover. So much to the point that one can easily feel the print on the cover, whereas with the second, the cover couldn't possibly be smoother. Yet, on the second, in just the right light and angle, one can see that the smooth cover has a slightly rough look to it.. The one whereon you can feel the print, is otherwise extremely shiny and slick.
Also, the part just to the inside of the spine...whatever that's called...where the cover sort of 'bends' on hardbacks. Whatever. Anyway, that part is longer and also more tightly crimped than on the other, which is shorter and has a shallower dip.

Lastly, one came with the books just tossed into the Lulu box, which had no plastic straps (which is what I encounter more often). The other order had the book tightly shrink-wrapped on a stiff cardboard back and the box was constructed differently and had the two plastic strips.

Again, note that these were both ordered from Lulu and only just under 48 hrs apart.

This variability reflects my experience with lulu as well. I wish their quality was more consistent. At least my largest purchase from them - the full color OSRIC hard back - was the one I was most impressed with.