Journals, filler paper, and efficiency
Briarpress,
I am in the midst of a larger run of pocket notebooks/booklets for a client and myself. I’ve got 100 to make for her and about 750 to make for wholesale orders over this week. My current process is to count the filler sheets out to 10-12 by sheets and then score them (yes 10 at a time, I’ve got a nice little setup for that). The problem is that 750 journals of filler paper takes AGES to count out by hand. While I’d love to have buy a big booklet assembler I don’t have thousands of dollars and only have a 100 sq. ft. for my studio right now.
Cheers,
mnreggie
You need a simple hand help pad divider. Most paper houses sell them.
You can count it one time and this measures it.
Simply and gently pull it towards you and it will catch the correct amount. Don’t force it.
http://www.americanprintingequipment.com/counters_1.aspx
Tip: as you print or if your printing, put a color divider sheet between each qty, while watching counter.
I am guessing you cut these down from big sheets, if you count the big sheets first and put a coloured divider in then cut them with dividers in, saves you counting cut down sheets, might save a bit of time.
John
Counting paper accurately, even large quantities, is not a difficult thing.
Fan the paper slightly, lift and bend a part of it, then let the edges carefully past your thumb. Count off groups of five, through twos and threes. Once you know the method, you don’t really need to think about the twos and threes, just count off the fives.
If accuracy is not needed, get a count of 100 or 250 and then measure depth and apply that to the balance. Or use a adjustable padding counter (sold at American Printing Equipment but the item shown there is not assembled correctly).
Maybe someone else who understands the method can do a video of it, or give a better verbal explanation.
These days many people have accurate digital scales in their kitchen or elsewhere in their house. They work for weighing paper too!
Theo - Thank’s I think I may end up going this route, though I am definitely fit into the stereotypical millennial type so maybe just counting them out will teach me patience.
John - I don’t, up until recently have used 8.5x11” reams and cutting those down as I’ve had quite a bit of stock of those on hand. As I’m exploring new paper options perhaps some french text weight in their 19x25 or 12.5x19” may be a good (and hopefully cost effective) substitute?
Parallel_imp - That’s more or less the method I have at the moment, but after counting out 8500 filler sheets last night It got old and was hoping to just hear from others on their methods. If I were doing larger journals (>20sheets) I’d definitely be using my scale, but these are typically 10 folded sheets each.
For my larger journals I do, but the scale is more work on these little pocket journals! My scale is my life… .such a timesaver! (I also totally use mine in the kitchen AND the studio)
Thanks all for the thoughts!
Cheers,
Reggie