INTERACTION

I don't suppose it made the national news but people in the East Anglia region will have heard about the redundancies being made at Cambridge University Press. That's our printer that is. We had two weeks to find a new one, failed, but CUP kindly offered to go ahead and print Interzone 221 anyway (it's at press now, btw, out on the 12th March). But we will have to have a new printer in place for Black Static 10 onwards. We have a couple of possibilities but some things might have to change slightly. For example, the prime candidate prints on silk stock paper and not matt paper, and for some reason can't add the matt to their stock. Obviously silk is slightly glossier than matt, but I've seen the paper and hopefully it won't reflect much light. It might even make a pleasant change. We'll have to see. Either way, I hope you'll let us know.

It'll be sad not to be with CUP any more though. They've been great. And a lot of good people have lost their jobs.

Great shame, Andy, and I'm afraid they're not alone in the print industry - some of the larger printers down here have been laying people off lately.

I'm not sure how much difference matt to silk will make; one manufacturer recently changed the name of their stock from matt to silk without (as far as I know) any change to the actual product itself, so I think there's a degree of subjectivity here. If it would make any difference I believe you can sometimes have a matt machine-varnish applied for minimal cost. I've heard of this done when a client's suddenly wanted to switch from gloss to matt finish when the job's already on press!

I should add that this is not really my side of print (I just mess the computers up!) so you'd be best raising any concerns with the new printer.

Cheers, Mike

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http://www.scan-tech.co.uk/mikealx
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Cambridge University Press did a fine job. I worked as a printer myself for several years, and I know how difficult it is.

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http://jimsteel.wordpress.com/

Black Static 10 is now in the hands of the new printer...

Can't wait...

Just out of interest, are there any plans to release a Black Static anthology or anything? I'm reading Best New Horror at the moment (an annual indulgence) and it struck me that many of the Black Static pieces are stronger than some here. Each to their own and all that, but still...

Perhaps a bi-annual T3A anthol (with best stories from BS & IZ) would be more feasible?

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Pigasus Press | VideoVista | The ZONE

Hmmm, not sure whether BS/IZ has enough overlap in their respective demographics (I mean there's probably a significant overlap in subscribers, but not necessarily amongst Jo Public).

IZ released some anthologies in the PringleZone era, but I'm guessing it was a very different marketplace in the mid/late 80s.

_________________
http://www.scan-tech.co.uk/mikealx
http://www.myspace.com/veldtmusic
Folder printing high quality presentation folders