urban ku # 170 ~ more POD info
Friday, February 15, 2008 at 10:06AM 
Deer Meadows neon • click to embiggenA typical issue with some POD printers goes something like this (from Paul McEvoy); I had a book done with Blurb and I have to say that the quality was really awful. Printing wise it was not acceptable to me ... Pictures were very grainy, on files that had no visible grain. There was a color cast issue ... The paper cover they include with the hardcover was extremely cheap looking.
There is absolutely no question that some POD printers are better than others. Some are a whole lot better. Even though they all tend to use the same equipment, the results can vary greatly. As in all things, attention to detail matters. Some POD printers work on the volume principle, some on the quality principle. And, there is almost always a direct relationship between price and quality.
That said, it is worth noting that a reproduction of a picture will never match the original picture. Traditional offset, sheet-fed printers using the best of modern equipment (to include 8-color presses), techniques (stochastic printing), and high quality paper can come very close to matching an original print. Of course, in order to use this printing technique for a moderate sized book, you will be buying a minimum of 1-2,000 books and you should have at least $40-50,000 to burn.
As I have mentioned before, some of the best POD image quality I have seen in my experience is from shutterfly.com (as long as you turn off their ViDPic[?] effect). They are also amongst the lowest cost POD printers. Where they save on their costs is with paper - decent but not the best in class, and cover and binding materials - again, decent but not the best in class.
To be certain, shutterfly.com's paper and cover / binding is very good. I have had only one problem - on one book, the paper on the inside of the front cover bubbled. I returned the book and they replaced it PDQ without any hassle.
In my experience, if I had to use just one POD printer, it would be shutterfly.com. If they upgraded their service with better / more paper choices and better cover / binding materials (for which I'd be happy to pay a premium), I would use shutterfly.com as my only POD printer.
BTW, FYI - my experience with shutterfly.com and sharedink.com is with RGB jpeg images files saved with the Adobe RGB (1998) color profile.
So, when can I expect to see some books?
gravitas et nugalis
questions, questions, questions - there are no bad questions
Jim asks; I was looking at shutterfly and they do not give you recommendations for image resolution and type. Do we size the images to the size we want, at 300dpi, jpeg, adobe 1998 colorspace?
Dennis asks; I'm just checking to see if I understand the strategy:
Each page is a file
Each file is a RGB jpeg in the Adobe 98 space
Is each file sized to the actual size of the physical page? and presumably minimum compression?
So, if I want a 10 inch square page I start with a new file of that size and then place the desired image and anything else (text, whatever) on the page and saved as a jpeg.
Is that it?
answers, answers, answers
Jim / Dennis - each page is a file and that file is 'to size' @300 dpi - 10×10 inch page = 10×10 inch file @300 dpi - always @300 dpi. After placing any size image (or more) where you like on the page, and, after placing text / graphics where you like on the page, save the file as a psd. with all the layers intact (text, images, graphics) as a 'master' for later editing if needed.
When you're satisfied with the result, again save it with all layers intact, then merge the layers and flatten the file and save a 'highest quality' Adobe RGB (1998) jpeg for uploading to the printer's site.
Reader Comments (8)
Soon,
Since I have a full time day job, I don't have much time to spend except in the evenings and weekends.
Would using the sharedink templates for photoshop help out the process?
Jim - when you're new to the game, their template may be the way to go.
I believe all the template is is a blank 300 dpi PS file with bleed marks (edge of the printed page).
'Bleed' - image info that goes beyond the trim size of the finished page (and is therefore trimmed off) is needed if you want your picture to go to the edges of the page.
As long as you keep your image inside the bleed marks, the entire image will print on the finished trimmed page.
I've done several photobooks with Blurb, and have had nothing but good experiences: attractive books, well-printed, photos looking like I wanted them to. I can imagine that occasionally things go wrong, but that's not the predominant outcome.
Blurb uses HP Indigo, which is good but not fine art quality. Apparently Lulu uses dry ink toner which is worse. I've tried press printed products from some popular online labs and they're not up to my standards. You don't need to burn $40-50K for a high quality fine art book unless you want thousands of copies.
There is a new crop of high end photography book services that do high quality inkjet based printing with nice binding. You can get a small run of books in the 50 page range for around $60 each. Check out Edition One in Berkeley, and Asuka, which targets the wedding market.
Cheers,
Joe
I'm just checking to see if I understand the strategy:
Each page is a file
Each file is a RGB jpeg in the Adobe 98 space
Is each file sized to the actual size of the physical page? and presumably minimum compression?
So, if I want a 10 inch square page I start with a new file of that size and then place the desired image and anything else (text, whatever) on the page and saved as a jpeg.
Is that it?
Thanks, Dennis
I was looking at shutterfly and they do not give you recommendations for image resolution and type. Do we size the images to the size we want, at 300dpi, jpeg, adobe 1998 colorspace?
Mark,
Have you seen this one yet?
http://www.createspace.com/Index.jsp
This is an Amazon.com company that allows people to order books from amazon.com, they keep their cut and give you a royality from a price you set.
Mark,
How about a little advice on editing? I have a project with far too many images...at least it seems that way to me. Granted, it is a year long project and I was shooting on average of 3 days a week, but I'm struggling to cut the portfolio to under 100.
Beyond the obvious guidelines, i.e. only show your best work and ideas relating to whether or not an image fits in with the theme reflected in the statement, can you offer any advice?
Thanks.