Con Book
See also Design
The con book is created in InDesign. Generally we take the previous year’s files and strip away what we don’t need then add in current info. The files get very large due to the image resolution required for print.
The con book is a full sized “magazine” at 8.5”x11”.
We generally get it printed at Short Run Printing Ltd. and are happy with their quality and price.
Ad Space
CMYK, 350DPI w/ a .25" bleed or larger (we can go as low at .125” bleed but sometimes need the extra working room)
Acceptable formats include PDF, PSD, TIFF, PNG, and high quality JPGs. Honestly we can take almost anything.
- Full pages are 8.5” x 11” +bleed
- Half pages are 4.25” x 11” or 8.5” x 6” +bleed
- Third pages are 8.25” x 3.67” +bleed
- Quarter pages are 4.25” x 6” +bleed
- Business Card adds are 3.5” x2” and should not have added bleed.
We cannot promise a particular location (such as lower right for a 1/4 page) so the bleed needs to go all the way around and we will crop images as necessary.
Pricing for ad space can vary every year but we do generally provide ad-swaps on a 1-to-1 basis with other events.
Vendor
For 2011 - present we have purchased our con cooks from Short Run Printing, Ltd.. Their pricing is decent as and they seem like a "mom & pop shop." They are very nice and friendly, very accommodating, and have top notch customer service.
Lead Time & Pricing
Books will take approximately 2 weeks from date or order to arrive. Make sure to quote multiple possible quantities since apparently 200 books can make the difference of a business day's lead time which *could* mean an extra weekend to prep.
The quotes on their web page include shipping which is extremely convenient. Books + shipping generally work out to about $1.70/book.
At this point in time, the largest job Short Run Printing will run is 2,500 books. As we grow we will probably out-grow their service since runs will probably become significantly cheaper elsewhere in bulk.
Annual Process
- Clear out unnecessary files from dropbox; move everything to bitrix
- Create new folder in dropbox 'snafucon art & graphics' called "Con Book"
- Copy last year's con book files into that folder
- Delete the "Final" pdf copies
- Open the file in Indesign and start pulling things out, relinking or deleting images where appropriate, and removing old year information and graphics
- Make the con book!
Pieces of the con book
- Generally the cover is a piece of art from the current year, usually with some con information and a prominent logo.
- The front pages usually include: a no-harassment policy, table of contents, sponsors, social media links, an in-theme request for feedback, and our charity's logo.
- Pg 4 - theme information, maybe with images for it
- Letters from the chairs
- Guests. Leave some white space for autograph
- Map (center of con book)
- Vendors and Artist tables and map
- Policies in 5 words or less
- Music Performers
- Panels and Events
- Egaming events
- Tabletop events
- Staff list on the back cover with a call for volunteering
Games for the con book
- Sudoku
- Word Find
- Maze
- Cross word