Here are the most frequently asked questions. If you have a question that is not listed below or would like to suggest a question for this page, please contact us through our web form, or call Mark at (517) 882-2112.
Book publishing/printing
- How do I get a book or booklet published?
- What size books and booklets do you print?
- Are there any discounts for quantity?
- What is the cost to print a 5.5" x 8.5" glue bound book?
- What is the cost to print a 8.5" x 11" glue bound book?
- What is the cost to print a 5.5" x 8.5" spiral bound book?
- What is the cost to print a 8.5" x 11" spiral bound book?
- What is the cost to print a 5.5" x 8.5" booklet?
- What is the cost to print a 8.5" x 11" booklet?
- What is the time limit for printing books (e.g. rush, first-come-first-serve)?
- Is there a limit on the number of books that you can print?
- Is there a limit on the thickness of any book or booklet?
- What formats do you want the book to be in (e.g. typed, Word, Publisher)?
- Do you design the covers? Is there an extra cost?
- Do you assign and print ISBN numbers and bar codes?
- Does the Copyright of the publication belong to you?
- How do I copyright my book?
- Do you produce hardback books?
- Do you offer cover lamination?
- What is cover lamination?
- What are the benefits of cover lamination?
- What information should my book not contain?
- Do you help promote author's books?
Design
- What is Ministry Graphics?
- Is the project design expensive?
- Can I design my own project and have CP print it?
- Can I receive a hard copy of the design concepts rather than view them online?
Web design
- What is web hosting?
- What is a domain name?
- What is the pre-design consultation?
- What is the deposit?
Other project printing
- What is the cost to print single fold tracts?
- What is the cost to print double fold tracts?
- What is the cost to print brochures?
- What is the cost to print prayer cards?
- What is the cost to print letterhead and envelopes?
- What is the cost to print banners?
Miscellaneous
Book publishing/printing
How do I get a book or booklet published?
Where do I start?
The first thing you need to do is to read the Doctrinal Statement, Standards and Manuscript Preparation pages of Calvary Publishing. If you do not, there may be a delay in your publication.
Next, you need to get your project into a digital file. The digital equipment we use requires the project to be in an electronic form. (We are able to typeset and edit your publication for additional charges.) The recommended and most popular program is Microsoft Word.
Once it is in a digital file, you need to have some experienced family or friends to edit the book. We do look over the books for content, but we are not responsible for editing. If we notice the book is poorly edited, we will request that further detailed editing take place before we print. We, along with you, want to maintain a testimony of producing the best we can for the glory of God.
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Ecclesiastes 9:10
After it is typed and edited, you need to compile the information for the book cover. A list of guidelines and ideas can be found here. This information will aid our designer in the process. If you have a file with an idea for the cover, it can be sent along with the book also.
Next, you need to send the digital file of the publication, any cover information and all of your contact information. This can be done by e-mail (recommended), or by burning it onto a CD, and mailing it in a box, so it will not be damaged in shipping.
What happens from here?
Once we receive the project, we will format it to fit our templates which includes industry-standard book formatting and layout, professional, and full-color cover design. This is required for all books/booklets printed by Calvary Publishing to ensure we maintain our standard of professionalism.
After this is done, we will send you an e-mail of the exact cost of everything. This is so you have something on paper that details your costs. The cover information will be sent to our design department, and they will begin working on your cover concept.
After we have a rough concept of your book and cover, we will e-mail them to you (recommended) or post them online for you to view. You will be able to make suggestions to the book or cover in this stage. If there are any areas that need to be fixed, they will be fixed and e-mailed back to you. Once everything is approved by you, at your request, we will print out a hard copy of your book and cover, and mail it to you for you to have the final review before we print.
Once the book and cover are approved, we will print and ship your product according to our work load. Most projects, after approval, are printed and shipped within 2 to 4 days.
What about billing?
CP requires that the relevant Project fee be paid to Ministry Graphics before the design process is started.
CP will bill for the actual cost of printing when the project ships. CP retains the right to require half of the total payment before printing. We ask that payments be sent as soon as possible. If a net 30 days is needed, please ask us if it is possible, since CP must pay the bills on the machines we use in a timely manner.
CP is a ministry and not a business and is supported by love offerings and monthly missionary support. A love offering, over and above the cost of printing would be greatly appreciated.
"...for the labourer is worthy of his hire..."
Luke 10:7
After you receive your project, we hope you are 100% satisfied. We would appreciate it if you would tell others about us, so we can continue to be a blessing to more of God’s people.
What size books and booklets do you print?
We currently print 5.5" x 8.5" glue bound, spiral bound books and stapled booklets. We can also print 8.5" x 11" glue bound, spiral bound books and stapled booklets.
Are there any discounts for quantity?
No. Because CP prints all projects at cost, and is supported solely by love offerings and monthly support, it is the same price regardless of quantity.
What is the cost to print a 5.5" x 8.5" glue bound book?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the cost to print a 8.5" x 11" glue bound book?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the cost to print a 5.5" x 8.5" spiral bound book?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the cost to print a 8.5" x 11" spiral bound book?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the cost to print a 5.5" x 8.5" booklet?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the cost to print a 8.5" x 11" booklet?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the time limit for printing books (e.g. rush, first come first serve)?
We are a ministry and not a business, thus all orders are handled as quickly as possible. We will try very hard to meet any commitments. Most projects, once they are approved, will print and ship in about 2 to 4 business days.
Is there a limit on the number of books that you can print?
Our minimum amount of books is 100, and we do not have a maximum.
Is there a limit on the thickness of any book or booklet?
A glue bound book should not be any thicker than 3/4" of an inch. The binding quality will not be the best if it is any thicker. This is about a 350 page book with 13 point (Times New Roman) font and 1.3 paragraph spacing. A spiral book cannot be any thicker than 300 pages. A booklet cannot be any thicker than 56 pages.
What formats do you want the book to be in (e.g. typed, Word, Publisher)?
All projects should be in a digital format (not hand-written or by a typewriter) using one of the following programs:
- Microsoft Word (recommended)
- Microsoft Publisher
- Microsoft Works
- Corel Wordperfect
- NeoOffice
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe FrameMaker
- Adobe PageMaker
Additional charges will be applied if the project is not in a digital format.
Do you design the covers? Is there an extra cost?
Yes. We require that CP's exclusive design firm, Ministry Graphics, design all covers for the books we print. This is covered in the one-time $125 Project Fee.
Do you assign and print ISBN numbers and bar codes?
Yes, we assign and print ISBN and bar codes. There is a $55 cost for purchasing the bar code and ISBN. We supply the ISBN and bar code, you will be billed for them with the rest of the project. For more information on bar codes visit: http://www.bowker.com/
Does the Copyright of the publication belong to you?
No, the Copyright belongs to the individual. You are responsible for any legal copyrighting. For more information about copyright laws visit: http://www.copyright.gov/
How do I copyright my book?
Please visit http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/ for in-depth information about obtaining a copyright on a project.
Do you produce hardback books?
Currently, we do not produce hardback books but we are looking into the possibility of it in the future.
Do you offer cover lamination?
Yes, we now produce all of our book covers with single-side lamination (glue-bound and staple) or double-side lamination (spiral).
What is cover lamination?
Single-side cover lamination is a thin, heat-pressed layer of glossy, durable plastic that covers the color side of the book cover.
Double-side cover lamination is the plastic layer which covers both sides of the cover. This makes the book cover thicker.
What are the benefits of cover lamination?
Cover lamination protects from scuffing and water damage. It also adds a super high gloss finish to the book cover creating a more professional look and preserving the integrity of the cover for longer storage.
What information should my book not contain?
Any information that would be contrary to the Doctrinal Statement, Standards or Manuscript Preparation pages of Calvary Publishing.
Do you help promote author's books?
Calvary Publishing currently has a program to help authors publish their book(s). For more information, please see our Publishing page.
Design
What is Ministry Graphics?
Ministry Graphics is the exclusive design firm for all of CP's printing projects and websites. They offer CP's customers design solutions at a fraction of the cost of other commercial design companies.
Is the project design expensive?
Actually, Ministry Graphics offer project design at a fraction of the cost of other design companies...including "Christian" graphic designers. The main reason for the price is the time put into a project. It is very time-consuming work if you want a project to look good. Most designers charge from $30-$75 per hour!
Can I design my own project and have CP print it?
CP prefers that all design work be performed by Ministry Graphics. This allows CP to maintain our standard of quality and efficiency. Please contact us with any questions.
Can I receive a hard copy of the design concepts rather than view them online?
Yes, but keep in mind, this will increase the turnaround time of your project.
Web design
(Ministry Graphics is offering CP customers
special discounted rates for web design and hosting)
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is the process of providing web space for web sites. It is actually disk space on a computer (server or host) that stores the files needed for a web site.
What is a domain name?
A domain name, also called a web address, is what points visitors to the files on your web space. For example, the address www.calvarypublishing.org will point your web browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, etc.) to the files on Calvary Publishing's web server.
What is the pre-design consultation?
This is a phone conversation between the client and the web designer. Its purpose is to discuss the overall structure and organization of the web site and to answer any questions. This is a free consultation.
What is the deposit?
The deposit is a non-refundable payment to begin the web design process. For Plan 1, the deposit is $120 (6 months) and for Plan 2, the deposit is $100. The deposit amount of Plan 2 counts toward the overall cost of the web design.
Other project printing
What is the cost to print single-fold tracts?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the cost to print double-fold tracts?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the cost to print brochures?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the cost to print prayer cards?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the cost to print letterhead?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
What is the cost to print banners?
You can use the instant quote form to view our costs.
Miscellaneous
How can I contact you?
To contact Calvary Publishing, click here.
To contact Ministry Graphics, click here.