Exercise 01 / Paper
Opacity changes a spread
Inspect both sides under the intended light before relying on a quiet reverse page.
Let the sample settle a disagreement.
Make two small proofs with the competing decisions. Discuss the visible result on the intended stock instead of choosing from a screen simulation.
Review point: The shared format is agreed.
Exercise 02 / Registration
Choose an honest tolerance
Allow small shifts to be part of the graphic language when perfect alignment is unrealistic.
Keep a traceable edition sequence.
Label the approved sample and place it where each contributor can see it. Compare later sheets against that sample when the colour or registration begins to drift.
Review point: Contributors know the next handover.
Exercise 03 / Credit
Name the kind of contribution
Writing, illustration, editing and printing can be acknowledged separately in a compact colophon.
Invite a reader into the sequence.
Hand over a dummy with no spoken introduction. Ask the reader to describe how they navigated it, then distinguish a surprising reading from an actual obstruction.
Review point: The approved proof is labelled.
Exercise 04 / Sequence
Give the turn a purpose
Move a reveal across a page turn and compare how that changes the reader's anticipation.
Let the sample settle a disagreement.
Make two small proofs with the competing decisions. Discuss the visible result on the intended stock instead of choosing from a screen simulation.
Review point: Credits describe the actual work.
Exercise 05 / Binding
Test the widest opening
Use a full-thickness dummy to discover whether the inner margin remains readable.
Keep a traceable edition sequence.
Label the approved sample and place it where each contributor can see it. Compare later sheets against that sample when the colour or registration begins to drift.
Review point: A full-thickness dummy has been opened.
Exercise 06 / Distribution
Prepare for a stranger
Provide enough context for someone outside the group to understand what they are holding.
Invite a reader into the sequence.
Hand over a dummy with no spoken introduction. Ask the reader to describe how they navigated it, then distinguish a surprising reading from an actual obstruction.
Review point: The route to readers is decided.