In 1977 I bought a set of the Traveller Role Playing Game books. They are getting a little worn, and I don't want to damage them further. I purchased PDFs of the classic Traveller books on CD a few years ago. I wanted a more useful copy and decided to print the first 3 books and bind them with double ring spiral binding wire. I chose the 1981 books for a slightly more modern version.
I was interested in making an interesting cover for the book. I started with two 12" x 12" sheets of 1/16 inch plywood and ebonized it with India ink. After it was dry, I covered the first with masking tape. I then laser etched the front cover with the design. I then painted the etched area of the red and white to match the original covers. When I pulled the remaining masking tape off, I had a little touch ups to fix, but otherwise it worked well.
I printed the book on Superfine Eggshell White (75 GSM) paper. It was printed on my Epson Ink Jet printer.
I am using a 3:1 ratio dual ring binding wire, which has allows for fewer pages than the 2:1 ratio. I am pushing the limit of the 5/8" binding wire due to the thickness of the plywood, but it does make for a nice book.
Now I just need to figure out which other books that I want to print. I have been watching people play Traveller solo on YouTube. I may get around to it, I think I like printing and binding more than playing though.
