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Home: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers:
Best place to go to create a coffee table book?

szerangue
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Jan 27, 2007, 7:42 PM

Post #1 of 18 (995 views)
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Best place to go to create a coffee table book?	Can't Post

I want to give my wife a coffee table book of our little boys 1st year for Mother's Day. I talked Lance from Pixel Pops and they offer one (and are looking for dealers) they were ok but I can't find them on the website. Anyone have any good ideas of where I can go to create one of these?
Miracle Pictures
"If it's a good picture, it's a Miracle!"

"Life Productions, coming out of the dark, into the light"
4EVER GROUP AFFILIATE

Scott Brooks
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Jan 27, 2007, 8:22 PM

Post #2 of 18 (992 views)
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Re: [szerangue] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Perfect for what you're looking for.

www.sharedink.com

John K.
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Jan 27, 2007, 8:34 PM

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Re: [szerangue] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

http://www.photoworks.com/...=web2&guest=true

John

szerangue
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Jan 27, 2007, 8:44 PM

Post #4 of 18 (984 views)
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Re: [szerangue] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks guys, thats very helpful
Miracle Pictures
"If it's a good picture, it's a Miracle!"

"Life Productions, coming out of the dark, into the light"
4EVER GROUP AFFILIATE

RustyB
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Jan 27, 2007, 9:39 PM

Post #5 of 18 (983 views)
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Re: [szerangue] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I'm putting a photo book together right now, and it will be in my "bookstore" soon at:

http://www.blurb.com/user/faithpoison

The Blurb application is loaded locally on your computer, and is simple enough a monkey could use it.

Blurb is one of the most exciting things I've seen come out of the internet. Essentially, FREE book publishing! Once I get out of the wedding video business, my shelves will soon be filled worth the mindless late night drunken rantings of RustyB...in hardcover. Cool

Faith Poison Wedding Films Blog
Intergalactic Award-Winning Epic-Cinematic Wedding New-Doc Style Indie Bridal Movies on Hi-Definition Blu-Ray Disc

Colvin ADTR
Enthusiast

Jan 28, 2007, 12:28 AM

Post #6 of 18 (972 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Reserve me one of each but I want mine signed by the author.

Jenn M
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Jan 28, 2007, 12:44 PM

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Re: [Sparky] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

How do you like the linen cover on the shared ink? I got one w/ Photo Works and didn't really care for it - seems to collect dust. I like the hard photo cover, much easier to keep clean and looks like a 'real' book you might find in a book store. Maybe the Shared Ink linen is better...?

PS Do they print their name in it - that's my one beef w/ Photo Works.

(This post was edited by Jenn M on Jan 28, 2007, 12:44 PM)

Jenn M
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Jan 28, 2007, 12:46 PM

Post #8 of 18 (939 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I'm interested in trying the hardcover from them. But I can tell you - don't waste your time/money on the soft cover. The binding was aweful. Seemed like it would tear apart the very first time we opened the book.

DarrenS
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Jan 28, 2007, 12:56 PM

Post #9 of 18 (936 views)
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Re: [Sparky] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

lol...when I look at that url I see 'share dink'. Laugh

Scott Brooks
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Jan 28, 2007, 9:08 PM

Post #10 of 18 (901 views)
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Re: [Jenn M] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Shared Ink has a photographers program that has a one time cost. I forget what the various benefits are, but I know that one is that you can do full bleed pages. And in my albums ... no mention of SI anywhere. I don't know if it's that way or not if you're not in their program.

I believe they also have a thirty day trial program, so there's no reason you couldn't sign up and do a quick album for someone.

I have no problem with my linen books. I don't get anything with a photo on the cover. I also got one of their leather books and I liked that as well.

When all is said and done ... probably going to use SI as an engagement/guest book for guests to sign at the ceremony. No one has taken it as a regular album, but I do know of some photographers that use them regularly for people on a budget. Thing is ... once they see the VA they don't care for anything else. Wink

DarrenS
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Jan 29, 2007, 5:37 AM

Post #11 of 18 (890 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Blurb must be decent as the Leica users group uses them for their yearbook (186 pages). Them Leica lovers tend to be pretty fussy in my experience.

Postal Boy
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Jan 30, 2007, 4:58 PM

Post #12 of 18 (851 views)
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Re: [DarrenS] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Picaboo does cheap books....but when I say cheap, I mean "you get what you pay for."

I have had 3 made. The first was cropped in a way they didn't bother to tell us, but they did a reprint after I adjusted the images and it turned out quite nice.

The third one just arrived today and I haven't seen it, but my wife says that the registration was off so the images look "soft" and there is a little bit of a "double vision" or halo around the subjects.

I will check up on it when I get home, but so far they are shooting 1 out of 3. Mad

DarrenS
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Jan 30, 2007, 5:18 PM

Post #13 of 18 (850 views)
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Re: [Postal Boy] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Ya I'm not liking this idea of 'cheap' very much. I'd happily pay $50 for a good quality book. If they're sexy there'd be no problem getting a buck and a half for them to brides, maybe two hundred or more. I'm in talks with blurb right now and the vp of operations has assured me their quality is excellent provided I have more than 40 pages. Apparently the sweet spot starts at 40 pages because it's hard to bind with any less. He said if I'm not happy he'll refund all my money, however.

Shadow
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Jan 30, 2007, 6:39 PM

Post #14 of 18 (841 views)
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Re: [szerangue] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Try these:

http://asukabook.com/...ookboundex-hard.html

http://www.graphistudio.com/

DarrenS
Veteran

Jan 30, 2007, 10:33 PM

Post #15 of 18 (831 views)
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Re: [Shadow] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Oh those are niiiice. Hope they're not branded. Thanks!

Shadow
Veteran

Feb 2, 2007, 1:54 AM

Post #16 of 18 (767 views)
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Re: [DarrenS] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Silvanos has them too - they have 800 templates or something? I called them about it today, they have good service. I even saw Henrys online photo has a version of their own. Waaayyy cheper but the templates are very limited.

I bought one of those "Epson Story Book" kits from the camera store (Henrys) what a load of junk, it made me curse Epson (as if owning an R200 didn't make me do that already).

I've just bought a couple of photography albums from the photographic supply wholesaler. Between the albums, inserts, mats and photos, I've lost count how many hundreds of dollars I spent on it. I love it though!

RustyB
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Feb 2, 2007, 2:30 AM

Post #17 of 18 (764 views)
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Re: [Shadow] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

..Between the albums, inserts, mats and photos, I've lost count how many hundreds of dollars I spent on it. I love it though!

That's what I'm digging about these new online book publishing sites (i.e. blurb), and what has me wanting to get another digital camera. I like the vintage look of traditional albums and it's fun to shoot film, and anxiously await processing/printing to see what you got. But with the cost of these coffee table books being so cheap, and the ability to share them online and let friends/family/customers get copies for themselves, I can't wait to get another DSLR. I'm gonna save my expensive film projects for other stuff, and make traditional albums just for my own coffee table. Plus, publishing a photo book on Blurb takes about 2 seconds using the BookSmart software on your computer.

I need to find an album supply shop around here. The photography stores I've been in nearby don't have much but a bunch of unorganized, overpriced, junk. Heck, the chain photo store, Ritz/Wolf camera, don't even really carry film anymore! I asked the young girl at the counter if she carried a specific brand/speed of film, and she looked at me like a dog looks at you when you fart on it's head. She just pointed at a little shelf on the wall, where there was a few old dusty boxes of "trial size" film rolls. Wolf/Ritz sucks anyways. Laugh

Faith Poison Wedding Films Blog
Intergalactic Award-Winning Epic-Cinematic Wedding New-Doc Style Indie Bridal Movies on Hi-Definition Blu-Ray Disc

Shadow
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Feb 2, 2007, 2:36 AM

Post #18 of 18 (761 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Best place to go to create a coffee table book? [In reply to]	Can't Post

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... and she looked at me like a dog looks at you when you fart on it's head. ..

I'm going to pair you up with my big butt dog.

As for the albums, the place where I got mine from has these really beautiful albums, but just the album cover is over $100, let alone any inserts, mats and photos.

I'm up late again printing off more photos for my album. I now have 12 pages of 8x10, 12 pages with 4 3.5x5 photos and a few extra 8x10 pages I snagged from my bridal display album.
If it weren't so heavy I'd cart this thing around and show it to everyone "look what I made".