IIS 2009 Compendium - 1st draft paper proofs are in... and I think that you people are gonna love it.
It already looks fantastic.
A few tweaks here and there now that I can see the digital proofs, and we're set to print soon. It's amazing how well a lot of the lower-resolution files are performing on press too, after a little (only) persuading. I'm quite happy with it. In fact I'm a bit stoked. The higher resolution (300dpi) images supplied to me look astonishing.
Looks like I'll go with what the printers are referring to as "gloss" paper stock too - which, in reality, is more like a beautiful satin semi-gloss finish than the matte I originally specified. It's no where near full-gloss (lacquered), and shows contrast very well. The matte resulted in a relatively dull finish as the dot-gain (ink-soak and spread) is relatively high in comparison to the gloss, which holds the blacks far better as it's coated paper. This is good because space is generally black!
I can't wait to finish it now and get it under way for real. Looks like it will be printed on the web-offset press also, not digital - so a traditionally-printed book is what we'll be getting. This is unexpected as web-offset printing is generally more expensive than digital. A very big thank you to Ben Doyle (Benno85) who made the connections to our printer for me, and his dad Eddie, who is the pre-press manager there. Wayne, Eddie and the gang down there really know their trade, and are fantastic to work with. Thanks guys!
