2018 OOTS Stick Tales Calendar in print and digital!

[The Giant]

2018 Stick Tales Calendar

So it's a little bit on the later side again this year, but the Order of the Stick calendar is finally available for pre-order. Our theme this year is Stick Tales, which, if you've read Snips, Snails, and Dragon Tales, you know is what I call it when I have the OOTS characters basically play dress-up and take on the roles of other famous stories. Each of the twelve months will be a different such story. For example, here's January's take on Moby Dick:

The calendar is the same 12" x 12" glossy full color affair as it has been in previous years, but for the first time ever, we're offering it as a digital edition right out of the gate. (Last year, we only made a PDF version once the physical copies sold out.) The digital edition is great if you just want to see the jokes and look at the art but don't need to actually hang it on your wall.

You can get the print version from Ookoodook and the digital edition from Gumroad.

In both cases, it's important to note that this is a pre-order at this time. The calendars are scheduled to arrive on December 11th at the Ookoodook warehouse and they'll jump into action to mail them out after that. But sometimes stuff gets delayed at the printer, so that date is not a solid promise on our part. It's our best guess. The digital calendars are also a pre-sale because I really don't want anyone to get spoiled on the jokes or art before they get theirs in the mail—and also because I still have two months left to draw, so it's not like I could deliver it today anyway. Digital copies will arrive in your email inbox on December 18th, one week later. Or you could just wait until the 18th and buy it right away; this option is mostly so that people hearing about it today don't have to remember to come back and order it in two-and-a-half weeks.

Since I'm sure someone will ask, yes, there is still a plan to have a holiday ornament, and yes, I know that I'm cutting the shipping times very close with all of this. Give me a few more days to get that ready.

If there are questions or confusion, feel free to ask here and I'll try to check in and answer what I can.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Excellent news.

Thanks, Rich!

Grey Wolf

[ChristianSt]

Mh, maybe it would be wise to switch to digital to not pay that insane amount of international shipping this time... (though I really like the print aspect :-/)


By the way: Gumroad lists that the Digital Edition will be delivered on December 14

[The Giant]

Wow, thanks for catching that. I changed the delivery at the last moment because of the printer's long history of messing up and delivering a few days late. Luckily only one person had pre-ordered the calendar yet!

[Rogar Demonblud]

FYI, the post office is already saying that international shipping is going to take much longer this year (projected three weeks), so you need to order as soon as possible for things that ship right away to get them before Christmas.

[Peelee]

What are the odds of ever selling PDF versions of out-of-date calendars?

[The Giant]

What are the odds of ever selling PDF versions of out-of-date calendars?

Well, I had them all up last year. Maybe I'll turn them back on, since you're the second person to ask.

[NerdyKris]

FYI, the post office is already saying that international shipping is going to take much longer this year (projected three weeks), so you need to order as soon as possible for things that ship right away to get them before Christmas.

They aren't shipping out until the 18th. I would not expect them by Christmas even within the United States.

Edit - 11th, not 18th. That's plenty of time in the US.

[The Giant]

OK, turned the four-calendar bundle from last year back on in the Gumroad store, if there's anyone else who wanted it but missed it last year: https://gum.co/calbundle

[AchtungNight]

I too am in favor of keeping out of date calendars available in digital format for the art.

Looking forward to the 2018 calendar. Moby Xykon! :)

[Porthos]

Aaaaaand ordered on Ookoodook.

I'll order my digital copies later next month.

[ti'esar]

This is easily my favorite calendar concept thus far.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Ooh, I missed the calendar last year but I’m definitely going to pick up this one. Maybe I should grab that PDF too, while I’m at it.

[Unregistered]

Ordered the print version despite the insane shipping costs and the digital version for good measure.

[Lord Torath]

Woo hoo! I was thinking it was about time for the new calendar!

Thanks, Giant!

[Roger_Druid]

OK, turned the four-calendar bundle from last year back on in the Gumroad store, if there's anyone else who wanted it but missed it last year: https://gum.co/calbundle

I just downloaded the bundle, thank you! However, I’d like to also say that the “2014 OOTSCalendar DigitalEdition v1.pdf” ’s last page is that of the “2015_OOTSCalendar_DigitalEdition_v1.pdf” one. Would you, please, correct it and make available the correct page / calendar? Thanks,

Roger Druid

[infinityman]

I've pre-ordered both physical and digital. Always looking for ways to support my favorite story!

[Ted The Bug]

Can't wait to preorder once pay comes in next week. I love Moby ****, so this is perfect.

[Laurana]

I just took the bundle and the new calendar too, both in pdf. Woohoo!

[F.Harr]

Woo-hoo!

MAybe I can finally get in on some of that sweet sweet pre-order action.

[Griffincat]

Ordered the dead tree version, thank you.

In years past, part of calendar sales were donated; if you're doing so this year, to which organization(s) are you donating?

[Turin_19]

Has anyone had experience printing the PDF one? I'm really really thinking of getting the physical one, but international shipping is 21 dollars (cheapest) to my place, meaning it's actually more expensive than the calendar itself.

I'd like to know which kind of paper you used. If anyone from Brazil did it, I also appreciate any hint.

[Ornithologist]

I know every place I went to in Colorado to get it printed last year was more expensive than getting it shipped. Maybe it will be better this year.

Still I can only afford the pdf so, pre-order I go.

[Porthos]

Has anyone had experience printing the PDF one? I'm really really thinking of getting the physical one, but international shipping is 21 dollars (cheapest) to my place, meaning it's actually more expensive than the calendar itself.

I'd like to know which kind of paper you used. If anyone from Brazil did it, I also appreciate any hint.

There was some discussion (and sticker shock) about this in last year's thread The main problem is that printing things like these calendars isn't cheap. Especially as print shops might try to upsell you on the highest quality paper and ink.

I'd suggest calling around to see what it might cost to print something like seven double-sided pages of A2* sized glossy (NOT photo, that's way overkill) paper.

It won't be cheap, but then again the only reason it is cheaper for Rich is that he's ordering it in bulk.

* I say A2 because the calendar pages themselves are 12 in by 12 in (or perhaps more accurately, 12 x 24 and then folded in half), which is a non-standard size paper near as I can tell.

If you can get that size, great, though they would need to be stapled together. Or hung separately from each other since one page is the art with the actual calendar on a separate page, as seen in the first post.

Looking about A2 seems to be the closest to that at 16.5 x 23.4 inches (the borders on the left and right can presumably be cut to fit). Fold it in the middle and you might be okay.

You'd probably also want to have them staple it in the center, but so are the regular calendars.

Alternatively, might ask if fourteen single-sided pages of A2 sized paper would be cheaper. I wouldn't bother stapling it in that case, just manually move the pages around as the months pass (and perhaps staple it together when the year is over).

Also perhaps ask what cheaper alternatives to glossy paper there are. If you can get a grade or two lower and it looks acceptable to your eyes, might go that way.

As mentioned in last year's thread, see if you have personal access to a printer that can print 11x17 sized paper. The image would be shrunk a bit (11 inches instead of 12) and you'd have to figure out how to best display the separate pages, but it's better than nothing

In any case, you'll probably have to make compromises somewhere along the line.

====

These are just shoot-from-the-hip suggestions, BTW, as I haven't tried to do it myself.

[SaintRidley]

Print version ordered.

All I know is I'll be a tad disappointed if there isn't a "wight whale" pun in that month.

[Armitage]

Ordered the print version despite the insane shipping costs and the digital version for good measure.

Same here. The digital version will tide me over until the print version arrives here in Germany.

[Lord Torath]

Just got to the last page of the 2017 calendar. I love the dungeon-map showing 2018 in brief.

Thanks, Rich!

[Quartz]

Idiot question time: if I buy the PDF version does it come with something to let a print shop know it's okay to print it? And if I buy n copies (e.g. as presents), do I get something to tell them it's okay to print n times?

[HisMajestyBOB]

Since I'm sure someone will ask, yes, there is still a plan to have a holiday ornament, and yes, I know that I'm cutting the shipping times very close with all of this. Give me a few more days to get that ready.

If there are questions or confusion, feel free to ask here and I'll try to check in and answer what I can.

Are there any plans to have refrigerator magnet versions of the ornaments? Right now all I have is the OotS magnet and Roy guarding my grocery list. I don't have much use for ornaments, but I could definitely use the OotS gang on my fridge.

[Porthos]

Idiot question time: if I buy the PDF version does it come with something to let a print shop know it's okay to print it? And if I buy n copies (e.g. as presents), do I get something to tell them it's okay to print n times?

On the last page of the calendars there is the following disclaimer:

"Permission is granted to print this calendar for personal usage"

Whether or not a print shop actually honors that is a case of YMMV as, IIRC, one poster had trouble last year with a local shop deciding to ignore that waiver.