ENG/NL

Information
Mail: account@ogc.nl
Tel: (010) 220 11 49

Timeframe

Your books will have to be ready x weeks prior to the date on which your doctoral degree is conferred. The number of weeks differs for each university.

The printing, finishing, checking and binding takes around 3 weeks (15 working days). At the point of being ready for print, all files (interior, cover, invitation and propositions) are converted to PDF files that are correct both technically and in terms of content. You’ve given the green light for the physical production. The time of being ready for print is therefore x + 3 weeks prior to the date of the doctoral degree being conferred!

 

But before getting to the time of being ready for print, we (Optima and you) will obviously be working hard to make progress.

 

A] You provide everything yourself and you send us a fully ready PDF. Please drop by before you start. We can help you, but we do need to know what software you’ll be working with. The next step is to put together a small section first, create a PDF and send it to us. We’ll then be able to check whether it is all in order technically and whether it is fully and properly in position. Once everything is in order, you are assured to continue. Try to have your files ready at least one week prior to the ready-for-print date. We use this final week to check the files and make any adjustments. It is rarely the case that we receive files that are 100% correct from the outset. This extra week is nearly always necessary.

 

B] You leave the working plans and setting (layout) entirely to us. You should factor in around three weeks for this process. A good deal of those three weeks is for you to check through everything once more. The setting will be done entirely in accordance with your wishes. You will have to make a selection from the following elements:

layout (how are all the elements positioned on the page, e.g. page numbering, chapter specification, running title, tabs)

typography (typeface)

tables (we also prepare tables)

references (consecutive, with line spacing or half-line spacing, indentation)

chapter pages (taken care of by graphic designer)

 

Calculating number of copies

Ask your supervisor whether he/she has a list lying around of the names of those persons that definitely need to be given a copy of your dissertation.

 

Ask a colleague about the number of copies he/she had printed. But take care – you can’t trust this blindly. There can be significant differences. Always compare your situation accurately with that of a colleague. Perhaps you have a large family, resulting in you needing more books. Or perhaps your research touches on a lot of other subject areas. This can produce significant differences in the number of copies to be printed.

 

You also have to consider a potential shortfall in supply of up to 10%. A binder may deliver with a maximum tolerance of 10% of the quantity ordered. For anyone familiar with the process of printing and binding, this is a very natural article (13 paragraph 4) from the terms and conditions of delivery (we’d be happy to explain in more detail).

Oversupply (+ 10%) isn’t an issue at Optima, for in such cases Optima does not recognize the terms and conditions of the binder. If everything runs smoothly, you’ll be given the requested number of copies + 10 extra books. These 10 extra copies will be a gift from us to you. 

 

Size of a dissertation

Dissertations are almost always 170 x 240 mm.

Alternative dimensions are possible.

 

Number of pages

The number of pages can be calculated relatively accurately. Set your text to 12 pt. and use double spacing. The net result in book form will be roughly 2/3 of this! So 300 pages A4, 12 pt. with double spacing will come to about 200 pages.

 

File formats for images (PostScript/bitmap)

Broadly speaking there are 2 file formats. It’s either PostScript (EPS/PS) or bitmap (TIFF). In this regard, bitmap (a file composed entirely of pixels) can be further subdivided into standard bitmap (consists of greyscale values as well as black) and single bitmap (consists of 100% black and 100% white).

The PostScript format has no resolution! All elements are described and can therefore be scaled without restriction, thereby rendering them sharp at all times. Programs using PostScript format include Excel, PowerPoint, Illustrator, CorelDraw, SPSS.

Don’t make a bitmap out of a PostScript!

Select ‘save as EPS’. If this option is not available, then select ‘export as EPS’. If this option isn’t available either, then printing to PDF is also fine, because PDF is a PostScript format too.

 

A photo comprises pixels only and is a bitmap. Save a photo as TIFF and bear in mind that we now have to deal with resolution. For printed material, a resolution of 300 dpi is required on the format to be positioned. 

But take care! Does your photo contain text? Then TIFF is not the right choice. Text belongs in a PostScript format.

text = PostScript/PDF (no resolution)

vector illustration = PostScript/PDF (no resolution)

pixels only = bitmap (300 dpi)

 

Single bitmap is sometimes very handy if you are doing your dissertation yourself using Word. We’d be happy to explain this in more detail during a personal chat.

 

Specifications for Submission

Optima has hand in specifications (see website www.ogc.nl) for those having their dissertation fully taken care of. We would advise dropping in at some point, though. Based on examples, we’ll explain exactly how your files need to be delivered. In addition to this we’ll explain the end-to-end process, so you know what to expect.

 

Paper selection

All paper on which we print is wood-free. It’s based on cellulose and is free from wood fibre. Wood fibre is very quick to discolour when exposed to UV radiation. Anyone that has ever had pine furniture will know how rapidly wood can ‘turn yellow’.

Wood-free offset. Standard paper like you use each day in your printer. Bright white and totally matt paper. Reads well. The disadvantage is absorption through the paper. A dot always runs slightly (point widening) and this results in loss of sharpness in photos.

 

G-print is lightly coated paper. The minimum coating ensures beautifully sharp printing. Due to the fact that it doesn’t involve full coating, the paper is still fairly matt. Not much trouble from irksome reflection when reading. G-print is very commonly used for dissertations, often for technical reasons (a combination of text and photos) and for emotional reasons. It’s the kind of paper that most people describe as ‘beautiful’.

 

MC is machine-coated paper. Fully coated and therefore super smooth. Exceptionally sharp printing, but the paper does have the inconvenience of reflection. Not often used. If we do use it then it’s for a technical reason, e.g. photographs with a huge amount of fine details or for customers that prefer a glossy appearance.

 

Interior black and white print, full-colour quire, full-colour ‘In Position’

By default, the inside will be printed in black. Obviously a coloured ink instead of black is possible, as is a coloured ink being used alongside the black. If you have full-colour images on the inside and these definitely can’t be in black and white, then a colour quire placed at the end of the book as a colour section is the most inexpensive solution. Incorporating colour at the right place (‘In Position’) is also possible, but usually ends up being a little more expensive. Our finish is sewn. The smallest sheet is 4 pages. A colour page will thus usually be attached to 3 black and white pages, which are part of the colour form. The result is that more colour pages have to be printed. A colour quire at the end contains the colour pictures in concentrated form! So it’s almost always cheaper.

 

Cover (have it produced in line with your own sample or taken care of by graphic designer)

You can have your cover drawn up and set (the technical work) by Optima entirely in line with your own sample. You can provide a sample (can also be a sketch on paper) and the requisite elements (usually the text and a photo) and Optima will provide a PDF ready for print. We have graphic designers for anyone that has no idea about the finish. But many people adopt a middle course. They do have an idea, but one of the graphic designers will develop it in more detail.

 

Laminate matt or gloss

The laminate on the cover fulfils a number of functions. It protects your cover from dirt and moisture, it prevents tears to the cover (laminate is extremely tough), it protects the ink pigments from UV radiation and laminate enhances colour (gloss laminate) or shifts colour a little more towards the pastel (matt laminate). The selection of gloss or matt is almost always made after the cover is ready.

Finish

Additional options

spot UV

relief embossing

laser punch

flaps

integral bind

premium stitched hardbound

an FSC-certified book

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full service

 

Optional costs