- Size Options: The printer accommodates a range of sizes from a postcard up to 13x19 inches, which should cover most of the sizes needed for photobook projects.
- Colour Profiles Availability: Many paper companies provide colour profiles for their products, allowing you to print with accurate colours tailored for specific papers.
A useful tip for those embarking on this printing journey: always calibrate your printer's colour settings. This ensures the print output matches the vibrancy and tone of your display, which is vital for maintaining consistency across different media. This calibration is particularly important when considering the type of paper used, as each can influence the final colour output significantly.
Could this be the topic of the next article? Fine-tuning your printer to achieve the best possible reproduction of your photographic work is an art in itself. Stay tuned as we explore the intricacies of print fidelity and colour management.
There are two primary ways to print your photozines/books: offset printing and digital printing. Each has its own general pros and cons:
Offset Printing
Pros:
- High-quality images and precision.
- Cost-effective for large volumes.
- Versatile across various materials.
Cons:
- Higher setup time and cost.
- Difficult and expensive to make changes.
- Longer turnaround time.
Digital Printing
Pros:
- Fast turnaround.
- Economical for small to medium quantities.
- Allows for easy customization of each print.
- Delivers good quality for most applications.
Cons:
- Higher cost per unit for large volumes.
- Limited to standard paper sizes and types.
- Less accurate colour matching than offset.
Offset printing becomes the preferred method when you require more than 500 copies, offering higher quality printing. As of 2024, you might need a budget of around $5,000 or higher to print your photobooks with offset printing, estimating about $10 per copy. Conversely, digital printing suits smaller quantities, even just one copy, with decent quality printing, estimated at about $20 per copy.
My strategy is to use digital printing for dummy books and small volume distribution to evaluate if the project warrants bigger production. Most photobook makers prefer offset printing for its quality but are often constrained by budget. Funding or support might be necessary, such as winning a photobook dummy contest, grants, or securing a contract with publishers. Even if budget is not an issue, digital printing is useful for refining your work before committing to offset printing.
For digital printing, there are three main options: local printing shops, online printing services, and printing at home, each with its pros and cons:
Online Printing Service
Pros:
- Convenient and accessible from anywhere.
- Some customization options are available, though standard sizes predominate.
- Often more affordable due to scale.
- Allows for easy price and service comparison.
Cons:
- Less personalized customer service, including limited sizes.
- Involves additional shipping time and costs.
- Risk of quality not meeting expectations without physical proofs.
I recommend starting with an online printing service for its accessibility and convenience. This approach allows you to use free and easy design software and order from your PC or even your phone at home. While concerns about print quality and limited size options are valid, remember that controlling print quality is challenging, and there are limitations with offset printing as well. Making photobooks, like other art processes, involves compromises between what you imagine and the reality. Sometimes, utilizing limitations can help you discover creative solutions for your projects.
Before moving on to more customized options like colour proofing and custom sizes available at a local printing shop or printing at home, check if your selections and sequencing work in book form with an online printing service. Some argue that photobooks made through online printing services like Blurb are inherently inferior, but I disagree. Whether a method works for your project is what matters most. If you're satisfied with the results from an online service, you might not need to navigate the complexities of using local shops or printing at home.
Local Printing Shop
Pros:
- Offers more personalized service, including custom sizes and direct communication.
- Ability to review physical proofs or samples.
- Supports the local economy.
- Quick turnaround.
Cons:
- May be more expensive due to overhead costs.
- Limited technology or material options.
- Requires visits to the shop.
If you still wish to adjust colours and customize sizes, the next step would be to use local printing shops. This involves creating a PDF file on your own, with Adobe InDesign being a popular choice. Although InDesign is not free and can be complex to use compared to design software provided by online printing services, the learning curve for the necessary functions in a photobook project is not steep. In InDesign, you essentially need to learn how to place photos on pages and export the file as a PDF for printing.
My strategy for using a local printing shop includes printing only one copy of your book first. This allows you to see what improvements are needed. Even though printing a single copy at a local shop may be more expensive than using an online service, consider this cost as an investment in personal lessons. This initial copy is also beneficial for discussions with staff on how to technically enhance your book.
Consider your photobook like a smartphone operating system. Print one copy of your photobook as version 1.0. Identify issues and make improvements for the next version. Then, you might print three copies of your photobook's next version to share with friends for their feedback. Gradually, you can increase the number of copies for wider distribution, more feedback, and possibly selling.
Printing at Home
Pros:
- Immediate access to prints.
- Complete control over the printing process, including size, within the limits of the printer.
- Potentially cost-effective for very small runs.
Cons:
- Limited by home printer quality and paper size.
- High costs for ink and quality paper.
- Requires technical skill for professional results.
The final option for printing photobooks is using a home printer. It's important to recognize that home printers are not typically designed for book printing, which means there will be costs for maintenance and a learning curve to effectively use the printer for photobook projects. If you find that the frequency of your printing projects justifies the cost and time investment, then using a home printer for your photobook project could be a sensible decision.
Continuing with the theme of digital printing at home, one might consider the best equipment for the job. Having navigated this landscape personally, I've found a reliable partner in the Canon Pixma Pro-100. This printer has been a dependable tool for about six years, proving its worth in producing photobooks, particularly photozines in limited runs of about ten copies. Regrettably, this model has been discontinued, making it quite challenging to acquire one. Nonetheless, the following are some of its attributes that you may find beneficial when choosing a home printer for your photobook projects:
- Decent Printing Quality: The Canon Pixma Pro-100 can closely reproduce what you see on your monitor, effectively bridging the gap between digital and print.
- Cost-Effectiveness with Third-Party Inks: While genuine inks carry a high cost, the quality of third-party inks can vary significantly. I found PrecisionColour to be a compatible and reliable option for the Pro-100, which is an important consideration for maintaining quality without the expense of official inks.
- Size Options: The printer accommodates a range of sizes from a postcard up to 13x19 inches, which should cover most of the sizes needed for photobook projects.
- Colour Profiles Availability: Many paper companies provide colour profiles for their products, allowing you to print with accurate colours tailored for specific papers.
A useful tip for those embarking on this printing journey: always calibrate your printer's colour settings. This ensures the print output matches the vibrancy and tone of your display, which is vital for maintaining consistency across different media. This calibration is particularly important when considering the type of paper used, as each can influence the final colour output significantly.
Could this be the topic of the next article? Fine-tuning your printer to achieve the best possible reproduction of your photographic work is an art in itself. Stay tuned as we explore the intricacies of print fidelity and colour management.