Printing NGX Documentation

[paulyg123 135]

I just printed the instructions manuals and tutorial on my HP laser jet - color - double sided.

[wisefox7524 9]

Let me be the first to say, those cockpit companions/FMC guides are the best! I highly, highly recommend them. I'll have to write a thorough review one of these days.

[curt1 79]

I purchased the FCOMs from PMDG, but the QRH is what I should really have. Anyone care to share how to chapter that baby and proper print format/binding size so I can print it? Dennis? Or will it cost me? :)

I had Staple's print the QRH for me. I had them print double-sided, and two pages per side in a horizontal layout. The end result is 4 pages of the QRH on one sheet of paper (including 3-hole punch for the binder), and it cost me $50. This was in black and white, not color. I'm very happy with the results, and wouldn't do it any other way.

[ZachLW 37]

Thanks Curt!

[hollins.t 0]

Haha thats great! I remember when I bought the PMDG 747-400X and looked though the manuals thinking "Oh, this isn't too much to print!" Days later.... and after many many many (did i mention many?) dirty looks from my family, I have my own big book of 747! :) It's right next to my bed..... I read it some nights.... lol.

[Reegor 0]

I had Staple's print the QRH for me. I had them print double-sided, and two pages per side in a horizontal layout. The end result is 4 pages of the QRH on one sheet of paper (including 3-hole punch for the binder), and it cost me $50. This was in black and white, not color. I'm very happy with the results, and wouldn't do it any other way.

I did something similar at Kinko's (now Fedex). 2-up, double sided, black & white, spiral bound. No tabs. Since the original is 8.5 x 5.5 the 2-up works OK (2 pages ==> 1 page), but it does make it a little harder to follow. Cost was $.11 per page x 220 pages + $11 for binding and reformatting = about $36. Then they bound it backwards, so I have to go back. My conclusion:1) Farming it out to Fedex/Staples is a bit cheaper for the "short manuals" than buying from PMDG, but the quality of the product is not as good. I estimate that the Op Manuals will cost $170, so if you want the whole thing you should definitely buy it.2) Doing it yourself: the OP is correct that doing an entire manual yourself is marginal. He could have used 3-hole punched paper to reduce his time somewhat. Inkjet printers are not designed for that kind of volume, meaning a good chance of damage. Good laser printers at $.05 per page (if you buy recycled cartridges) would be cheaper than the other options, so it depends on how you value your time. Of course the product won't be as good.3) If you only want selective sections of the manuals, printing it yourself is cost-effective. Copyright: I didn't see anything specific on this in the documentation, but as software vendors have switched to PDF manuals many of them (most?) now allow and encourage you to print the manuals yourself. But without an explicit statement from PMDG/Boeing we are kind of in limbo with places like Staples. Finally, I bought the software because for $70 it was the only (and cheap!) way to get an "official" Boeing-approved manual. The software itself is a bonus If I decide I really need 2400 more pages to read, I'll buy the other manuals from PMDG.

[Tierborn 188]

Let me be the first to say, those cockpit companions/FMC guides are the best! I highly, highly recommend them. I'll have to write a thorough review one of these days.

do it now ... later will have diminished value .. since most will have learned the aircraft one way or another :-)

[Reegor 0]

For the FCOM volume 1, I found I could reduce it to only 180 printed pages (357 original pages). From page 358 on is repetitive sets of performance data for different 737 versions. No need to print it all. So I set it up as:Print 1 to 3572 pages per sheet, Long edge binding125% 3 hole paper. (Could also use booklet printing.) At $.06 per page this is less than $15. But there's no way to do the same thing for volume 2. I may put together a proper PDF table of contents (with the PDF page numbers) to make searching through the e-files much easier.