PDF to Hard Copy for service manuals.

[SgtSlag]

I ordered a PDF copy of a shop manual for my sub-compact tractor, recently. I wanted a hard copy of it, so I uploaded it to a site called Lulu.com: a Print-On-Demand (POD) company. They have many different options: standard quality ink (inkjet, water-based, will run if you get the page wet); high quality ink (toner, as in a laser printer; won't run when wet); low/high quality paper; hard covers, soft covers, spiral binding, and other options.

For my tractor's shop service manual, I opted for spiral bound, high quality paper and ink. I know that I can open it to any page, and lay it flat as pancake. The printing cost me around $40, delivered (200 pages; cost varies depending upon page count, and options chosen -- the higher the page count/quality options, the higher the prices, of course; binding choices also vary the cost). I have purchased other books through them, which I had as PDF's, and I opted for hard cover versions. Copies of these originally soft cover books sold on e-Bay for $100-$400 per book (out of print for decades; collector items, but still available in PDF format). I got my hard cover copies delivered to my door for $20/volume (hard covers, low quality ink and paper, and 300 pages in each book...).

I have actually purchased nearly a dozen different POD books, most of which were printed by Lulu.com. They do great work, in my experiences, thus far, over the past several years. It is an incredible technology available to anyone with an Internet connection.

If you have a manual in PDF, and you would like a hard copy, especially in spiral bound format, it can be done, for less money than you may think. Thought I would share, in case anyone has an interest in such. Cheers!

[Nails]

A non-sequitur ... will AVA take on an update of the hard-copy Voyager Tech Tips? Barry loaned me the 2006 update, and I suspect there'd be some interest here. Great info, but it could use a little curating.

Maybe a volunteer/group effort to curate and publish as a PDF? Does anyone have an electronic copy of the 2006 version?