Once the publication was created we looked for where it could be printed and bound. To stay true to the Northern community we were keen to source all of out materials and printing and binding services from the North of England.
Due to the large number of submissions we had received the number of pages for the book also increased. Initially, with a 30 page estimate, we had intended to saddle stitch the publication for both the ease and the low cost. However, working with an increased 66 pages the next most viable method was to perfect bind. Perfect binding has a great cost but also a great durability, and moved the book's quality up from a handmade zine to a professional publication.
One of the first decision we made as a collective was to print the publication on a Risograph, as it gave both a texture and feel that we wanted and was also more economical than using a professional printers. We researched and then contacted a selection of Risograph studios from across the region, one of which was Footprint Workers Cooperative, based in Leeds. Our run would be small, at only 100 copies, and they came back to us with an initial quote of £335 to print and bind the books, but then contacted us again saying it would actually cost £500+.
As a collective of students without funding this was a huge set back, on both time and budget, and was something that we could not afford. We contacted a variety of other Risograph studios and found Northern Printmakers, again based just outside of Leeds. Their initial estimate was much lower, at £110 for printing, and so after a discussion with their printers we finalised our print slot at their studio.