Oversaturation occurs when graphics, images, or illustrations with large areas of ink coverage cause the paper to be wavy, wrinkle, or tear. High density ink (oversaturation) titles are those titles where a single or double-sided page(s) within the interior of a book contains a high level and/or area of Black or CMYK ink saturation, which, when printed, ultimately causes curling of pages. Our distributor may be unable to fulfill a B&W or Color print order due to areas of high ink density coverage within a title.
This is generally caught before publication, however the same book could print beautifully hundreds of times, but it only takes one time to catch it and flag it for oversaturation. The distributor can’t inspect every individual book because they print over 100,000 units per day, so sometimes books with a bit of a waviness or page curling may slip out before they can catch it. It’s also possible that the printers on certain days were set to print a bit slower, and it allowed the pages to dry and look perfect, which is why you may have received copies prior to the flagging.
When a title is flagged, it is required that that title be automatically upgraded to Ultra Premium paper, regardless of what your paper selection was beforehand. As Ultra Premium is printed with laser jet printing, this helps to ensure the affected order is able to be fulfilled and avoid order cancellations for 30 days. For this 30 day timeframe, there is no additional print charge.
During this 30 day timeframe, we (Gatekeeper Press) will contact you (the author) to discuss the below options:
- Keeping the interior paper upgraded to Ultra Premium and adjusting your print cost accordingly.
- Disabling the title from distribution via our distributor. Depending on the specifications of your book, we may still be able to keep the book on Amazon only.
Please find additional details on our paper types and their corresponding printing methods below:
Premium Color uses an HD setting that can provide a more crisp outcome than the Standard Color Setting, however both are printed on our inkjet lines. With inkjet printing, the liquid ink can sink slightly into the paper, which can mute the printing to a certain extent, and will need more time to dry. Ultra-Premium Color is printed with laser jet technology so the ink sits on top of the paper resulting in a more vibrant and opaque outcome and would not need the time to dry like inkjet.