Some of our lovely “Matilda’s” users have asked questions in the past regarding printing their cookbooks at the neighborhood quick print shop or at one of the national chains instead of printing their cookbook at home.

Many of them would like to get printing quotes from several shops around town in order to get the best product at the best price.  We think this is a good idea, and often suggest a standard format for providing this information to the printer/counter person.

First of all, if you are asking several places to give you a “quote,” it is easier to provide identical information on a Request for Quotation form.  You can complete it on your home computer and print out as many copies as print shops you’ll be visiting. The basic Word format of the Request for Quotation can be changed easily and will save you from having to explain over and over again (and the printer will understand more clearly).

Therefore, when visiting copy shops it would be a good idea to have the following items available:

- A printed sample of your cookbook to show. You don’t need a printout of the whole cookbook; just the outside cover pages and a few inside pages will demonstrate nicely. They’ll get the idea from those samples.

- Provide the printer with your Request for Quotation form filled out as completely as possible.

What you are trying to do is make sure the print shop person knows all the specifications you want your cookbook to have, so that they do it right the first time. For more about copy shops, read this article:
Printing Your Cookbook at a Copy Shop

There are other options your copy shop counter person may also suggest, so keep track of these on the bottom of the form.  Some of them may be:

Cover protectors
You can ask to have clear plastic sheets added to the front and back covers. This will make the cookbooks more durable and less likely to get those inevitable butter (aka grease) stains

Paper Stock
Instead of glossy white paper, you can choose other paper to print your cookbook. Consider using plain white, cream or ivory, or even Hot Pink if you like. Just remember that these types of papers are more porous than the glossy paper and can stain easily.

Ink Color
Some printers have the ability to provide different ink colors to highlight the cookbook. If this is something you would like to do, remember that darker inks print best. Limit your ink choices to black, Navy, brown, or dark green. (Photos never look good in yellow or pink, especially food.)

Happy Cookbooking!

Matilda

Making a recipe book? Check out all the recipe software and cookbook binding supplies we have at CookbookPeople.com.

If you enjoyed this article, you might check out:
• Make the Copy Shop Bow to Your Cookbook with 6 Easy Steps
• Selecting the Right Paper for Your Cookbook
• Top 7 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Our Cookbook Software

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