We’ve been working with The University of Arkansas Press for over ten years, and just last week Rachel Holscher and I flew down to Fayetteville to pay them a visit. The University of Arkansas Press has said we’re their book printer of choice, so we had to! Plus, they’re a great client: not only do we print their books, but we also typeset for them, and more. From Mike Bieker, Director,

We’ve partnered with Bookmobile for over ten years.  We appreciate the commitment made by every member of the staff to ensure our books are beautiful and reliable.  The entire staff’s energy and enthusiasm for book publishing is evident, and their ability and willingness to listen to our needs and provide elegant solutions keeps us coming back time and again.

How Did We Get to Be Their Go-To Book Printer?

The University of Arkansas Press typically publishes about 30 titles a year. Bookmobile prints many of their front-list titles—our pricing is competitive with offset printing up to about 2,000 copies for a black-and-white paperback, then about up to about 750 copies for a hardcover with a printed case. (And there are always exceptions to this: we do frequently produce 3,000 copies of a hardcover book with a color interior.)

Also, unlike other short-run book printers, Bookmobile offers options. The University of Arkansas Press can print on the inside of a cover, add a color insert to a black-and-white interior, print a photo section on coated stock, select a 70- or 80-lb. natural stock to beef up a poetry title, and more. And they don’t need to be concerned about the quality of our halftone printing—our Océ VarioPrint 6320s print at 600 x 1200 DPI at a 125 line screen.

For a new run, I’ll work with Liz Lester, the production manager. Reprints are ordered by Sam Ridge, the business and distribution services manager, through our Print Run Manager portal (a convenient way to price titles, order reprints, and see your print history with us). Sample copies are shipped to Arkansas, then the remainder is shipped to their distributor, the Chicago Distribution Center, which is only two business days in transit from Bookmobile.

Bookmobile Does Typesetting, Too!

Rachel Holscher manages our design and typesetting department, and she manages typesetting, copyediting, and indexing for select University of Arkansas Press titles. Bookmobile’s design department offers a wide array of services, from full production management and offset print buying for Graywolf Press and Coffee House Press, to catalog design and layout for Consortium Book Sales and Distribution.

Our typesetting services are a great fit for The University of Arkansas Press: we can take some of Liz’s production work off her plate and free up her time for other projects. For instance, Rachel managed the copyediting and indexing for Mexican-Origin Foods, Foodways, and Social Movementsand typeset the interior based on the Food and Foodways series design. (Bookmobile did the printing as well.)

book printer

Questions about production management or typesetting services? Contact Rachel Holscher. And of course, we’d love to become your go-to book printer, too!