POD Photo Books, Bottom Line
INTRODUCTION
As far as I know, there are currently 3 printers being used for print on demand Photobooks:
Xerox iGen (toner-based); HP Indigo (4 color inks, though it is possible to upgrade this to a 6 color printer) ; and Kodak NexPress (toner).
I don’t believe that any of the books ordered are using NexPress.
There are some things I’ll never know - such as how the quality of the book changes from one order to the next, since as I rule out various POD publishers, I’m not ordering any books from them. If you’ve been reading along during these postings - you’ll see that I began with Lulu (two years ago) and have decided on SharedINK.com as the best solution for me. I have signed up for their Premium Professional Photograper Program. Although this has all taken a lot of time and effort, if you are serious about giving your prints a good home - then SharedInk is the place. Second on the list would be MyPublisher.
With all of these printers, a lot of the quality depends on paper choices, and especially on often and carefully the machines are calibrated. This is a major issue with print on demand technology as opposed to traditional off-set printing. I don’t imagine it’s such a big deal if you’re printing your latest novel, but it is a big deal with professional-looking photo books and even more of an issue if you are using a four-color system for a black and white printing.
For black and white printing, you have two choices: 4 color (cyan, magenta, yellow, black); or strictly black and white with either one toner color or ink (black).
The tonal range with four color is wider than with all grayscale printing - but you then take the chance of color shifts, or various types of color added to the b&w photo.
Grades are from A+ (the best) to F (awful) and are slanted towards the final result. Ease of use, turnaround time, price, I don’t give these as much weight as I give the final quality of the final product. For example, if the turnaround time is great, and the book looks like crap, then I don’t give turnaround time much credit. Somebody else might look at these grades and say, I loved my Blurb book. Or I couldn’t stand using SharedInk. In short, as much as I’m trying to quantify this, a lot has to do with my own biases, and esp. my biases towards black and white printing (which is a big factor).
VioVio was a softcover book, not hardcover like the rest. And I haven’t put Lulu into the grid because I tried them almost two years ago. I still have the physical book I did with thm, and they were the worst: streaking magenta, grainy, and thin paper. But as I say, that was two years ago, and so I haven’t included them in this chart. This grid includes books produced during the last two months or so. The other
Online vs. Client software. Online means that you upload jpgs, or pdf file (could be both) and arrange the book online. Client side means that you download and install software on your PC / Mac and eventually upload it through the software to make the book.
Blurb is sort of odd because their client software still is marked as Beta. Although I didn’t have any major issues with it, their forums are filled with people who are having issues going from one version to the next; along with program lockups etc. Sometimes these issues don’t arise until you’ve done a book with lots of pages. On the other hand, some of the other forums have more moderation, so there could be similar issues that I’m not aware of.
None of the client software is perfect. For example, MyPublisher is easy to use, and seems stable and well-thought out. But the supplied templates aren’t as flexible as say the Blurb or Digilabs software. But MyPublisher has many features that Blurb doesn’t offer. If you are doing your project with client-side software and haven’t done an upload and the program stops working for you - then you could be in the position of losing your work. On the other hand, none of the web-based interfaces were as easy to use as the client-side software.
Turnaround time is more important than I first realized. If you are doing Print on Demand and it takes two weeks to get a book produced, and you are shipping to clients, than this can be an issue. You may decide that you need to order a bunch of books at one time, rather than order one each time someone requests a book. On the other hand, if you have “built-in” clients, such as what a wedding photographer has, and you know about how many books you’ll need, then slight differences in turnaround time may not be a big deal.
In my own case, MyPublisher was so quick, that I’d feel comfortable ordering individual books as the orders came in. The other plus, and an issue to keep in mind, is where the company ships from. MyPublisher, shipping from New York, saves me money on shipping since I’m in New York. Also, if you are doing a bunch of test printings, then cost and time to get the book is equally important. At any rate - turnaround time in the grid doesn’t include ship time. Also to keep in mind, is that turnaround time may be related to the complexity of the book, and of course - time of year.
Consistency from Order to Order. This is something I can only guess at. But as a general rule, the larger and more diverse the POD publisher, the less likely that you are going to get consistency from order to order. Blurb books are sent out to various printers, as was Lulu. And whenever two books were ordered at different times, the color management and printing were different. I still have two books done by Lulu, one leaning towards magenta, the other one towards green. With Blurb, I returned the first book because it was overly magenta, and the next book arrived, with still traces of magenta - but with better (less grainy) printing.
Other notes: SharedInk - I’m using the Professional Photographer program.
| SHAREDINK.COM | MYPUBLISHER.COM | DIGILABS.BIZ | VIOVIO.COM | BLURB.COM | |
| Overall Rating | A++ | B | C+ | B- | C |
| Page Weight & Feel | A++ | B | B+ | C | C- |
| Ink or Toner | INK (Indigo) | INK (Indigo) | ? | Toner (iGen) | Both, depending on size of book. (iGen or Indigo) |
| Online or Client Software | Online | Client | Client | Online | Client |
| Client Software | Doesn’t Apply | B+ | B | Doesn’t Apply | B- |
| Turnaround Time | B | A++ | B- | B- | |
| Estimated Time vs. Actual Time | A | A | B- | B+ | C |
| Cost | Most expensive* | B+ lots of discounts |
B | Cheap | Middle of the road |
| Single-sided printing. | Unlike the other PODs, they don’t charge for the blank pages if you do the entire book single-sided. (left side of two page spread) is blank. Also, if you are doing a small book, 6 x 8, the paper costs are very reasonable. | Charged | Charged | Charged | Charged |
| Can customers buy your book online directly at the price you set? | No. | No. | No. | Not sure. | Not sure, but I think so. |
| Good sizes offered for photobooks. | Yes. | ||||
| Dustjacket | Not official, but it’s coming. | Yes. And the software allows you to print on the inner flaps and spine. | No sure. | Yes. | |
| Hardcover extra choices | The most. Good selection of linen, as well as leather, and even a new “see-through” acrylic cover.Gold or silver foil stamping.You can also choose the endsheet papers.Translucent “flysheets”included standard. | Translucent “flysheets”included standard. | A strange laminated cover that reminded me of children’s books. | ||
| Archival Paper? | Yes | Yes | ? | Maybe. But both the paper creases very easily. | |
| Shipping Packaging | A | A+ | B | B | B |
| Support | Excellent. You are dealing with a company that knows what’s involved in making a high-quality photobook; and has been very helpful. | Good. | Didn’t use. | Okay. | Fair. |
| Binding | A++ (beautiful job) | B+ | Good. | C+ | |
| Other features: | Allows purchasing single or multiple proof pages before you do the whole book.In the Professional Photographer program you can use them as a binding service. i.e. You could, for example, do your printing at home on your inkjet and send them the prints (based on their hardcover specs) and they’ll bind it for their base price for that sized book.Sharing book preview on line with general public included. | Nice online interface for “sharing” your book with the public. | |||
| How easy is it to get accurate information from the site? In other words, you should be able to go to one page and get all the technical specs you need: dpi, color management issues, what printer are they using, etc. | Excellent. | Good. | Okay. | Fair. |
CONCLUSION
I’ll fill in some of the empty cells in the grid, at least for Digilabs as I go along. But the bottom line, is that I’m hooked on SharedInk. It’s true that they don’t supply client software, but the process is also very simple. You create the page according to their specs as a ” 10 quality” jpg and upload it. This can be via FTP or through their web interface. You can rearrange the pages online with drag / drop.
You preview the book, make your material choices, and in about ten days you receive a very beautiful book.
| SHAREINK also offers the use of the G7 curve, which is a relatively new way of getting neutral gray. I just order a few sheets printed this way to see what the difference looks like, along with a swatch package which includes sample paper and sample covers, etc. Read more about the GrACol G7 process. |
The old saw about Garbage in, Garbage Out, still goes; and one of the things that you need to realize about making POD fine art books, is that you’ve become the printer. You need to know how to “open the shadows” for printing; the best sharpening techniques; and of course - how to make an interesting book. If you were working with a good fine-art printer, you’d be looking at proofs and teling them what you’d like done to tweak the images. Now there’s no one to tell - that’s going to be your job. You’re responsible for calibrating your monitor. You’re in charge of page layout. The more you know - technically - the better your chance of producing a high-end book - so long as the folks on the other end are also artisans.
Other quirks: Blurb was especially annoying because they give you an estimated ship date, and then miss their own estimation by a couple of days. You pay 10% extra for their “silk paper”but frankly this paper crinkles easily. As you turn the pages, if you are doing double-sided printing, the image from the backside shows though. They say that there product is like a coffee table book you’d buy in a store. This isn’t true. At least VioVio is honest about what you should expect.
MyPublisher has the best client software, but unlike some of the other client software you can’t move the template containers around on th page. MyPublisher also forces you to pay (order) before uploading. You also can’t add fames to the image container.
[Note, since I wrote this I’ve also ordered a book from Picaboo. Haven’t received it yet - but their client-side software is every bit as good as MyPublisher, maybe better. However, I haven’t figured out if there’s a way to have automatic page numbers inserted. Their pricing is about halfway between MyPublisher and SharedInk. MyPublisher just has so many discounts that it’s hard for anyone else to compete. But, it should be noted that Picaboo does have a professional photographers program with a 20% discount on all orders. Not quite the 40% discount that MyPublisher routinely offers, plus MyPublisher cost per page is cheaper - still if Picaboo quality is better than it’s worth a look.]
In short, I’d cross Blurb off the list. VioVio is a maybe for a softcover book. MyPublisher for a hardcover book that is moderately priced. The MyPublisher softcover is small, and the cover isn’t great - not a laminated cover - but the print quality is the same as the medium-sized book and the price is right.
SharedInk for the best quality (and support - assuming you are doing this through their Professional Photographer program. I don’t know what if any are the differences for the general consumer process). But pick two PODs and do sample books that are as close to the “real” book you’re planning. That’s the best advise I can offer.
One note about Digilabs. I don’t know what paper / printer they used, but it had a distinct “photo quality” look and fairly heavy sepia tone. None of this is bad if that’s what you want; but it didn’t feel like a book to me, more like a collection of photographs that had been bound together.
Comments
Comment from Craig Nisnewitz
Time: October 26, 2007, 1:50 am
WOW!!!!!!!!!
Great job reviewing all this stuff.
I just ordered a second book from MPIX.com with just B&W, borders around the photos, etc.
I will eventually try MyPublisher and Sharedlink. I would like to see
the books when you have some time. I will bring the MPIX books for you to see.
Pingback from Jason D. Moore Photography » Blog Archive » P&P Weekly: #54
Time: October 29, 2007, 11:48 am
[…] at BeckermanPhoto.com has a review of a number of Print on Demand (POD) […]
Comment from Nitsa
Time: October 30, 2007, 4:37 pm
Dave, as far as Lulu goes, for high quality black and white, you actually need to choose the “color” option.
Comment from dave
Time: October 30, 2007, 4:51 pm
Hi Nitsa - that’s what I did when I used them. I also got magenta streaks on the first test book, and very bad magenta tinting on the second book. Maybe you’ve had better luck.
Using 4-color to print b&w is the common way of doing it; and most PODs go that route. The problem is that the printers need to be calibrated and properly cleaned; other wise you won’t consistently get neutral b&w prints.
DB
Just out of curiosity - how many b&w books did you make with them?
Comment from Nitsa
Time: October 31, 2007, 3:46 pm
I’ve got 4 black & white books printed with them (and a couple of books with both b&w and color).
Before I got my books printed someone wrote to me and said to make sure all the pictures are true black & white otherwise sepia tones for example will turn out pink.
so I kept that in mind.
for the most part I like Lulu books and so far there were no complains from people who bought these books.
but to be honest I’ve never tried any other print on demand service so maybe I just don’t know any better 
Comment from Mike C.
Time: November 15, 2007, 5:31 pm
Nice job putting this together. This has really helped me. I’m really glad you got down to the point of finding out which equipment they use. I work in the print industry so I know most of the equipment used, and the associated quality levels. It does not surprise me that the 2 highest quality vendors use the Indigo equipment, it really is the finest print on the market next to real photo media. One little picky note (or interesting fact, depending on how you look at it) is that the Indigo does not actually use ink. They just call it ink. It’s actually a dry toner suspended in a viscous liquid. The particulate size on their toner is so small that it is considered an airborne contaminant (i.e. it’s small enough that it can make it into your bloodstream if inhaled). Indigo (now HP) suspended the stuff in a liquid base to take care of this issue. Regardless, it produces beautiful prints.
Comment from dave
Time: November 15, 2007, 5:51 pm
Mike - yes. I read that later on about the Indigo “ink.”
What I tried to point out though is that unless the machines are calibrated properly and often, and unless you use some decent paper, the Indigo is capable of also giving some rotten prints.
And they’re not “as good” in terms of neutrality as a true duotone offset, but it’s about as good as it gets with POD.
Comment from Sean Harding
Time: November 27, 2007, 7:01 pm
FWIW, White House Custom Colour is doing POD books (on Indigos) now too. I haven’t used that service, but I’ve used them for a lot of photo prints, and I’ve used their Indigo printing once for greeting cards, and they’ve always done an outstanding job. It doesn’t look like they offer as many options (especially in covers) as SharedInk (who I have also used with good success), though.
Serving professional photographers is their business, so they seem to take quality seriously. I’d have high hopes for their books. It might be worth trying one.
Comment from Chris
Time: December 11, 2007, 3:44 am
I would like to have someone tell me what specific Photoshop settings they use when they place their black and white photos into one of the POD publishers like blurb. For example, do you import specific profiles, set to RGB, greyscale, duotone, or specifically what?
It seems to me that there are a lot of uninformed opinions out here, and I’d like to see some evidence that folks have some specific information that might be useful. The table above is not useful, as the publisher did not specifically offer his method of how he exactly compared books.
Comment from dave
Time: December 11, 2007, 6:26 am
Each POD tells you the format that they want the files in.
Most are either Adobe RGB or sRGB. VioVio suggested grayscale jpgs.
Some give you profiles that you can use to softproof your images - but most don’t.
In my own case — all the files began as grayscale film scans from b&w negatives. They are converted to Adobe RGB and pretty much stay as RGB through the process.
The first issue is that you can use the same file with the same publisher (blurb for example) and get different results each time. The first Blurb book had a lot of magenta in the prints; the same files uploaded again (Adobe RGB) had a greenish cast.
VioVio suggested grayscale jpgs - which it is true had no color cast - but also had a short tonal scale. Detail was lost in the shadow and highlight areas.
All warned against sending files in CMYK format.
I offer this as my own experience - where I follow the directions offered by the POD and tell what my results were. If you would like to test this - pick your POD - follow their directions - and see how your results are over a series of at least two separate book printings.
SharedInk gave me the most consistent results between books. They were given Adobe RGB files, the same ones that were given to most other publishers.
There are a few that will accept PDF files as well. Given all that - it should be noted that if they are using Indigo (toner in ink) - if you give them an RGB file - there is going to be some color shift depending on the light source used to view the images.
What I was looking for was consistency between prints - and as neutral a b&w print given that this was done with four inks - as possible.
If you’ve had better or different results - then let me know how you accomplished it - be glad to hear about it.
Dave
Comment from Nancy
Time: January 12, 2008, 5:36 pm
Thank you for the excellent advice. I was completely unable to register with Blurb or to download their software. Nor could I get anyone from customer service to help me. Now I am glad I didn’t waste time or money on it. I just need to calibrate my monitor and will be ready to go.
Comment from Jeff
Time: February 25, 2008, 9:28 pm
Thanks for the incredible post! I just came across your blog while researching photo-based POD books. I didn’t even know about SharedInk. But that’s now going high my list.
Comment from dave
Time: March 10, 2008, 3:51 pm
many thanks dave, I will be looking into sharedink straight away !! really appreciate all this great advice
Comment from Emir Shabashvili
Time: April 16, 2008, 9:17 am
Hello Dave,
I liked your review, many thanks!
Do you mind if I translate it into Russian for my blog http://amirko.livejournal.com and also for POD-related community I have recently created for (few of) my Russian friends at http://darkslide.livejournal.com ?
I have my own POD history with lulu/mypublisher/blurb/shutterfly etc but yours is much more extensive.
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Time: April 17, 2008, 4:34 am
[…] the heels of my question of where to get a 8.5×8.5 inch PDF published, comes Dave Beckerman’s post about experience with different POD book publishers. Despite his so-so experience with them, and despite their warnings about Scribus, I think I am […]
Comment from Gordon McGregor
Time: April 17, 2008, 8:33 am
FWIW, Blurb assume everything they get is sRGB and assign (not convert) files to that space. So if you upload AdobeRGB you’ll get some odd shifts and generally poor results.
Comment from Walter
Time: June 16, 2008, 3:31 pm
Thanks for the great info! Whatever happened to the Picaboo photo book/order? Also has your recommendations changed since your last review? Thanks!
Comment from dave
Time: June 16, 2008, 4:06 pm
Picaboo was more expensive than MyPublisher. Also - I didn’t like the “cut-out” in the cover. They do offer a laminated cover - even more expensive.
My recommendation for price / quality is MyPublisher. If cost is no object - than SharedInk.com
Especially recommended: the Deluxe MyPublisher Book. Large 11.5 x 15 and heavier paper - this makes a great impression. — Dave
Comment from Walter
Time: June 17, 2008, 4:17 pm
Thanks Dave. My wife and I want the best quality that is ever lasting along with great options. I reviewed Picaboo as you suggested above which seemed to have a lot of options (covers, creative backgrounds, book ideas, et cetera) vs. MyPublisher. But the reviews on SharedInk.com were great. Did SharedInk.com have similar creative options as Picaboo and MyPublisher? Please help us decide b/c we are ready to rock ‘n’ roll? Thanks again and sorry if my questions are repetitive.
Comment from dave
Time: June 17, 2008, 4:42 pm
Walter. SharedInk does not have the downloadable software, backgrounds etc. of Picaboo. You need to prepare each jpg in photoshop and know what you’re doing, and upload and arrange them on the site.
Picaboo has the most backgrounds, special layouts etc. but the cost is more than MyPublisher; plus there were a couple of ink splatters in my book. Yes, they would have replaced it. But so far, MyPublisher has been the best compromise. They’ve replaced one book that was faulty (right away without shipping charges); and their software, though it doesn’t have as many options as Picaboo — is sufficient - especially if you do a few pages in photoshop and then put them into MyPublisher software.
My advice is to use MyPublisher - and maybe just do a small hardcover first to get the idea. Then move up and spring for the Deluxe version. I’m at a point where I have a lot of confidence in them. Turnaround time for me has been very fast. I’ve done about 20 copies of the small and the deluxe books and I just don’t think you can beat them for price / quality.
You need to know what you’re doing. i.e. Your computer should be calibrated. You should only give them Adobe RGB files. All of this is in their help section. Don’t expect your first one to be perfect.
On Father’s day, I gave my dad a copy of my Central Park Portrait deluxe version. It was passed around through many hands - all with oohs and ahs. It took me about a month to produce the book in its final version.
In short - give them a test run; and don’t go crazy with the first one. Keep the page numbers low and see this as a process.
Good luck! DB
Comment from Brandon Price
Time: October 25, 2007, 12:33 pm
Thanks so much for all the work you put into this! This, plus the review from cheekygrin.wordpress.com has meant a whole lot to me. (What’s frustrating though is that he was not as impressed with MyPublisher as you are.)
This was a great experiment, and it would be awesome to get some screen shots of your books.