Re: Page Counts

Subject: Re: Page Counts
From: David Neeley <dbneeley -at- oddpost -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 16:32:29 -0700 (PDT)



"Good point, but I still think it would be more precise to use a word count or character count."

Krista,

Most editors I know have very well-practiced methods of estimating the finished pages when given the traditional double-spaced Courier originals. As I am sure you know, there is considerable adjustment that can be made to add or subtrace a page here and there to fill the right number of signatures the book will be manufactured from.

For those who haven't worked in printing, presses of various sizes can often print many pages on each side of a sheet (or area, if it's a roll-based web press). When printed on both sides, this is arranged in such a manner that it will when folded and trimmed comprise a given number of pages in the finished size. The largest single press I have heard of, a web press in Scandinavia some years ago, prints IIRC 155 pages on each side in a single pass. Of course, getting the press to full speed and properly synchronized might consume a half mile of paper! When I read about this press in a printing trade journal, perhaps a dozen years ago, the plates were so big that Kodak had to make special film for this one press.

If, therefore, a given book is to be printed with a sixteen page signature, then the finished size will be as close as possible to a multiple of sixteen when all front and back matter are considered. In a long manuscript, though, relatively small layout changes can make a significant difference in the finished size. Therefore, character or word counts are still only approximations--and, usually, not much if any better than the experienced editor's estimate from the manuscript pages. Since most manuscripts today are coming from word processors, however, the actual word count is a simple enough thing to determine.

David




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References:
RE: Page Counts: From: Van Laan, Krista

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