What’s Your Deadline? Planning Your Timeline

A Deadline I’ll Never Forget

Back when I printed my comic collection, I wanted to premiere the book at one specific convention: the fantastic SPX (Small Press Expo) in Bethesda, Maryland. I’d been going to that show for years, and I wanted it to be the place where my promotional tour started.

Up to that point I had only ever exhibited with my mini-comics, so this book was a big step forward. It was professionally printed by an offset printer overseas (before PrintNinja existed), and I’d raised the money on Kickstarter to pay for the whole thing. I solicited a lot of advice and ordered a hardcopy proof to make sure the colors would print the way I expected. For the most part, they did! But there were a few areas where I hadn’t accounted for some of my color choices. I didn’t really want to spend more time and money on another proof – but more on that later.

Because the books were coming from China, they were going to spend a long time on the ocean before they reached my house. The convention was scheduled well before that arrival date, so I needed to expedite a single box of books straight to the convention center. There wasn’t even time to have them shipped to me first. The first time I’d ever see the final product of my book would be at the show.

Here I was, after spending the better part of two years on this project, on the precipice of seeing the fruits of my labor. If the shipment got delayed, or I messed up the address, I was going to be at the show with nothing. Luckily, it worked out.

The box arrived, and thankfully the book turned out really well. The printer had done an amazing job.

I can still remember that moment clearly. The staff checked me in and told me where my table would be on the floor – the books would be waiting there for me. As I approached, I was terrified they’d be missing. There seems to be some kind of mishap like this at every convention. But there they were.

I opened the box and saw my book for the first time. This was the culmination of an ambition I’d held for years, something I wasn’t sure would ever come to pass. But even filled with the emotion of the moment, my focus quickly shifted to setting up the table and actually selling the thing. I managed to sell every copy at the show that weekend, leaving with just the single copy I kept for myself.

I had a celebration dinner with my brother Adam, who’d helped me all weekend. Pulling the whole thing off and selling out of my advance copies was the kind of feeling you chase for the rest of your life.

Now, it all worked out for me that weekend. But I could have saved myself an ulcer by not having that deadline hanging over me. In the real world, though, we’re almost always dealing with some deadline or another. So let’s talk about how to plan for one.

The Three-Part Timeline

There are three major factors you have to account for in any print timeline. Add them together and you get your total turnaround time.

1. The time your proofing will require
2. The time production will require
3. The time shipping will require

This holds true not just for PrintNinja but for any print partner you choose, so find out what times they’re quoting before you begin. It’s the easiest way to avoid a missed deadline. Let’s take each piece in turn.

Proofing Time – The Step Everyone Underestimates

If you’ve never been through the self-publishing process before, this is the one our customers most often overlook. Build in real time for it.

We typically ask customers to allow a week for the electronic proofing process. When we receive your files, one of our prepress managers evaluates them and prepares your proof. Every order goes through this – even if you’re also getting a hardcopy proof, everyone starts with an electronic one. It’s emailed to you along with notes and recommendations based on the prepress manager’s evaluation of your files.

Sometimes it’s a simple exchange: we report that everything looks great and move into production with your approval. That can happen as quickly as one business day.

More typically, you’ll need 2–3 electronic proofs to get everything just right. It might be a simple fix, like needing to add “printed in China” somewhere in your project, or adding a blank page to land on the correct total page count. More complex issues usually involve sizing problems or cover formatting. Luckily, we have an extensive library of step-by-step guides and videos on our website to help with file-prep issues.

Here’s what a typical proofing week might look like. Remember that proofs are delivered one business day after we receive your files.

• Monday – You upload your files (before 5 pm Central).
• Tuesday – You receive your proof with notes from our team. If the files need no further adjustments, you approve.
• Wednesday – If approved, you move into production. If you’re still proofing, you upload your adjusted files.
• Thursday – You receive your adjusted proof with notes.
• Friday – If approved, you move into production.

It’s paramount that we get your files into the shape you need to feel comfortable moving forward, so we never recommend rushing the proofing process.

If you’re getting a hardcopy proof

A hardcopy proof means factoring in more time. Once your electronic proof is complete, we start preparing the production of your physical proof. We’ll cover the benefits and drawbacks of hardcopy proofing in more detail later in this series, but for timeline purposes, plan on about two more weeks: roughly one week to produce the proof and another week to ship it to you from China.

So if you choose a hardcopy proof, allocate at least three weeks of proofing time in total (assuming your electronic proofing takes about a week). And keep in mind: if you want something adjusted after seeing your hardcopy proof, you’ll head back into the electronic proofing cycle, so be prepared to add even more time if that happens.

Production Time – By Binding Style

Once you’ve approved your proof, you’re on the production schedule. How long you’ll be there depends mostly on the style of binding your project uses.

• Saddle stitching – 1–2 weeks
• Softcover books – 2–3 weeks
• Hardcover, board, spiral, and wire-o books – 3–4 weeks
• Card games – 4–5 weeks

These schedules account for the printing, binding, and packaging of your order. Sometimes the size or complexity of a project will push the production time longer, so plan accordingly.

A lot is happening to your project during production. Beyond the printing itself (which usually happens the day after we get your approval), there’s a whole sequence of cutting, folding, binding, trimming, and packaging. We work with the best binding partners in the area to ensure the quality of your final product. Here are a few videos we shot ourselves while visiting the facilities in China:

• Folding signatures
• Lamination
• Card trimming
• Hardcover construction
• Smyth sewing
• Boxing

Shipping Time – The Wild Card

The third factor is the one with the most variables, and the one that nearly cost me at SPX. Because most projects this size are produced overseas, your finished copies spend real time in transit.

Standard ocean freight is the most economical way to move a full print run, but it’s slow – your books can be on the water for weeks. Expedited and air options exist and are much faster, but they cost considerably more. The right choice depends entirely on how much runway your deadline gives you. We’ll dig into shipping and fulfillment in depth in the final part of this series, but for now the takeaway is simple: get your quoted transit time up front and fold it into the equation.

And the hard lesson from my SPX story bears repeating: don’t tie a hard, can’t-move event date to an ocean-freight arrival estimate. If you absolutely must, budget for an expedited box and give yourself a generous buffer.

Don’t Rush It

You’ve poured a considerable amount of time, energy, creative passion – not to mention money – into this project. You owe it to yourself to get everything right.

I understand the anxiety of wanting your project finished and out into the world. But take the time you need to make sure the final product comes out as great as you’re imagining it. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice on the details that can take your project to the next level. We’ve printed a lot of books, and we have plenty of ideas for unique features that can make your creation stand apart from the crowd.

Plan the timeline backward from the date you actually need copies in hand, add a buffer, and you’ll spend the home stretch excited instead of terrified.