How to Make a Scout Book

Scout Books are a good way to help authors publish and sell their work.

Scout Books are a product designed for those looking to publish custom pocket-sized books and notebooks for any size project. These books are a low-cost way for artists and writers to get their works seen by the general public, and have been utilized by various organizations and corporations in different fields, as promotional and educational tools. The company, Pinball Publishing, offers custom notebooks and books made-to-order, providing menus and templates for each customer to create a unique publication.

Instructions

1. Scout Books

   • 1
     Log in to the Scout Books website, and click on the tab that reads "Make Your Own." A new window opens, giving you a choice of platforms: "Notebooks" and "Books."
   • 2
     Click on the "Books" option. Choose a quantity of 250 to 2,000 per order from the scrolling menu. Then choose either one-color or two-color printing for your pages.
   • 3
     Proceed to "Checkout" to complete your original book order, at which point you will determine shipping costs and provide shipping and billing information.
   • 4
     Download either the one-color or two-color design template for Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, based on which option you selected and paid for. Lay out your cover and interior pages using the provided template, in either Illustrator or InDesign. Once it's all laid out, review all pages and make any edits needed to finalize the content.
   • 5
     Export your content into a PDF file for printing, by selecting "Export" from the drop-down menu marked "File."
   • 6
     Name your PDF file in the pop-up window, and choose the location where you wish to save it.
   • 7
     Select "High Quality Print" from the "Adobe PDF Presets" menu. Once you choose this option, various settings in the Presets window will change. Options such as "Optimize for Fast Web View" and "Create Tagged PDF" must remain checked.
   • 8
     Click "Marks and Bleed" in the toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen. This will take you to a new window where you must check the box marked "Crop Marks." Then move your cursor to the "Bleed and Slug" subsection of the window and set all bleed fields to 0.125 inches.
   • 9
     Click the button marked "Export" at the bottom corner of the screen. Confirm that the PDF looks correct and all elements of your work are included.
   • 10
     Go to scoutbooks.com/upload, and upload your file to begin the printing process.

   Scout Notebooks

   • 1
     Log in to the Scout Books website, and click on the tab that reads "Make Your Own." A new window opens, giving you a choice of platforms: "Notebooks" and "Books."
   • 2
     Click on the "Notebooks" option. A new window opens, giving you options of one-color or two-color printing for the cover. Click your preferred option to select it. You will also see a scrolling menu of quantity choices per order, ranging from 50 to 2,000 books.
   • 3
     Select the quantity you would like to order. A new window opens, giving you three paper style options for the inside pages of the notebook. These options are Blank, Lines or Grid. Click your preferred option to select it.
   • 4
     Select the cover ink color for your Notebook from a list of nine choices. Then click "Add to Order."
   • 5
     Confirm your order details and calculate your shipping costs by entering your zip code into one of the windows on the left of your screen. Then click "Checkout" to complete your order and provide shipping, billing and payment information.