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Has anyone confronted (and solved) this problem?
I bought the PF Core Rulebook PDF. It is sitting on my computer. I want to print it out.
I tried to print out the first 20 pages in black and white -- at work. I thought the printer had frozen, I turned it off and went home. I came back in the next morning and was handed my 20 pages by a co-worker...then I tried explaining why I was printing out pictures of scantily clad elven females...
So I took it to a print/copy shop, where they also tried to print it out in black and white. After 3 hours of trying, their printer had still not produced anything. They quit trying.
How do I print this PDF? I don't need the pictures, just the text, really. But when you save the thing as a .txt file, all of the tables are scrambled and nothing makes sense.
What do you think?
Reckless
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion, Battles Case Subscriber)
For around $20.00 you can get a black and white copy printed by printme1.com and they will mail it to you, included in that price. Takes about a week to get it.
Just curious, though, why not buy the actual book from Paizo. Color, hardbound goodness awaits.
If you're interested in a copy of the rules without fancy pictures, etc., someone has compiled the Open Content in a file here:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/extras/downloads/Turbo-PRD.zip
It might be easier to print.
I tried to print out the first 20 pages in black and white -- at work. I thought the printer had frozen, I turned it off and went home. I came back in the next morning and was handed my 20 pages by a co-worker...then I tried explaining why I was printing out pictures of scantily clad elven females...
I'd like to hear that conversation.
Has anyone confronted (and solved) this problem?
Problem is desktop printers are not designed to handle the level of detail on the pages. For the much smaller print jobs I printed out (things like Classic Monsters Revisited) I would print a handful of pages at a time and our office printer was pretty high end but took about 5 minutes to kick out 10 pages.
The cheapest way to "print" the book is to order it through Amazon. $32 shipped to your door and you get a much better quality print than you will get from a home computer printer and it's in color.
The other poster suggested a B&W version but I don't get the point. The Paizo printed hardcover is so much better quality it's easily worth the extra $10 (plus rewards the folks who put it together).
Just buy it from Amazon with free super saver shipping. You're going to spend more money on ink and wear and tear on your printer by printing it.Amazon is weeks in the waiting, and some of us dont have laptops to take to our gaming sessions. :(
Paizo also appears to have the book in stock right now for $60 shipped in the US. If that's a bit too rich for your blood. There are ebay sellers selling the core book for $40 shipped.
If printing is your only option I suggest you print just the section you need from the PRD or from http://www.d20pfsrd.com/.
Just curious, though, why not buy the actual book from Paizo. Color, hardbound goodness awaits.
A good question. I have a fair number of house rules, and I would like to have those in the correct part of the rulebook. It is much easier to insert these pages into the correct spots of a Core Rulebook when it is in a three-ring binder, rather than insering loose pages into the (beautifully done, I know) Core Rulebook hardback. I am sacrificing aesthetics for practicality. Unless anyone has other suggestions, to which I am always open...
A good question. I have a fair number of house rules, and I would like to have those in the correct part of the rulebook. It is much easier to insert these pages into the correct spots of a Core Rulebook when it is in a three-ring binder, rather than insering loose pages into the (beautifully done, I know) Core Rulebook hardback. I am sacrificing aesthetics for practicality. Unless anyone has other suggestions, to which I am always open...
Just curious, though, why not buy the actual book from Paizo. Color, hardbound goodness awaits.
This is actually a pretty solid reason to do it. You do realize that the three ring is going to be massive though?
Having used a copy of the PFRPG rules and the Bestiary in three-ring binder mode for a few months, and now looking at how the front and back pages are tearing apart and working their way toward meeting in a destructive core at the center of the book... I wonder what it is that folks who use 3-ring binders for big books are doing different than me to preserve the structural integrity of their printout?
My DM printed out the whole of the Beta rules with little trouble.
I think the key might be to cut down the print quality - as far as I'm aware, the pdf is of suitable quality for printing on a commercial bookmaker's machine, which is overkill for a desktop laser or even most copy shop printers.
As far as binding, it's probably better to use those plastic circular things that perforate down the entire side of the page (you know, the ones that make good impromptu cable tidies), instead of trying to hold everything together in a three-ring.
Skeld
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules, Battles Case Subscriber)
If you're using Adobe Acrobat to view your PDF and you want to print, try clicking the "Advanced" button on the lower left hand side of the Print menu. In the box that opens, check the "Print as Image" box. That should speed printing up quite a bit. Adobe will flatten all the layers into a single image as it sends info to the printer.
-Skeld
Having used a copy of the PFRPG rules and the Bestiary in three-ring binder mode for a few months, and now looking at how the front and back pages are tearing apart and working their way toward meeting in a destructive core at the center of the book... I wonder what it is that folks who use 3-ring binders for big books are doing different than me to preserve the structural integrity of their printout?
sheet protectors
Having used a copy of the PFRPG rules and the Bestiary in three-ring binder mode for a few months, and now looking at how the front and back pages are tearing apart and working their way toward meeting in a destructive core at the center of the book... I wonder what it is that folks who use 3-ring binders for big books are doing different than me to preserve the structural integrity of their printout?
I printed off the Beta. Won't do that for the Core, too much of pain though the temptation is there as I'm still waiting for the Core Rules to arrive. I had pre-ordered the Core Rules, Cheliax Chronicler, and the 1st Council of Thieves AP. Got everything except the Core rules which sucks so I've been tempted to buy the PDF and print it off but since my group actually wants to finish off our current game in PF Beta rules I can wait. I think they want to go all the way to 20th level. If that is the case I can probably start the Council Of Thieves AP with the Map Pack.
So to keep my PF Beta in decent shape I put the first and last 5 pages in plastic sleeves. As well I put a few of the pages that I reference lots in those sleeves. I bought a pack of 20 of them. What they also do is leave reference pages easy to access. I put the the whole thing in 3" D-Ring binder which has limited the pages comming out and I used a package of re-inforcment stickies to fix any pages in danger or ripping out. The bind has held up well but still a book is preferable to me as it takes up much less space.
Having used a copy of the PFRPG rules and the Bestiary in three-ring binder mode for a few months, and now looking at how the front and back pages are tearing apart and working their way toward meeting in a destructive core at the center of the book... I wonder what it is that folks who use 3-ring binders for big books are doing different than me to preserve the structural integrity of their printout?sheet protectors
Sticky hole re-enforcers.
A good question. I have a fair number of house rules, and I would like to have those in the correct part of the rulebook. It is much easier to insert these pages into the correct spots of a Core Rulebook when it is in a three-ring binder, rather than insering loose pages into the (beautifully done, I know) Core Rulebook hardback. I am sacrificing aesthetics for practicality. Unless anyone has other suggestions, to which I am always open...
Just curious, though, why not buy the actual book from Paizo. Color, hardbound goodness awaits.
I recommend good quality sticky notes. That is what my group tends to use. Just pop them in on the page where the house rule applies.
Having used a copy of the PFRPG rules and the Bestiary in three-ring binder mode for a few months, and now looking at how the front and back pages are tearing apart and working their way toward meeting in a destructive core at the center of the book... I wonder what it is that folks who use 3-ring binders for big books are doing different than me to preserve the structural integrity of their printout?sheet protectors
are you saying you put each individual page in a sheet protector on something as massive as the core rules? You sir have way too much free time...
are you saying you put each individual page in a sheet protector on something as massive as the core rules? You sir have way too much free time...Having used a copy of the PFRPG rules and the Bestiary in three-ring binder mode for a few months, and now looking at how the front and back pages are tearing apart and working their way toward meeting in a destructive core at the center of the book... I wonder what it is that folks who use 3-ring binders for big books are doing different than me to preserve the structural integrity of their printout?sheet protectors
Unfortunately I do have the time. I am currently suffering from not being able to sleep, so I put pages in sheet protectors til I pass out.
James Risner
(Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Adventure Path, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules Subscriber)
Has anyone confronted (and solved) this problem?
How do I print this PDF?
Print as Image
If that doesn't speed it up, then get Adobe Acrobat Profession (or PDFShrink which is cheaper for MacOS) and have it unique the objects (so those backgrounds on the back of every page are stored only once.) Then uncompress the file (pdftk) and manually remove the background elements (the image, the top and bottom lines, the flower? overlay, etc) so you have a clean page of mostly just text and any forground images. Save that (will be roughly 29 mb now) and it displays much faster and functions like the original (so it should print snappy too.)
Sticky hole re-enforcers.I wonder what it is that folks who use 3-ring binders for big books are doing different than me to preserve the structural integrity of their printout?sheet protectors
If holes in a page get torn, I take regular Scotch Tape and cover the hole with it, then punch a hole through the tape. Since it's a plastic-y material, it tears much less readily than the paper does, and that holds up quite well.
" ..then I tried explaining why I was printing out pictures of scantily clad elven females..."
"I'd like to hear that conversation."
Reminds me of the time I printed out some character sheets in the office. I was the office photoshop and design guy, surrounded by serious code-heads and software architects. The were proud of their geekdom, and viewed me as an artsy-fartsy type, not a programmer like them. The guy who was my manager walked over from the copy machine smirking. "Dungeons and Dragons?"
I braced myself for the mocking that was about to come. Then he started studying the sheets for almost a full minute. "You understand all this stuff?"
"Yeah, I've been playing for a long time." He handed the sheets to me with a kind of nod, and never said another word about it.
Just buy it from Amazon with free super saver shipping. You're going to spend more money on ink and wear and tear on your printer by printing it.Amazon is weeks in the waiting, and some of us dont have laptops to take to our gaming sessions. :(
My bad. Didn't realize Amazon was out of stock already.
If that doesn't speed it up, then get Adobe Acrobat Profession (or PDFShrink which is cheaper for MacOS) and have it unique the objects (so those backgrounds on the back of every page are stored only once.) Then uncompress the file (pdftk) and manually remove the background elements (the image, the top and bottom lines, the flower? overlay, etc) so you have a clean page of mostly just text and any forground images. Save that (will be roughly 29 mb now) and it displays much faster and functions like the original (so it should print snappy too.)
Sounded like a great way to be able to print without the background - right up to the realisation that the PDF is encrypted.
I know someone mentioned it above, but perhaps some of you missed it.
You can download a text-only version of the PRD website, in bookmarked PDF format, from d20pfsrd.com.
-->Direct Link<--
Let me know if anyone runs into any issues with the download.
" "Dungeons and Dragons?"
I braced myself for the mocking that was about to come. Then he started studying the sheets for almost a full minute. "You understand all this stuff?"
"Yeah, I've been playing for a long time." He handed the sheets to me with a kind of nod, and never said another word about it.
Awesome. ^_^
Back to topic: I'm with the 2nd reply (heh, and the one above mine, while I was typing) in this thread. Why not print the PRD instead? You can grab the zip linked by hogarth and queue all the files for print in a browser. Doing so might take a little time, but the pages are all plain, static html with a few tables. No formatting to gum the works.
However, as someone who bought the core book a few days ago, I really cannot recommend it enough. My local game store had trouble keeping it in stock but I had them place an order just for me. I only had to wait four business days. My game shop got my $$ and I supported Paizo. Feels good and I got a fabulous hardcover. Well worth it.
I did print the whole book. It took about 3.5 hours to 4 hours (including pictures. I did not do so at home but a friend did so from his office 8he owns a Game Store) (thanks Dude, for time, ink (ok...no ink used with that laser printer...) for the time, and good will))
so, to make a long message short... you'll need some time and about 600 pages of paper (as well as a rather fast working computer; I dont wont to immagine the time I would have spend doing that print job at home. Especially since my printer only store a max of 25 pages,and the ink cartridge not being build/sized for 575 pages9....
For around $20.00 you can get a black and white copy printed by printme1.com and they will mail it to you, included in that price. Takes about a week to get it.
Just curious, though, why not buy the actual book from Paizo. Color, hardbound goodness awaits.
Thanks for that link, it looks like it'll be amazingly helpful. Even if/when I get a hardbound copy of the Pathfinder RPG book, it could be useful for my copy of the Revised Tome of Horrors.
That said... they say you don't need a PayPal account to use the site, but they take all their payments through PayPal. Just how does that work?
Forgot to add: just where is the book still available?
And if I get a copy through, say, Amazon or from a chain bookstore, does that actually help Paizo more than if I just buy it from them? I.e., does that help future sales in the long run because the chain sees that there's a market for the stuff?
James Risner
(Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Adventure Path, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules Subscriber)
Sounded like a great way to be able to print without the background - right up to the realisation that the PDF is encrypted.
Yea, that takes 20 seconds to remove the user/owner password. I own every book in print published by WotC (for 3.0/3.5) and every book/adventure/etc publish for Paizo on two large metal bookshelves. I keep a lot loaded in PDF on my computer for reference, and every one of those that take up gobs of ram make my Preview application take 2 to 4 gb of ram if I don't shrink them as much as possible.
For around $20.00 you can get a black and white copy printed by printme1.com and they will mail it to you, included in that price. Takes about a week to get it.
Just curious, though, why not buy the actual book from Paizo. Color, hardbound goodness awaits.
Thanks for that link, it looks like it'll be amazingly helpful. Even if/when I get a hardbound copy of the Pathfinder RPG book, it could be useful for my copy of the Revised Tome of Horrors.
That said... they say you don't need a PayPal account to use the site, but they take all their payments through PayPal. Just how does that work?
I ordered through printme1.com...sounds like they can do it. I'm waiting eagerly at my doorstep.
They do accept credit cards, if I remember correctly, as well as Paypal.
I'll let you guys know how it looks.
By the the way, I think the idea of using post-it notes is great, but my house rules tend to be a little (i.e., overly complex)...To the usual Abilities, I have added Perception and Willpower (thus making Wisdom just, well, Wisdom, rather than a catch-all Ability), as well as Beauty. In addition, I changed the skill list and Abilities that are used to modify those skills, so there are a few charts I need to keep handy. I also use a fair number of rules for the Unearthed Arcanum book, including weapon proficiencies, vitality points (rather than hp) and spell points. That's why I would like to have the ability to insert pages appropriately into a 3-ringbound Core Rulebook.
For around $20.00 you can get a black and white copy printed by printme1.com and they will mail it to you, included in that price. Takes about a week to get it.
I ordered through printme1.com...sounds like they can do it. I'm waiting eagerly at my doorstep.
They do accept credit cards, if I remember correctly, as well as Paypal.
I'll let you guys know how it looks.
Okay, but do they accept prepaid debit cards? I'm assuming that yes, they do (most places that accept credit cards will also take PP debit cards), but I might as well find out now.
And thanks again to everyone for the useful links and info here.
Reckless
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion, Battles Case Subscriber)
For us poor Aussies, a copy of the core rule book comes in at about $110USD once you add in postage. Ridiculous.
The only option we really have IS to get it printed at wherever.
In exchange for a case of Vegemite, I might be able to work something out. <looks around> What? So I'm an Yank who actually likes it. Doesn't everyone? :-P
Oh, and it took me 5 hours to print the GM preview for Gen Con.
For us poor Aussies, a copy of the core rule book comes in at about $110USD once you add in postage. Ridiculous.
The only option we really have IS to get it printed at wherever.
In exchange for a case of Vegemite, I might be able to work something out. <looks around> What? So I'm an Yank who actually likes it. Doesn't everyone? :-P
Oh, and it took me 5 hours to print the GM preview for Gen Con.
To ship a case of Vegiemite it'd probably be about $80