Advice for short-run printing?

[michelen]

Greetings all,

I hope you are all warm, wherever you are.

My husband and I are producing a cookbook. He's writing it, I'm doing the layout. It started out, as these things do, as something for family and a few friends, but it's grown legs.

There are a few retail places that we frequent who would be willing to sell it for us, so our copy count is going up daily.

We're not looking to make money on this project, so that's not the point. But I think we've moved beyond the xeroxing stage.

The book size is approx. 200 pages, 8-1/2 x 11. The interior will be black ink only, the cover will probably be 4/C. We want it wire bound so it will lay flat.

I have some questions about the best way to print this job. It's all being done in InDesign CS2. I can provide PDF X/1-a files processed through my RIP, if necessary.

What is the minimum copy count for short-run printing? Anyone want to recommend a vendor? We live in the San Francisco Bay Area, but the vendor doesn't necessarily need to be local, just good.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Michele