What do you think of Page 4?

[Chris Perkins 223]

As you know, I've been busy lately converting the current Collectors' Coin Great Britain book into a modern electronic format, so that it can be updated soon to create the 2005 edition, and of course updated annually with relative ease.

I have completed the text to page 11 at this stage and have gone back on myself to put a few pictures in. So far page 4 is the most complete, so here it is for you to see:

http://www.rotographic.co.uk/page4.pdf

Ignore the price info, that's out of date. Check out the pictures! You will notice they are full colour and can be enlarged many times before quality is lost. The printed version will of course have greyscale images. (Perhaps I could make more money offering the pdf as a download than the actual printed book!)

Based on the size of that single page, and bearing in mind I'll probably go over 80 pages, the finished book in pdf format will be probably 15-20mb in size!

So what do you think about the font, look, feel etc. People like you people are my customers, so as always, your opinions count.

[Emperor Oli 0]

Fantastic, Chris. The pics look really good and even in 1600% zoom, it's not all that pixelated - one could still make out pointings etc. Good work, I hope to see more!

P.S - "However" doesn't have a capital in the die strikes bit

[Master Jmd 50]

So what do you think about the font, look, feel etc. People like you people are my customers, so as always, your opinions count.

it is so far coming allong quite nicely...error: the 1821 farthig says mintage as 2,68.8,000...there shouldnt be a '.'

[custard1966 1]

That looks a million times better.

I think having it available in downloadable form would be great. 15-20mb isn't a problem for broadband users.

[Sylvester 15]

excellent!

[Emperor Oli 0]

Leading on from custard's point, it isn't a problem for broadband but it is for dialup, which most of us have. Zipping it would make it more accessible I think.

[Chris Perkins 223]

Zipping a pdf will only reduce it by 10% at the most.

If I do decide to provide it as a download, you'll have to leave it overnight to get the full thing!

Or I could provide the abilitly to download each page....But early days, I need to get it finished first, and it's taken a week to partially complete 11 pages!

[Chris Perkins 223]

I'm a little afraid of offering it as a download, because it would be possible for anyone to burn CD's of it and give them out to friends!

That would of course be illegal, but I know it goes on and I'd rater not loose revenue that way.

[Master Jmd 50]

I want to be the first person in the world to offer a British coin price guide as a decent illustrated download....(I wonder if I can copy right that idea, even )

I think you are aiming a bit too high atm...but it is your book, so i suppose you can do it if you want...one problem would be getting people to find the download, you would have to advitise a specific site (eg: rotographic) and then try to attract people to it, which cou;d be a hard task...and remember, a downloadable version could be coppied to a CD, Flopyisc, paper, anything compatible too it...you need to think about the pros and cons about it...

I'll find some software, or divise a plan to make it very difficult to copy.

but what?...on adobe you can save it to disk and then print it...and people could still use the print screen button as a way of printing/copying it...

[Emperor Oli 0]

Flopyisc

Yeah with 1.44mb capacity! I think you need to think about the copying implications too, Chris, it needs serious thought if you are going to put it on the Web. And you're not "aiming too high", don't listen to him.

[Chris Perkins 223]

I think you are aiming a bit too high atm...but it is your book, so i suppose you can do it if you want...one problem would be getting people to find the download, you would have to advitise a specific site (eg: rotographic) and then try to attract people to it, which cou;d be a hard task...and remember, a downloadable version could be coppied to a CD, Flopyisc, paper, anything compatible too it...you need to think about the pros and cons about it...

I'll find some software, or divise a plan to make it very difficult to copy.

but what?...on adobe you can save it to disk and then print it...and people could still use the print screen button as a way of printing/copying it...

I think you have a lot to learn young Master Jmd, and a lot to grasp (as usual).

I would have no trouble getting people to find the download as I already sell near enough 400 of the printed copy via online methods every year. To offer an alternative download version on my website, and to get the other current sellers of the title with a website to do the same would hardly be too much trouble.

I will also be promoting the website in the books, so that's another load of curious visitors coming my way.

A 20mb pdf would not fit on a floppy disk. And the fact it can be copied onto paper is no big deal....The book itself could be photocopied quite easily (but that involves a lot of effort and a loss in quality). The only real worry is CD duplication because it's quick, easy, involves no loss of quality, and is possible.

You can of course save PDF's to disk, having a local copy that you've paid for is the whole point, and I've talked about printing in the paragraph above.

What I need to do is offer an incentive to download the original, perhaps something like 'All registered downloaders get next years version at half price, and access to the databases'.

Please don't reply with something not very well thought out Master Jmd, it gets on my nerves and I'm likely to delete it!!

[Sylvester 15]

Chris i am so glad i'm not the moderator in this particular area...

How old is Master JMD?

Actually copy my post above and answer it else where, then i can delete this post as it is off topic!

[Master Jmd 50]

I think Master JMD is 15 the same age as me and Oli.

im 13, 14 in august

[Sylvester 15]

ah right, anyhow... back on topic...

[william 0]

That looks much better Chris, well done

[Aethelred 0]

I'm an old fashioned sort of guy, but with my coin books I like paper and ink. I would much rather have a printed and bound reference than a download. Just my two cents worth and I'll bet the under 30 crowd does not agree.

[Sylvester 15]

I agree with you, i much rather have it in book form, i can then make notes in it in pencil.

[Emperor Oli 0]

No, I also agree, Aethelred. The advantage of an electronic version is that it can't be mislaid and you could keep the window open on your puter if you were looking for coins on Ebay then just easily flick to the page you wanted (electroniclly speaking!) by using the thumbnails. I think the paper and electronic versions would work well in tandem.

[Geoff T 3]

Yes, both are valid. You can't take your PC to a coin fair that easily - even if it's a laptop.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

Are you going to the Coin Fair tomorrow Geoff?

[Geoff T 3]

No, I'm at work tomorrow morning, and London is a bit of a trek from Manchester, especially if you have to pay your own train fair (i.e. I can't wangle this as a business trip).

I do go to a coin fair held every month just outside Wakefield. This is the misleadingly named Leeds coin fair you see advertised in Coin News.

[Aethelred 0]

The online version might have its place, but I don't see it being a big seller. I could be very wrong, like I said I am old fashoned!