OMG THAT'S CRAZY, NO LIGHTS?? SEARCHED?? OK THAT'S TAKING IT A LITTLE TOO FAR BUT I GUESS I COULD UNDERSTAND CAUSE IF ONLY 1, AND JUST 1 ONLY GOT IN THE WRONG HANDS, THAT PERSON WOULD SELL THEM FOR LESS AND I'M GUESSING ALOT OF PEOPLE WOULD BUY THEM INSTAND OF THE REAL COPIES!! ANYONE AGREEYING WITH ME??

I can understand being searched but I'm a bit skeptical about them working in complete darkness. First I'm sure that breaks some saftey laws; it's really bad on the eyes to work like that. Also, books are printed at too fast a speed to read; all you would need would be some security to watch over the workers during the packaging.

They might as well just hire deaf, blind, and mute people. With no hands. I'm sure that would be equally efficient, plus more protection!

The only people who´re working in "total darkness" are the journalists from The Mirror

Working in darkness?? That has to be made up. How would they even see what they were doing?

What do people in a book factory actually do?

It's impressive how many people actually take it completely serious and start freaking out. Chill out :-P It's a tabloid. It's highly unlikely that people are working in total darkness. They probably just have to sign agreements before they can be permitted to work with the book. The searching thing is completely understandable. Most places do that no matter what you're working with. I work in retail and I have to have my bags checked before I can leave after my shift. This isn't any different. The employees have to be checked to make sure they're not sneaking out with copied pages of the books everyday. Would you want page 283 to show up on the internet and cause an uproar? :-P

haha how are they supposed to work with no light??? hahaha i bet all the books are going to be messed up because they can't see what they're doing

I don't believe this one...

ok. no light. no light. What if they drop the bok of books, and then someone came and stole one. Then you will regret it

I'm just going to stop coming online. After HBP leak last time, I don't want to take any chances.

Ahh somehow i dont think that this is te truth, total darkness although i tink tha the searchin people is true + y can bloomsbury nt print em in england

I'm not trying to sound like the Grinch here, but I'm relieved that they're taking such precausions. I am also slightly surprised at some of these comments. This is not just 'some book', this is THE book. It's the Deathly Hallows we're talking about here! Do you guys want the book to be spoiled? The companies who are printing these books have every right to be cautious. Imagine what would happen if something leaked out. You all know what you'd do: You'd complain. You would be mad at these places for not taking the cautions that were nessesary to keep this unbelievable book a surprise! Plus, I highly doubt the employees are working in complete darkness. It's probably just dark enough to keep them from ruining the book.

Haha...working in total darkness? How can they do their work? If I worked there, I would just take a mini-flashlight and keep reading till someone noticed what I was doine and I would get fired, and I wouldn't feel bad about it. but that's me.

Wow! That is pretty strict, having to work in the Dark All day! Your eyes would burn when you get of work! Wow! I wouldnt want to be them, but it would feel pretty cool to hold the book in your hands. But i would be tempted to bring a Flash-Light so i could read it! Lol!

It's an insult to the word "news" to report what a tabloid states

that is rediculous that they make them work with no light whatsoever. Assuming, of course, that this information is accurate.

Maybe Americans are unfamiliar with 'The Mirror'. Since it's reporting this we MUST take it as fact. If we do we MUST assume that all security measures have been broken by the very fact that they know the EXACT location where printing has begun. And we MUST believe that the printing works are willing to face extremely hefty fines due to breach of health and safety by making the workers work in total darkness. The fact is that regardless of all the security surrounding Deathly Hallows a few pages if not the entire novel WILL BE READ by a couple of hundred workers before the official release date. The only question is: Will they have the decency and common sense to keep it to themselves. By the way, 'The Mirror' is well versed in reporting total *insert foul language here*

The Mirrior is an appalling newspaper, no sane person would read it and it can hardly be used as a reliable source of information.

I take it that 'The Mirror' is the equivalent to 'The national enquirer' by all these comments. Taking that into consideration this is probably a load of rubbish, except, in this case, there may be the tiniest hint of truth. Come on, total darkness? That must be a violation of some sort of safety law. I can understand the employee search though, that might be a grain of truth.

German "Bild" (a tabloid) is reporting the same. But they have a really funny line in it: "The employees have to work in total darkness while beeing watched by security staff!" Well, I'm not an security expert but I think it's pretty hard to watch somebody when it's dark. Besides the printing machines are working on high speed so it's unlikely that someone can read it...

wow....That's a bit over the top? Haha! Hilarious, but over the top!

lol thats insane

Now seriously.. It's a book... Like COME ON!! isnt that like against a workers union.. like complete darkness??? It is SOO overboard...... i understand the "being Searched but no lights is honstly ridiculous... I also am excited that theyy've started printing it!!!

okay random question that just came to me... well not really a question. but in the books when they say O.W.L.S do y'all actually call it o.w.l.s. cuz i just say owls... do i win the award for the most random question of the day???? lol, no but really!!

I really doubt the "total darkness" part is true. That sounds absolutely ridiculous. 0.o

Oh yeah right. No way.

Yeah right...there prbly jst saying that so all us freak HP fans wont start freaking out about spoilers....which i really hope I dont see :[ have they started printing the US copies yet??? probably....yeah but no lights thats dumb...I really hope that they don't spoil it if they do manage to read it somehow....

aaaaah. i dont want people working in complete darkness or whatever.. but at the same time i do!! I'm so scared that the final book will be spoilt for some people. im definitely going to be locking me and deathly hallows up for 24 hours after the release!! :P

While I'm perfectly happy to take anything the Mirror says with an entire salt-cellar (please, please let it just be tabloid rumours) I have to say that I love seeing Potterites so devoted to workers' rights. Anyone want a badge for the Society for the Promotion of Potter-Printers' Welfare?

One of the best ways to make sure spoilers don't get out, would be for someone who couldn't read/speak English print the books. Then again, some people could lie and just say they can't read/speak English.

.........i find it funny that people think this news article is totally serious, when it says at the bottom of the post that the source is a tabloid. Tabloid = very little or no truth. Hence, they are NOT making people work in complete darkness. :P although it would cut down on spoilers... hmmmm..... >ponders

Wow...It probably isn't true, though. Top 100? LoL

54 DAYS!

yeah i don't think that they would make people work in THE DARK. how would you see what you were doing? if they made them work in the dark, the books would probably get all screwed up and the pages would be out of order and stuff like that. not to mention, people could get seriously hurt in the dark. therefore, i think that this TABLOID is just a bit crazy. maybe just a BIT.

I think "darkness" has been taken out of context with this, you know the tabloids... But the strict measures we should all be praising, because there are cruel people out there who will go to crazy lengths to ruin it for us devoted fans. Plus, if Bloomsbury did that, (which they wouldn't) I would be slightly concerned half my book might be missing! All for searching people though. You cant be too careful ;)

I think you guys over reacting. Imagine what one of the workers could reveal if he/she even got a peek at the words. He'd be rich! I think they are taking very neccasary precautions. Because if anyone did see it, they would go straight to the press and we'd believe anything he said. He could make stuff up like Harry gets preganant and J K guest stars in the final book faling madly in love with hagrid! We'd believe him! I think they should blind fold the workers aswell, and tape their mouths shut, and maybe even whip them everynow and then to get the point through. AGREE? Agreed....

Hi there. As some of the "older" ones of you might know - I'm from Germany. I don't mean to sound arrogant or something, but for those of you who might not know, let me clarify something: The unions and the courts would have the company in less than a week if they actually made people work in complete darkness; I'm proud to say that our "surpreme court" still takes human rights very very seriously. Second, I honestly am not all too surprised that the books are getting printed in Germany first; -there are actually more Potter-Books per capita in Germany than in any other country including GB and the US! Of course, that alone is not really sufficient reason for printing the books there, first, because even if (and in this case I truly trust the numbers) there are more Potter-books per citizen in this country (Germany) than anywhere else, most are going to read and buy it in German... even if it means waiting three months... I will hazard an educated guess that most potter-readers in Germany do not have the neccessary skills to read the book in English, though many have (speaking out of experience here, mind you ;-) Anyways---my major point being: Don't trust the tabloids, the rainbow press or whatever you may call 'em! Journalism ought not to be about demand and supply but about information and a request for knowing the truth! (See Mrs. Skeeter.. you know what I mean) Have a nice day! -Mike

Ok so I work at one of the biggest paperback book factories in the world and I know it's impossible to make books in the dark. First off you have to be able to make sure the books are collated and you also have to make sure that here's nothin else wrong with them. I know that there's things that are different between paperback and hard cover books but making sue the oollation and binding is right are two things that are common between the books. Also how do they expect them to pack them in the dark? They're definitely exagerrating about this.

what the hell?! Why would Mugglenet even report something from a TABLOID???

I believe it. We in Germany only work in darkness, this is nothing new. Electricity is a rare gift. XD

The German heading of this article is wrong. The Translator wrote: 'Deutscher Band 7 geht in Druck'.But it has to be called: 'Band 7 wird in Deutschland gedruckt' oder ' Band 7 geht in Deutschland in Druck'.. ;D

hahahaha... good old germany :p

Wow... That's kinda extreme don't you think? I mean TOTAL darkness. How can they see what they're doin'? They could just have a supervisor watching them to make sure they don't open any copies... Ah well. Those poor, poor people that have to work there.

that's REALLY stupid...no one should be forced to work under such conditions...it is just degrading!!!

Absolute crap!!!! the people can't possibly work in TOTAL darkness!!!! its TOTALLY not true!!!

Deathly Hallows actually getting on paper!!!! *Heart beating somewhere around Adam's apple* I wish i could work there!! ..or no...i wouldn't want my body parts amputated. I love HP and all, but thats ridiculous.

how can you work in total darkness? what if you got a papercut????on accident?.....j/k but still....i think the secuirty measures of the books are going way overboard...no offence,but whos going to like working in total darkness? i would'nt spending all your day in the dark,for the avrage work day 6 hours or more come on!!! like people said above me "it's just a book"

A few things , first to HPgeek4life , JUST A BOOK? WTF! WHO CLAIMS TO BE A FAN AND DARES UTTER THE WORDS , JUST A BOOK! Second , the searches are infact very , very real , some pleaces you would care to know they search. Third , German printing presses are very high tech and are able to do most of the quality control by themselves , so yes when security like this is put in place they do infact black out portions of the manufacturing line , with curtains or blacking out lights. Doing this the only thing works see are blank paper and sealed boxes , thas why a floor check is normaly done at the end of each shift to make sure all boxes are still sealed properly.

cool. working in total darcness. Hahaha. I think working there would be verry funny. Why are they printing in Germany? I mean, of course I'm glad that they print there, because I'm a German, but aren't there any in the UK?