Would you prefer that DC Comics printed on cheaper newsprint paper stock?

[Ascended]

If memory serves, I read somewhere that DC spends about 10 cents on the dollar for printing. I dont recall where I saw it, but I was doing a lot of research into the production costs of comics and the sites I was using were pretty reputable. So if that data was correct and I'm not remembering it wrong (this was for a class a few semesters ago and I might be mistaken) it only costs about 40 cents to print a single issue. If DC dropped to a lower grade paper, and then lowered the cover price accordingly (which they wouldn't do if they could avoid it) we'd be saving maybe 20 cents?

I'd rather pay the current price for higher quality product than save a tiny, insignificant amount of coins for crappy paper that'll fade, yellow, and tear easily.

I'd much rather see a change in the production method that doesn't include half a dozen different people and all their pay rates. Or a change in the distribution system that'll increase the amount of units sold.

As far as I know and as far as I understand their process, changing out the paper stock won't really affect DC's costs by any considerable degree, and they wouldn't change the cover price if it did. Suggesting that was just one of trey strain's many misunderstandings of business, I suppose. >shrug<

[SixSpeedSamurai]

News stock fades and hurts the long term value (if the comic is worth anything at all).

I wonder if they use recycled paper or not, might be a way to save some money.

[Jim Kelly]

It seems to me it's the other way around with paper stock re value. It used to be very hard to keep your comics in good condition, so a near mint copy held a lot of value. Now it's pretty easy to keep a comic in mint condition and the values for recent comics are much less. So by printing on newsprint, that would probably help fuel the collectors's market not hurt it.

[Lightning Rider]

Perhaps not newsprint, but I really miss the matte finish paper that was closer to paper in prose novels (don't know if that's the right word, but I think you know what I'm referring to). To me, the glossy paper makes comics slightly harder to read in certain lights and I honestly don't think it holds up as well. Plus as a bibliophile, book smell is my favorite and while they didn't smell exactly like books, they did have a certain smell of their own. It was the paper predominantly used by DC in the 90s - the early 2000s, which is when I started reading comics, so I have a bit of nostalgia.

Yeah I'm a fan as well.

[SJNeal]

I haven't read any collections since this change, though - have they switched the paper in their trades and HCs as well?

I love the new paper, it has actually got me to pick up a few more books.


I think the NAoH books are still old paper, and probably Scooby Apocalypse if I recall correctly. I could see som trades switching and others not (for now), but I'd like to know what the plan is with trades, I am behind on them but eventually will try to catch up and if they are switching over to the new paper I might try to catch up sooner. My impression is that the trades might be a bit thicker with the new paper.

I'm loving the new matte paper as well. The glare from the glossy stuff bugged me to no end! I had to move around my place all the time to find a reading spot that wasn't dark, yet not in direct sunlight. First world, problems, I know...

As far as trades go, there are already quite a few older collections (not Rebirth material) being released on matte paper, although it's not quite as thick as what's in the monthlies. I think the current stuff would be too thick.