AGEOD Forums

Yesterday, I uploaded the game manual file (67pp) and the Generals List file (29pp) to kinkos, had them combined, and picked it up today. Black and white, printed both sides, spiral bound to lay flat, with a clear plastic front cover and black plastic back cover...$15.50..and it looks great! (and couldn't have been easier)

Vorticon wrote:Yesterday, I uploaded the game manual file (67pp) and the Generals List file (29pp) to kinkos, had them combined, and picked it up today. Black and white, printed both sides, spiral bound to lay flat, with a clear plastic front cover and black plastic back cover...$15.50..and it looks great! (and couldn't have been easier)

I once took a PDF manual to be printed at a local Staples/Business Depot and had to beg them to print it. It appears that the employee's had been trained to look for copyright notices and would refuse to print any copyrighted work without the permission of the original publisher.

I had to argue with them for about 15 minutes and speak with their manager to convince them that:

(A) I had purchased the software that the manual was written for
(B) That it was for my express personal use
(C) That I would not make 'copies' of my printed copy.

Clearly, the copyright police are getting out of hand!

Candew wrote:I once took a PDF manual to be printed at a local Staples/Business Depot and had to beg them to print it. It appears that the employee's had been trained to look for copyright notices and would refuse to print any copyrighted work without the permission of the original publisher.

I had to argue with them for about 15 minutes and speak with their manager to convince them that:

(A) I had purchased the software that the manual was written for
(B) That it was for my express personal use
(C) That I would not make 'copies' of my printed copy.

Clearly, the copyright police are getting out of hand!

I personally think that the bootleggers are the ones getting out of hand! I actually applaud their dilegence on the issue, plus, they themselves might have to worry about prosecution should they be 'noted' for providing illegal photocopies. In the end, you got your copies.

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I dunno guys. I printed it myself in color on both sides of the paper. Super easy to do. Used a little bit harder cardstock for my front cover. Took the whole works to Staples and they charged me less than three dollars to spiral bind it and put clear plastic covers on front and back. Considering it used less than a fifth of an ink cartridge, the whole thing couldn't have cost more'n 6 or 7 bucks. The printing didn't take that long either, really. Just print 20 pages at a time, odd pages only, pick up the pile, put it in the printer backwards and print the even pages 20 pages at a time. And it really looks first class. The colors are gorgeous.

I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my apologies to Norwegian taxpayers for printing the AACW manual at work.

Rafiki wrote:I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my apologies to Norwegian taxpayers for printing the AACW manual at work.

Did you also find a trainee to do the binding ?

Nah, I'm a simple man and chose to settle for mere staples

(Besides, we don't have trainees to use for such purposes )

McNaughton wrote:I personally think that the bootleggers are the ones getting out of hand! I actually applaud their dilegence on the issue, plus, they themselves might have to worry about prosecution should they be 'noted' for providing illegal photocopies. In the end, you got your copies.

Quite right! Now everyone is considered a thief, rather then a law abiding paid consumer availing themselves of their fair use provisions under existing copyright law.

You know, I just don't get the fascination with printed manuals.

I never buy hard copy games anymore unless that's my only choice. I never print a manual. That, to me, is a process similar to embalming poor ole Grandma and consigning her to the cold, hard ground.

What I do is take the electronic manual and work it into the shape I need, editing, adding, deleting, clarifying, rewriting, illustrating, updating, and so on, and making changes as the game changes through patches and supplements. If I need to refer to it during game play, I pull up my latest version from a CD.

Why spend the dough and have the thing sitting around taking up space? What do you do when it becomes obsolete?

I guess I'm just a "sold on the idea that electronic information storage pretty much blew up Gutenberg's press" kind of guy.

>>Why spend the dough and have the thing sitting around taking up space? >>What do you do when it becomes obsolete?

It's easier to read in the john than holding your desktop on your lap.

jimkehn wrote:>>Why spend the dough and have the thing sitting around taking up space? >>What do you do when it becomes obsolete?

It's easier to read in the john than holding your desktop on your lap.

I knows wisdom when I sees it.

Indeed

(I would've said "on the bus", but looking back, the bus isn't where I've spent most time reading the manual )

Confucius say, he who read printed manual on crapper soon find other need for pages on laptop.

Kind of gives you a different perspective on "modification of the printed copy," doesn't it?

I was contemplating hailing the printed manual as "multi-use/multi-purpose", but then decided it might be in bad taste....

(Besides, the AACW manual is way to good for such )

Rafiki old scout, I never let bad taste stand in the way of going for a cheap joke.

But seriously, folks, I find the ability to augment and customize an electronic manual indispensable, kind of like toilet paper.

And for those who enjoy reading their manuals in ... shall we say ... "exotic" places, you can always upload a version to your PDA. Less chance of "function confusion" that way, too ...

The Matrix Copyright notice at the back of the manual gives a message to the printers that one copy may be made by the original purchaser.

Of course it is up to the printers to accept that.

pasternakski wrote:But seriously, folks, I find the ability to augment and customize an electronic manual indispensable, kind of like toilet paper.

I do not disagree, which is why I've started wikifying the manual

Sometimes you need a printed manual and sometimes you don't. I had the entire manual for Falcon 4.0 Allied Force printed out, 716 pages. With a complicated game it just helps to be able to read while you do the task, or visit the toilet. Oh and the pretty pictures help too.