ku # 547 ~ 2 good reason to get the hell out of Dodge
Saturday, January 10, 2009 at 11:45AM 
Rime ice on a ridgeline above the West Branch of the Au Sable • click to embiggenRe; POD "standard" response, issue # 2 - the relatively confusing / non-intuitive nature of POD service provider's book making software.
What follows is directed towards dealing with Shutterfly.com's photo book making proceedures. To a great degree it also applies to SharedInk.com's preceedures as well.
FYI, SharedInk is my high-quality (high quality = high price) POD photo book service provider of choice. Their Professional Photographer program (which is "hidden" on their website - you must send an email request for info about it to get in) is really quite superb in features, options, etc.
The reason I use these 2 providers is simple. The quality of the product they deliver is consistently and predictably right on the mark. Up to snuff. As promised. No excuses. No hassles. Satisfaction guaranteed. Period. End of discussion.
Because of that, I have applied to become a member of Shutterfly's Affiliate Program whereby if anyone here on The Landscapist opens a free Shutterfly account through the link from The Landscapist, I'll make a couple bucks here and there.
I am also doing so because I will really be putting an emphasis on photo book making / sales in the foreseeable future here on The Landscapist. With the advent of the digital photography "revolution", there has been an adjunct revolution in heretofore unavailable photo book making that has been made available to Joe/Jane-the-anybody that could change the way pictures are being presented, preserved, and disseminated.
IMO, it's time that many more "serious" picture makers get with the program and I am going to do my part in making that happen.
Now, on to issue # 2 - Let's discuss choosing a POD service provider. As far as I am concerned, there are 2 key issues to address:
1). IMO, the absolute first obstacle a service provider must get by is the ability in their book making software to bypass their page layout templates. Or, more correctly, they must offer a page layout template that is a blank page (NO text boxes, NO picture boxes) with full-bleed (image printing right out to the edges of the page) capabilities. If they don't offer such a template, get the hell out of Dodge as fast as you can.
Why? Because a blank page template puts you in complete control of the design and layout process. That includes everything on the page - image placement, image size, number of images, text, text placement, typefaces, type spacing / kerning, background color(s), background textures/effects, and/or any other facet of page design. You take control. I don't know about you but I wouldn't have it any other way.
2). Once past that hurdle, the next issue is color - is there a method to obtain good consistent color results? In my experience, the best method is NO method at the service provider level.
Consider Shutterfly - they have as a default setting in their software their own idea of "image enhancement" called VividPics. This may be an effective enhancement for the uninitiated, but for those who know what they are doing relative to image adjustments (color, contrast, hue/saturation, and all of the other Photoshop or Photoshop-like image processing things) before they upload their pictures to Shutterfly, VividPics is NOT what the doctor ordered.
Shutterfly, as an example, recognizes this situation and provides for manual removal of this "effect". Good, in fact, very good, for them. However, I can not speak for other service providers other than SharedInk which, as far I can tell with their PP program, offer no image enhancement effects.
That said, the point is this - understanding what, if anything, is going to happen to your image files after they are uploaded to a service provider for book printing, is absolutely critical to obtaining good reproduction of your pictures. Just as in the blank-page layout scenario, the best results should be obtained by leaving you in total control of what the image looks like. As Shutterfly states in their FAQ regarding VividPics:
...if you have already edited your pictures for color, brightness, or contrast in an application such as Adobe Photoshop, we recommend that you turn off the VividPics setting for the edited pictures ... Pictures printed with this setting turned off will be printed exactly as they were uploaded...
Get it? "Exactly as they were uploaded" is exactly what you want. CAVEAT Be prepared. Because, without a doubt, what that means is that the old computer adage applies with full vigor - garbage in, garbage out. Of course, the flip side of that is something like - looks-like-a-rose in, smells-like-a-rose out.
Neverthless, my same advice applies to this issue - if a service provider doesn't offer info about their color management / "enhancement" techniques (if needed, contact their customer support), or, if they do but do not offer an option to turn it off, get the hell out of Dodge as fast as you can.
Now of course, I fully realize that having total control over page layout /design and image quality may be a form of absolute trepidation and intimidation for many. Without a doubt, my 40 years of experience in the photo, design, and printing industries makes these tasks about as difficult as falling off a log for me, which, in turn, with over 60 years of living behind me, is also a pretty easy thing for me to do.
I'll try in my next post to give you some simple tips on what to do with that blank page.
Reader Comments (7)
I discovered that full-bleed work-around just this week with Blurb. It was like a cartoon light bulb going *ping* over my head. Now I can do my thing, with my preferred software, just the way I want.
Hopefully I'll get an order out early in the week.
I joined Shutterfly and I am making a book on "Remembering Vietnam", thanks again for the "push" Mark.
This is very useful information Mark. I've bookmarked a number of POD vendors but trying to decide who to go with is a little daunting. However knowing what to look for makes it much simpler.
Thanks for this. Much appreciated.
Good information. Looking forward to what you have to say about design and layout.
Thanks so much for this series of posts. Please continue.
Thanks Mark. I appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge and thoughts about these things. I will look forward to what you have to say about layout and design because that is my major stumbling block. I'm lousy at it.
Thanks from me as well, Mark. This is great stuff, and I would love to hear more. Given your experience, I'm sure it will be sound advice.
What I'd personally like to hear about concerns upload image resolution. Do you upload hi res jpeg files? Do you use the same 'rules" that you'd use if you were outputting to a high quality printer (like an Epson 2400)?
Thanks again!