This comes up all the time.

My solution is the great Fineprint program and my trusty cheap Samsung laser printer. Using 2 up and double sided pages I get the paper page count down to 75 pages. Very manageable.

link: http://www.fineprint.com

-CB

Color photos and all? Kinkos?

CB,

But that prints your big full color manual in tiny black and white. Just as well get the eNovel B/W wire bound manual for $29.95, and it is a lot more readable. The problem is, the SoFo manuals are full color, with lots of full color screen shots, and you do lose something by printing them in black and white.

But there is no cheap way to print in full color. Counting the costs of your paper and your color inks, it probably costs you at least 25 cents a page to print your manual yourself. I will have to see what our local Kinkos charges for full color printing. For the time being I am just reading my PDF manuals onscreen, and printing out only a few "critical" pages.

-- Seeker --

M,

"Having it printed is between $30-$50."

Is that in full color? Because the eNovels books are B/W and they cost only $29.95.

-- Seeker --

The eNovels are B/W! Serious? - Hmmmm....

I would pay extra for color and widescreen.

JJK

I got the eNovel V3 manual, B/W. Grob

Not sure if it's B/W... I'd have to call back.

M

I just called my local Kinkos. Normal 1 sided color printing is $1.50 per page! He said at 314 pages, he could do $0.59 per page. That is still outrageous, so I asked about b/w. $21.95 printed, duplex, and if I wanted it binded, it would be about $5.00 more. Not bad!

Craig

Yeah, we called Kinko's last week about having it all printed out in color and binded, and they told us $300. Ridiculous. B&W is apparantely much cheaper but who wants a color manual in B&W.

We may end up printing it ourselves and just having them bind it given no other alternative. Maybe i'm just jaded, but it seems that if you spend $500+ on some software, it should at least be accompanied by (or have available) a full color printed manual. I'm not trying to be snippy about it or anything, honestly. It just seems reasonable to me.

Printing the manual in color would cost me 58.5 cents per page for
paper x 300= $175.50 for the paper and at 300 dpi about guessing
3 color ink cartridges ($97.90) and one black cartridge ($29.95) for a
total of $303.35. This allows for older cartridges that run out real
quick. But then I have to punch in the 3-holer dude and thats additional
labor. Oh, I forgot about the electricity. Then I have to buy a binder.
Then a label. Then re-enforcements so the pages won't rip out. The
hardest part will be to read and understand the multitudes of information
therein. Maybe I'll just send in the #34.00, let them make the book
and look at it in black & white.

JJK

"Maybe i'm just jaded, but it seems that if you spend $500+ on some software, it should at least be accompanied by (or have available) a full color printed manual. I'm not trying to be snippy about it or anything, honestly. It just seems reasonable to me."


Software that comes with complete manuals are a dying breed. You can thank PDF files for that!
I just started using a new CAD software at work, and it came with, you guessed it, a quick start guide and a PDF help file/manual on the installation CD. We're talking complex software that costs way more than Vegas. Oh, and no option of having a printed manual through a third party either.
I think if SoFo still supplied hard copies with their software, it would be service "above and beyond the call of duty". Let's not forget, we'd still want to pay only $150.

¢¢

I tried a few things at home. I have an HP 940c, and it would not be economical to print it at home, but here's what I did...

I did the Printer Setup from within Acrobat reader. Settings were: Print 2 sided (Duplex), and print 4 pages per side. That's only 40 pages, with printing on both sides. However, I don't want to go blind reading this thing. It would look OK with 2 pages per side, so there is 80 pages.

Not sure what that would cost ME to print on my 940c, but I may print this off at work...gotta think about that. (Work is NOT related to my video hobby at all.)

Then, I could have kinkos bind it, or put it in a 3 ring binder. (We have pre-punched paper as well.)

Hmmmm, too many decisions. OH yeah, I don't even have V4+DVD yet. Maybe I'll wait...or print 10 pages per week or something. :)

Craig

My local copy/print shop charges 4 cents a page, and $1.50 to velo bind. Decided I'd rather have a 3 ring binder, any way. Fifty cents extra to three hole punch. For that price, I'll settle for beautiful and clear B&W.

Ask if they have lower prices for large numbers of pages. The same shop charges 7 cents for 1-10 pages. You also save 1/4 cent per double sided page.

Look around. I can't be the only lucky one with a "local" copy/print shop.

OK,

I'll pile-on as the local tree-hugger.

I'm sick of handling paper, and don't feel like killing more trees. I *much* prefer to Alt-tab between help and the app.

Plus, electronic media is faster to navigate, faster to update, cheaper to ship, very environmentally friendly.

Bearing in mind, I'm using a laptop so I can take it with me when I'm bearing-down. Then I like having paper, but not for reading.


Make movies, not war.


my .02

mph

I'm with you Marty,
I print out only a section I wish to study and use dual monitors to look-read-and do for the rest.

In case you have not noticed, the help section and the manual are not quite the same thing. I have read the help section from front to rear; and, am now reading the manual. I am impressed with both. Glad there is more than one way to say something. I am learning a LOT.

For the record... it took about $2 worth of paper, 1 full Canon black cartridge ($13), 10% of the color cartridges ($5) and 2 hours of my time (priceless!?).

But the point of this thread was... the documentation for V4 is much more complete and much better that VV3. They have done a great job on it and I agree they should be supplying something to their customers... even us downloaders. The hard copy documentation really makes the software more valuable.

150 pieces of paper $1.50 ( a full ream of 500 sheets costs $4)

1/2 black ink cartridge $1.50 (Epson compatable black cartridges $3 each)

1/4 Colour ink cartridge $1 (Epson compatable Colour $4 each)

card back, acetate front and ringbound at Stapes $4

Total price $8 plus an hour of my time.

Remember to print on drafy quality, theres no need at all for 720 dpi!

regards
Si

Si - I'm getting in a real pickle with the "Print All Odd" then turning over and "Print All Even" - Okay HP 959c here - not your Epson, but the theory should hold - yes?

Ho are you getting in a "pickle" Grazie ?.

Just goto the PDF, goto print, then somewhere in your print page that comes up will be a box that says which pages to print, how many etc etc, just select all pages, and then select Odd, im pretty sure all printer software offers this.
Drop me a mil if youve any problems simonwim@ntlworld.com

regards
Si

Cheers Si! I'll get my head round it later today.

Grazie