I got my copy of the D&D Rules Cyclopedia in this week, along with the Creature Catalog, and while it's exciting to have them, the sad truth is that the scan used to make the print copy of the Rules Cyclopedia just wasn't ideal. It's readable....I guess....but the scan quality is just a bit fuzzy, almost like you're trying to read something with heavy bleed-through or shadowing effects. On the PDF (which has the same effect) I didn't really mind it because I could expand the PDF to make it easier to read, but the print edition (being "locked in" to a certain size and all) sort of hammers home that this is an issue.
Not for everyone though! Some people on the rpgnow.com listing for the Rules Cyclopedia are saying they see no issues. I'd love to find out if this is an eyesight thing or if it's an actual print issue (I have heard Lighting Source, which does the POD for OneBookShelf, has more than one printer and results can vary).
But for now, the problem is: I'm finding the book hard to read, and when I compare it to the Creature Catalog, which is also a scanned image print, the Creature Catalog is easy to read, clean, and causes no headaches at all.
On the plus side, I suspect this means original copies on Ebay will stay a strong commodity! But for me, I think I'll be dumping my copy of the Rules Cyclopedia on Ebay ASAP.
EDIT: someone suggested I contact OneBookShelf about the issue, which I did, and their continuously amazing customer service was great. OBS remains top dog on my "best customer service online" list, forever.
It seems to depend on which LS facility does the printing. Some have rich and solid blacks, while others look like they were printed on inkjet, along with the obvious streaking and faded areas that normally go along with them. Weird.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I was suspecting. I noticed this problem with White Star once, where I got one copy that was clear and easy to read, and another that made the print look gray-scaled and faded.
DeleteMine has the same bad inject from the late 90's quality to it. Very disappointing but still usable. But once you notice it you can never un-notice it.
ReplyDelete