I Got My Spiral-bound iPhoto Book From My Trip to Tuscany and….
…..I was surprised how much, in person, it looks like a calendar. I thought the sprial binding would be cool, especially because the photo book would sit nice and flat, but I have to tell you, most everyone that saw it made the mention that it kind of looks like a calendar.
On screen it really didn’t have that feel, but it really did in person. That being said; the print job was just great, and the paper was very nice and thick and really reproduced the photos well, but at the end of the day, I think I’ll reorder it as a standard softcover book (by the way; I much prefer the soft-cover books to the hard cover ones. They have a much less “consumery feel” to them).
So, that’s my first take on the spiral bound Apple iPhoto books. They have their advantages, but I just can’t get past that “it looks like a calendar rather than a photo book” thing.
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your feedback and constant post about what works. I guess this is where it depends on what you want to do. Sometimes I show clients pictures and love the “lay flat” style of the spiral, although I love the books in other formats for personal uses. Keep the reviews coming as I always get a bunch out of them and can alway make a better informed buying decision. I am absolutely in love with several accessories you’ve recommended and more importantly, they’ve really helped me be a better photographer
I look forward to meeting you at PSW in Vegas.
hi scott,
i have had the exact same experience. for a portfolio they might be alright, being flat open, but as a photo book they indeed have a “calendar feel”. i’ve tried them, but for clients on a budget, the apple softcover books are nice. having said that, they still don’t come close to the books from asuka.
Hi Scott,
Have to agree with you here, spiral binding has always been cheap, and no matter how good you print it will still look cheap, I actually have a calendar on my desktop and it is spiral binding!
Asuka is the best I have used so far, Taiwanese companies here try to copy but don’t even come close.
Good luck!
Nico
Scott, Do you think maybe the quantity of pages and its dimensions contribute to the calendar feel? I wonder if the book was fairly thick if you would still feel that way.
Scott,
Thanks for the feeedback. I’m getting ready to order a few more travel books and I totally appreciate someones comments whose had the book in their hands and not just seen it on a screen. I also like the feel of the apple books but find the layout a little restrictive. Do you have any other companies you like to use for books?
Scott,
What happened to your original cover design (as seen in your mockup) that spread across the front and back, with full bleed?
Ciao Scott,
I know you did it for aesthetic purposes but you should capitalize the name of my country (Italy not “italy”).
Love your work!
Dare I say? I hope you don’t mind Scott, but now my attention has been drawn to it, I don’t think it even looks right aesthetically, particularly as you have Tuscany beginning with a capital. Only a minor criticism though and I much admire your work too.
Millers has some lay flat books that are not spiral.. http://www.millerslab.com/info/products/press/books/layflatbooks.aspx
Millers own MPix
Really useful as always. Thanks. A question – what are delivery times like in the States. Over here in the UK they are pretty miserable. Doubly frustrating as much of the time elapses after the ‘your book has been shipped’ message has been sent.
I find Spiral bind works really well for technical books. I produce a Database application & the User Guide is printed Spiral which makes it easy for the user to use (sic) as the book is 300 pages. The spiral allows you to put it down without using a placeholder.
For ’showpiece’ books they should always be perfect bound.
derek
I am wondering why you have a capital T (the second letter of Italy) and and a lower case i (the first letter of Italy). Did you make the Typo, or did Apple?
Hi DigiMike:
I typed the whole thing in all lowercase, and that’s how the typeface appears. I like it.
-Scott
And that’s all that matters.
Wish I could see the book in person.
Scott,
Why do my Apple books always print dark? I raised the Gamma and did a preview, which looked OK, but the printed book is always dark.
My monitor is calibrated using an eye- one.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you. George Place
After seeing Scott’s photo book of his last trip I put my wedding photos into a book (using the P22 cezanne font – love it) and noticed that the last 10 pages or so of the book were dark. The first 30 were great but they got dark after that. I went back and checked the photographers prints and digital copies and they were all fine. I am also wondering if anyone else has had problems with apple printing dark.
I’ve had several problems with photos in books being returned too dark. Its apparently caused by the four colour printing process, and is most pronounced on photos which have low contrast (e.g. grey skies and dull colours). To correct it you have to adjust the light levels or ‘exposure’ of each photo in iPhoto before submitting the book for printing. It is very frustrating. How can you judge this when it looks perfect on the screen? I have received a book just today, and the same issue has arisen on certain pictures, despite being perfectly processed from RAW.
Thanks for the update on the spiral look Scott. I am just about to do my next photo book (okay I have been saying that for a year) and thought the spiral might be the answer. I’ll go with soft cover and I hate to say it but better you than me figuring this all out! I really appreciate the updates on this stuff!