A miller Posted April 28, 2014 Share #1 Posted April 28, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) After a second bad experience with a lousy book from Blurb, I am seeking an alterantive that uses better quality printing, esp on B&W. Any suggestions? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 28, 2014 Posted April 28, 2014 Hi A miller, Take a look here Recommendation of a professional online photo book other than Blurb.com. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dj_61 Posted May 6, 2014 Share #2 Posted May 6, 2014 I would be very interested in that too 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalHeMan Posted May 6, 2014 Share #3 Posted May 6, 2014 (edited) Andy just used Blurb for the forum book, and the result, especially the b&w shots, is excellent. What problem are you experiencing? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited May 7, 2014 by stuny 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanyasi Posted May 6, 2014 Share #4 Posted May 6, 2014 I, too, have not been impressed with Blurb. I have made two books--one color and one monochrome. The monochrome was the better of the two. I found the layout interface to be kludgy. With that in mind, I have searched for alternatives. These folks (Fine Art Books ) look like they meet your desires from a quality standpoint. I priced out a 60-page book out of curiosity. You are in the $300 neighborhood, depending on how you "pimp your book." That obviously is cost prohibitive if you are hoping to sell the books unless you are a big-name photographer. I am taking a closer look at folios and other ways to package work. At least that way, I have control over the printing. In the event that interests you, I suggest you take a look at the Lens Works website--a paid annual subscription site--but I think a Google search will get you to some info on folios. They have a video course on creating your own folios. If you don't want to roll your own, there is a website where you can buy pre-cut folios that are modeled on what they show at Lens Work. Dane Creek Folio Covers - Home 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted May 7, 2014 Share #5 Posted May 7, 2014 I used Blurb once. While the book looked great overall, the photos lacked something or rather they did not pop so to speak. I have a calibrated monitor and they looked great while putting together the book but not so great when published. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A miller Posted May 7, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted May 7, 2014 I am very sorry for the delay. For some reason I wasn't getting email notifications of your responses until this morning when I receoved a dump of them. I really appreciate your time and thoughts on this. The big problems with Blurb were: -the B&W had green hues on one page and red hues on this opposite pages -some B&W pages has subtle blotches of color (due to the CMYK ink that is used) -the colors weren't spot on, which is due to the lack of color profiles for LR due to LR's inability to accept CMYK profiles (it only accepts only adobe profiles.) -There is some noise in the B&W pictures that detracts fromt he quality. This is a real bummer b/c Blurb is SOOO easy to use in LR. The thought of having to export and upload 100 photos is daunting! Thanks very much for the suggestions. I will explore them with great interest and report back with my thoughts! Thanks again, Adam 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalHeMan Posted May 7, 2014 Share #7 Posted May 7, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I used sharedink a long time ago for some wedding albums. Not sure if they are still in business, but the results were good Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeTexas Posted May 8, 2014 Share #8 Posted May 8, 2014 I've used Adorama a couple times with good results. I only did the cheap 8x8 14-page books, though. I've been meaning to try this place: Artifact Uprising // Make your own photo book. Create your own photo album, photo calendar and photo cards. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A miller Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share #9 Posted May 8, 2014 Many thanks, Simon and Je Texas. Really appreciate your feedback. I rec'd a new copy of the blurb book. I used the most expensive paper and there is a dramatic difference in quality. It actually it almost satisfactory. The only remaining annoying problem is that there are very subtle streaks of reddish hues on some pages and greenish hues on other pages. I've gone back to the customer support people but am fully expecting them to tell me that this is life with them and get used to it. If the convenience wasn't so great I wouldn't give them the time of day. I look forward to scoping out the ideas that you have provided. Thanks again for your time. Best, adam 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted May 8, 2014 Share #10 Posted May 8, 2014 ...The big problems with Blurb were: -the B&W had green hues on one page and red hues on this opposite pages -some B&W pages has subtle blotches of color (due to the CMYK ink that is used) -the colors weren't spot on, which is due to the lack of color profiles for LR due to LR's inability to accept CMYK profiles (it only accepts only adobe profiles.) -There is some noise in the B&W pictures that detracts fromt he quality. This is a real bummer b/c Blurb is SOOO easy to use in LR. The thought of having to export and upload 100 photos is daunting!... Adam Adam, Have you reported your concerns to BLURB? If so, what was their response? I would have thought they would have taken valid criticisms seriously and redressed your concerns. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A miller Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted May 8, 2014 They have no phone support which is so annoying. So I complained via email and received a response not immediately. They asked me to go through the hassle of sending pictures evidencing the errors. Then they said that subtle green and red hues in the B&W photos are to be expected due to the use of color ink. I was able to demonstrate clear our of variance errors and they finally agreed to pay for a new book. I upgraded to the most expensive paper and I will say that there is a dramatic difference in quality. So much that I think the most expensive paper paper is a must have for a book with serious quality. Anyone ordering a book with a lot of B&W photos should have the expectation that there will be many of them with subtle red hues and some with green hues, even with the most expensive paper. And based on the tremendous swell of complaints on Blurb's very own customer discussion forum, I don't think they have a business model that includes striving for perfection. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanyasi Posted May 12, 2014 Share #12 Posted May 12, 2014 Just received an e-mail solicitation about this company's photo books. Looks interesting and may be good quality. I will look at the details later. Catalog 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeicaS2 Posted May 12, 2014 Share #13 Posted May 12, 2014 I have given up on Blurb. Great marketing with LR but quality is not even matching Walgreens BTW, for a fast book, Walgreens is pretty darn good. MyPublisher was so -o long ago, haven't tried it lately. I now use Photobook America. Photo Books, Wedding Cards, Travel Albums | Photobook America 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeTexas Posted May 15, 2014 Share #14 Posted May 15, 2014 AdoramaPix has one of their sales going. 50% off an 8x8 14-page book this month. Use Code PXNATP50 Online Photo Books- Create, Personalized Own Photo Books, Professional Photo Albums - AdoramaPix. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A miller Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share #15 Posted May 15, 2014 Thanks very much, I really appreciate you letting me know about this! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted May 16, 2014 Share #16 Posted May 16, 2014 Adam - I'm wondering if Blurb has different standards in different markets. The Leica books Andy Barton assembled do not suffer the quality problems you describe. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A miller Posted May 16, 2014 Author Share #17 Posted May 16, 2014 Adam - I'm wondering if Blurb has different standards in different markets. The Leica books Andy Barton assembled do not suffer the quality problems you describe. Interesting, Stuart, thanks. Have you flipped through one of Andy's books in person? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalHeMan Posted May 16, 2014 Share #18 Posted May 16, 2014 Interesting, Stuart, thanks. Have you flipped through one of Andy's books in person? I have one here (printed in the Netherlands) and the quality of both the color and the black and white images is outstanding. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted May 17, 2014 Share #19 Posted May 17, 2014 Adam - I have, and own some. I agree with Simon. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A miller Posted May 18, 2014 Author Share #20 Posted May 18, 2014 After three attempts and a lot of haggling, I finally rec'd a copy that I am ok with. Using the most expensive paper, the color photos are indeed quite nice. The BW photos, on the other hand, still leave a little to be desired. This can largely be blamed on the fact that color inks are used even for the BW photos. I think there also may be a quality control issue b/c since I started complaining, the subsequent copies of the book had less and less hues. Even with the best rendition, the quality pales in comparison to the results I get from the silver gelatin prints using Ilford baryta paper that I have been using lately from Whitewall. Certainly, there shouldn't be an apples to apples comparison here. However, it's a bit frustrating where the blurb books are used for professional purposes in which the photos are meant to represent what a customer might get in a print. I am addressing this by having to attach a few small samples of the BW photos with the Ilford baryta paper as inserts in the book. Not ideal, but necessary, I believe, in my particular case. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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