Wall Clings 25% Off at Wallhogs!

If you've been on the fence about buying a wall cling for Christmas this year, Wallhogs is doing their best to make your decision easier. Now through November 30, every order is 25% off! Get your order in early, beat the rush, and save a bundle! Buy from Wallhogs now!

Full Disclosure: When you buy your wall cling from Wallhogs by clicking through the link above, you help support the Photo Freedom blog. So please click away!

Platinum Printing

I recently received a promotional e-mail from a studio that is hosting a show for a photographer who creates his own platinum prints. I had not heard of platinum prints previously, so I did a bit of research to find out more. Turns out platinum prints are one of the longest-lasting, most-collectible methods of printing photos that exists.

I've yet to see a platinum print in person, but I did find a great web site that serves as an awesome introduction to this methodology - and includes a bibliography if you're interested in doing more research on your own. That web site is Joe Lipka's "Guide to Platinum Printing." Thanks for posting, Joe!

Wallhogs Offers Free 12" Minihogs

Big news. Through November 26th, Wallhogs is offering two free 12" minihog vinyl wall clings when you buy a full-size wallhog. All three hogs must be of the same image, but you can stick the minihogs on your car or bathroom mirror after you stick the larger hog on your kid's wall. It's a great deal! Order your vinyl wall art from Wallhogs soon - deadlines for Christmas delivery are coming up fast!

Full Disclosure: When you buy your wall cling from Wallhogs by clicking through one of the links above, you help support the Photo Freedom blog. So please click away!

Print Your Photo on an Alloy Box

You may have read my earlier post re: printing on metal. Given the price commodities took there for a while, I never actually took the plunge - I didn't have a photo I felt worthy of the $100+ it was probably going to cost.

Tonight, I found another interesting option. At the Print Lounge, you can print a photo on an alloy box. Basically, they take a piece of metal, print your image, and then bend the edges to form a box that stands off the wall. The examples look great. Prices are in GBP - Print Lounge is located in the UK.

Does anyone know of an American version of this? It looks pretty cool!

Update: Make Your Own Wall Cling

I've recently updated my popular "Make Your Own Wall Cling" post to include two additional wall cling printers - Jumbo Sticky Pics and Mpix. I've also re-organized the post to make it easier for you to review the list of custom wall cling printers that I've identified. If you know of other printers that should be added to the list, just let me know! Read the updated "Make Your Own Wall Cling" post.

Guy Kawasaki Buys a Canvas Print

I'm a huge fan of Guy Kawasaki and his work on entrepreneurship and startups. In addition to his main blog (How to Change the World), I've been following Guys' random blog on Posterous. Recently, he blogged on a pop-art style canvas from canvasondemand.com that he had made of him and his family. You can read about it (and see an image of the canvas) here: Fabulous family "painting" from Canvasondemand.com - Holy Kaw! (as in "Holy Cow!")

Get Creative When Making Your Own Wall Cling

When folks think about creating their own wall cling using one of the variety of printers out there, they're often envisioning the classic oversize sports figure cling that will go on the wall of junior's room (you can buy these from companies like Wallhogs). That's awesome, but there's much more to consider if you get creative.

This month's InFocus newsletter from LexJet profiles Garry Burelison, owner of Century Imaging & Graphics in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is growing his business by offering photo products beyond the typical professional portrait, including photo wall murals that you can simply stick to the wall. You don't have to be a professional to get this effect - just pick a handful of your favorite photos, combine them in Photoshop or Elements, and upload them to Wallhogs or one of the other wall cling printers out there. I suggest you use a vendor who prints on Photo Tex, as this media seems to have the best 'restickability' - in case you decide you want to take the photo mural down someday. Contrast this with a typical wallpaper border that you buy at Lowe's or Home Depot - it's semi-permanent (if you apply it right) and uses some generic design that means nothing to you personally. I think this is a compelling idea that deserves your consideration. If you do this (or have already done it), I'd love to see some photos of your results. I'll post them here on Photo Freedom.

The other day, I also read a blog post on Wonderful Graffiti - a site where you can type in your own quote, select embellishments, and have the whole thing printed out on self-stick vinyl. Their web site is top-notch - with prices to match.

Since then, I've found a variety of vendors who offer a similar service (the image at right is from Wise Decor):

• Quote the Walls
• Words for Your Walls
• Vinyl Inspirations
• Wise Decor
• Written Decor
• Express Your Walls
• Enchanting Quotes
• Vinylisms

Most of these vendors allow you to choose from a list of pre-packaged popular quotes or give an option to create your own quote using the font face, size, and color that you prefer. If you find that the options available on these sites don't match your creativity (maybe they don't offer the font you want, for instance), why not create your own quote locally using Photoshop or Elements and upload it to one of the wall cling printers? This approach gives you complete control over the creative process. I'd suggest you pick a quote site listed above and compare it to a create-your-own wall cling site like Wallhogs and then go with whichever site offers the features you need at the best price point.

Happy printing!

Full Disclosure: When you buy your wall cling from Wallhogs by clicking through one of the links above, you help support the Photo Freedom blog. So please click away!

Print Your Photo on M&Ms!

You probably already know that Mars - the makers of M&Ms candy - now allows you to purchase custom M&Ms that include a short message you define. What you may not realize is that recently, Mars upped the ante by adding an option to print a photo right on the face of an M&M.

Begin by cropping the photo you intend to use in your favorite photo editing tool. I cropped mine in LightRoom:


As you'll see in the next step, you want to crop tight. Mars also recommends that your photo be bright and high contrast - backgrounds that are too busy or backlit (like my original) may not turn out the greatest. I used LightRoom 2's new burning and dodging tool to increase the exposure of my son's face before cropping.

After you crop and save your image, upload it at M&M's custom candy creation site. You can pick up to 3 colors, upload 1 or 2 images and specify from 1 to 3 custom messages you want printed on your M&Ms. Be aware that the more messages you specify, the fewer M&Ms will contain your uploaded photo.

After you upload your image, you'll have a chance to zoom in or out to fill the face of your M&M:


Mars did a nice job here - the process is simple and intuitive. As you can see, by cropping the image prior to upload I didn't have any problem getting my son's face to fill the entire M&M 'window'. If you're uploading a photo of a couple (an engagement photo, for instance), Mars recommends that they be cheek-to-cheek to ensure you can fit them on the 1 centimeter M&M canvas (roughly 1/2 the width of a dime).

After you've saved your modifications, the Personalized M&Ms wizard shows you the results of your labor:


Notice that the portrayal of your custom M&M is not what you'll see on the finished product: expect a line-art rendition printed using black food coloring. Even so, the fact that Mars has opened up this option to the consumer is flat-out cool. So if you have a spare $40 bones burning a hole in your wallet (you'll get three 7oz bags for that price), consider the reaction you'll get when you break these babies out at your kid's next birthday party. Of course, for $40, you might not let anyone eat them. How long do M&Ms last, anyway?

Cash Back on Adobe Lightroom 2!

I've just upgraded to Lightroom v2, and I want to share some strategies I used to get the upgrade for a very reasonable $80.

1. Sign up for an Ebates account. When you buy through the Ebates web site, you'll automatically get 6% cash back on your Adobe purchase. After you sign up (no cost), all you'll do is find and click the Adobe link at the Ebates web site. This will create a 'tracking number' that is associated with your purchase at the Adobe store, which will be loaded automatically.
2. After you add the Lightroom v2 upgrade to your shopping cart, use promotional code PIA06 to take $15 off the $99 list price. [This promo code may expire - it was working when I purchased my copy 8/28/08.]

That's it! You can also try this if you're buying the full version - I know the 6% cash back will work in that scenario, but I'm not sure about the promo code...

I'm a huge fan of Ebates. Once you get started saving through their site, it will become second nature to check there before making any of your online purchases. I've been rebated almost $170 since I signed up a couple of years ago - and all I have to do is click a link before I start shopping.

Hope this helps you save a few bucks on a must-have upgrade!

Compare photo book publishers at fotobookreview.com

If you've ever spent hours surfing the web to determine the best place to print a photo book, I've got good news. After months of early morning work with a couple of buddies, our new photo book review web site is finally up.

We decided that the web needed a single site where you can go to get the goods on multiple photo book printers. Instead of visiting site after site to compare available sizes, cover styles, and prices, you can now visit fotobookreview.com to find and compare photo book publishers and get all this information quickly and easily.

I've been horribly irregular in my posting to this blog, but I hope the work we've been doing over these past several months to help out the scrapbooking and photo book community will buy me a pass. Visit the site, have a look around, and let me know what you think.

We're constantly looking for great ideas to enhance the site, so be sure to pass along any suggestions you might have. Enjoy!

Print Received from MyPhotoPipe

I received my print from MyPhotoPipe and, as promised, I'm posting to give my feedback on the quality of their output.

First, let me say that I received the print quickly - I've just been lax in writing this post. Their turnaround time was great - especially considering that I'm in Montana and they are in Atlanta.

As far as print quality - I am very impressed. As you can see in my earlier post, I picked a black background for three 8x10 photos of my kids. Labs of lower quality sometimes have trouble with large areas of black like this - streaks and the like serve to make it a risky design move. MyPhotoPipe pulled it off without a hitch - it looks great. A friend at work pointed out that the photos were oversaturated and too red, but I blame myself for that as the images are faithful to the ones I uploaded. For an extra fee per photo, I could have had MyPhotoPipe color balance the images for me, but I'm getting just experienced enough with color now to decide I want to call the shots.

My initial thought was to dry-mount the print once I received it. I changed my mind on this after receiving the print. Because I chose a matte finish on photo rag paper, I determined that the print would be prone to smudges and other damage if I didn't protect it. So instead of taking it to a local shop to have it laminated prior to a dry-mount, I decided to trek down to Michaels to buy a standard size frame.

My wife loves the finished product and it's now ready to hang. If only I could find some free wall space...

Multi-Photo Templates from MyPhotoPipe

It's been a few months since I've ordered prints, so tonight I decided to scratch that itch in a big way.

First, I ordered one of my own canvas prints from Imagekind - I'll be donating it to my kids' school for an upcoming auction. This will be the second time I've donated a canvas for a school auction - the first auction went well, and I'm hoping this one has similar results.

Second, I decided to try out MyPhotoPipe.com - they're an Atlanta-based outfit that positions themselves as "The online print lab for serious digital photographers nationwide." No mouse pads. No mugs. No t-shirts. Just prints - high-quality prints.

Intrigued by their singular strategy (falling revenues have forced so many other photo labs down the path of the 'trinket') and positive reviews, I downloaded their ROES software to give them a shot.

In spite of the fact that "ROES" as a product name has to be right up there with some of the all-time stinkers, the software itself seemed powerful and worked well. That is not to say that the software was particularly intuitive. The beginner may find this software a bit challenging to install (it's written in Java and there's no guarantee your computer will support Java without a separate download); unfortunately, it's also not tremendously easy to use. Nevertheless, MyPhotoPipe provides several pointers and even a video on their web site to help you through the process.

Once I got the hang of the software and managed to locate the right template in the product catalog, I laid out a 12x36 (3-up) print of my kids in fairly short order.

With a 20% off coupon that MyPhotoPipe provides to new users, the price for this print came to just under $50 - including shipping. Not bad considering that the print is on high-quality paper (Hahnemuhle Photo Rag). I might have preferred a pearl over the photo rag, but it did not appear that the multi-photo templates offered that option. I plan to dry mount the print when it arrives.

I'm now anxiously awaiting the arrival of both projects - I'll post my thoughts on MyPhotoPipe once I receive the shipment. If you have experience with them and would like to weigh in, please feel free to post a comment!

Kustom Kleenex...

So here's a topic I didn't see coming - you can now create your own personalized Kleenex box. That's right - at http://www.mykleenextissue.com, you can upload your own photo(s) and use them to decorate a cardboard tissue box that the fine folks at Kleenex will manufacture and send out to your home. It'll set you back a five-spot, but you can augment your design with frames, clip art, and text using a slick interface on their Web site. You can even choose the color for the top of the Kleenex box! What could be better?

Sure, it's a little cheesy - and certainly more expensive than just buying your Kleenex off the shelf at the local grocery store. But if you can create custom M&M's, why not custom Kleenex?

Now, if they only let you print images on the tissues themselves...

Your Print on a Window Shade?

The latest In Focus newsletter from LexJet includes an article on creating roller shades from your favorite print. The Color I, an Anacortes, Washington-based studio, pioneered the technique, printing a wide-format scenic image on water-resistant cloth and then fashioning the fabric into a shade. The results look interesting, and I find it intriguing to consider reclaiming for artwork the wall space previously lost to windows.

If you'd like The Color I to handle printing and assembly, you have the option of either using an image you select from their stock photography library or uploading your own image (they'll provide a cost estimate after reviewing your image and size requirements).

Prices vary by window size (a 34"x55" shade is $275); this price doesn't seem extravagant considering you're talking about a one-of-a-kind shade and a heck of a cool idea.

At one point, the Color I had posted a helpful video to provide instruction on assembly of your own shade. This video is no longer available, but you might ask them if this option is still available. This option would work if you've got your own wide-format printer or live in a town where someone is able to print a large image on fabric for you; just buy the hardware from The Color I and make the shade yourself.

Pretty cool stuff. Check out LexJet's article and then visit The Color I's window art web page for more information.

Tintypes for the Rest of Us - Part Deux

Great news - Nifty Galoot has posted a link on his blog (and a comment on one of my posts) that points to a company where you can have an image printed on metal. The company - Booksmart Studio - offers printing on five different surfaces (Brushed Silver, Matte Silver, Satin Gold, Satin Silver, Satin White) with sizes from 8.5x11 to 20x84. You'll need to pay a few bucks extra for lamination or application of a clear coat to protect the print - without this protective layer, the image will be susceptible to scratching and/or water damage.

As anticipated, printing on metal is not inexpensive - prices start around $50 (with protective layer) and go up from there. And if you've got your eye on that 20x84, bring your checkbook: you're looking at a cool $1000 for the laminated metal print.

As for me - I'm going to take a closer look at that image I posted previously to make sure it's worthy of the 50 bucks it will take to see it on metal. I think I'll probably take the plunge - when I get the result, I'll post an update here to give you my impressions.

Gracias to Nifty Galoot for unearthing this one!

Free Shipping from Imagekind

If you've been waiting to purchase a piece of art at Imagekind, now is a great time to jump in. Through February 7th, they're offering free ground shipping on any order over $15. This includes work of your own that you upload, print, and frame. Just use promo code LOVE2008 when you check out. For a framed print, this deal could save you over $20! I'd love it if you'd consider buying one of my images (images.timleonhardt.com), but you should definitely upload one or more of your own images to check out Imagekind's quality while you can take advantage of free shipping. What are you waiting for?

Tintypes for the Rest of Us

When I used Lightroom to apply an aged, antique filter to this image of Yellowstone National Park , I started wondering if I could somehow print the image on metal to give it the look of an authentic tintype.

I searched the Web looking for tips to accomplish this and basically came up empty. Oh, there are plenty of sites out there that give you insight into creating an authentic tin type, which unfortunately involves all the hassles of applying chemicals to a piece of tin or aluminum and then exposing the plate while the chemical is still wet. I mean, it sounds awesome, but come on. Plus, I've already captured the image I'm interested in - so the authentic tintype just won't work for me. I'm looking for a method to create the 'look' of a tintype; I'm not interested in creating a real one - no matter how cool that might be.

That's when I found the Web site for Digital Tintype, an outfit that creates metal media for use in ink jet printers. Really?

Now, let me start by saying that the stuff is not cheap - in fact, an 8x10 sheet will set you back $6 each ($150 for a box of 25). I outsource all my printing - I don't even own a high-quality photo inkjet printer - so I'd like to be able to upload this photo to a vendor who is able to print it on the metal sheets offered by Digital Tintype. Unfortunately, I'm yet to locate such a vendor, and an e-mail and phone call to Digital Tintype asking for a referral have both gone unanswered.

So I'm at an impasse. I certainly can't be the only one out there who has had this idea of 'printing a tintype'. I don't want hassles (i.e., an authentic tintype process), I just want to see my image on a piece of metal - and I'm willing to pay a few bucks for the privilege. Because I don't own my own printer, I can't just order up a box of 8x10 sheets and give it the old college try - not that I'd be too excited about learning the tricks of the trade at the tune of $6/failure.

Any readers have suggestions or experience with Digital Tintype's product? Let me know and I'll post an update...

Imagekind Rocks!

After a lengthy hiatus, I'm back to blogging. I hope the New Year is treating you well.

So I've started selling images via my Imagekind gallery. Imagekind has been great to work with so far - when I purchased a handful of prints from them as a sort of quality control, I received one that included rolled dust. I returned the print and received my money back, no questions asked. Knowing that my customers will receive similar treatment is important.

I've also purchased a framed print that one of my colleagues has graciously offered to hang in her place of business. The quality of the framing was top-notch and my cost was much less than I would have paid at one of the local big-box stores - even with their 50% off coupon. Very impressed.

Last, I've just received a large canvas print (gallery wrap) that one of my co-workers purchased as an auction item for a fundraiser at her daughter's school. The stretch frame is thick and solid, hanging hardware was pre-mounted, and the print quality was great. All in all, I'm very satisfied, and so is my friend.

You don't have to set up a gallery to take advantage of Imagekind's great quality. Just upload your favorite image and then use Imagekind's tools to choose a paper, mat, frame, and glazing - all at a very competitive price. Check them out!

White Glove Photo Books with Photo Book Press

As I did research for my post on photo book publishers, I came across the Web site of Photo Book Press, a photo book publishing house based in Minneapolis. What caught my interest about Photo Book Press is the system they have developed for creating photo books.

Whereas most photo book publishers assume you're starting with a bunch of digital photos you'd like to lay out in a book, Photo Book Press takes a different strategy. If you've got stacks of printed photos and other memorabilia that you'd like to leverage to create your memory book PBP has a novel solution. Their Getting Started guide walks you through picking out the top 200 items you'd like to include in your book. After you finish culling your collection, PBP will send scanning technicians to your home to scan your images/items on-site. Although this convenience and safety comes at a premium, it is a great option if you have heirloom photos you're really not crazy about sending off-site for digitizing.

It gets better. In the next step, PBP sends you a workbook containing all your scanned images. This workbook serves as a journal of sorts - the workbook has space next to each photo for you to jot a caption, description, poem, or quote. You then return your workbook to PBP, where professional designers lay out your book and written material.

After you approve the final design, you'll choose your cover and binding. PBP then prints the books according to your specifications.

Of course, all this hand-holding doesn't come cheap. Based on a comparison chart published on Photo Book Press' Web site, you can plan on spending around $1500 for five books.

It is not clear if PBP offers their services outside of the Twin Cities - a request for additional information went unanswered. Nevertheless, I like their model and feel that PBP fills a niche for those who either can't or won't be bothered with the technical details of scanning and laying out a photo book. Let me know if you find this model compelling or overpriced...

Some Simple Thoughts on Color Management

Awareness of color management is a necessity if you intend to do anything with your photos beyond viewing them on your camera. In an earlier post, I promised I’d avoid getting overly technical in this blog. I may be nudging right up against that line in this post, so I ask you to bear with me. If you do, I’ll give you the high-level, non-technical low-down on what you need to know about color management.

What you see is not always what you get
In a nutshell, color management boils down to this: Will the image you print or see on your monitor look anything like the image you shot in the field? Obviously, we want the answer to that question to be yes – color management will help us get there.

Step 1 – You’ve got to calibrate your monitor
It may sound like a come-on to get you to buy a piece of geekware, but the fact is you’ll need a colorimeter if you intend your prints to faithfully reproduce your on-screen images. ImagingResource has a helpful monitor calibration page you can use to get an idea just how far out of whack your monitor is right now.

A good colorimeter considers ambient light in your working environment, the display capabilities of your monitor, and its own internal color standards to update the color profile used by your computer’s display adapter. If your monitor lies to you in its display of color, no amount of color balancing or white-balance adjustment in post-processing can help you. I use a Spyder2 Express – for less than $60, it does a decent job and I can use it on every PC I own. You can order it from Amazon and help support this page. You might also check out the new Spyder 3 Elite – the latest version that includes enhanced functionality (better awareness of ambient light, etc.). To help you determine the model that’s right for you, review this helpful comparison chart at the Colorvision web site.

Either way, you’ll want to keep your colorimeter handy – you’ll need to use it on a regular basis (I try to re-calibrate at least once a month). Certain displays hold their color calibration better than others – I’ve heard that CRTs actually have the upper hand over LCDs in this regard, though I’ve never confirmed that through my own research. So if you’re using an LCD or laptop, plan to re-calibrate regularly.

Step 2 – Don’t forget the lights
This was a big ‘doh!’ moment for me, although it makes perfect sense once you think about it. Depending on the coolness or warmth of the ambient light in your workspace, you’re going to face color shift when you view an image on your monitor. I’m sure you’ve encountered this when your blouse looks one color under the halogen lights in your closet and a different color once you step under the fluorescent lights in your office. You might consider minimizing this shift by getting the light in your environment as close to neutral as possible.

While I’ll spare you the gory details (George Wedding has a great article on this over at CreativePro – The Darkroom Makes a Comeback – if you’re hankering for more of the technicalities), I will say that what you’re looking for is a workspace illuminated with light around 5000K (D50 in industry parlance). Based on your needs, I’d recommend using either the SoLux Task Lamp ($110, direct) or the SoLux Color Proofing Light Kit ($195, direct) to achieve this. The Light Kit includes four D50 spots on a track; the Task Lamp is exactly what it sounds like. Either will provide the kind of bright, neutral light you need to accurately process photos in your digital darkroom.

Once your monitor is color-balanced and the light in your work environment is no longer playing tricks on you, you’re ready to start working with your printer’s color profiles (ICC).

Step 3 - Soft-proofing for fame and fortune
Now, you could just start printing and comparing the output against the image displayed on your monitor to see if the results are close. A less expensive approach is to do something called ‘soft-proofing’. The gist: given the right software, you’ll be able to tweak the display to mimic the printed result from a given printer on a given paper. This can be important when you’re outsourcing your printing to an external shop and you don’t have easy access to a test print.

If you own any version of Photoshop after version 6, you’re all set as it has the capacity to perform soft-proofing. As for me, I was pretty disappointed to discover that neither LightRoom nor Photoshop Elements provide soft-proofing support. So I did some digging and discovered another tool (this time thanks to an article published by Dry Creek Photo) that provides soft-proofing at a pretty reasonable $50. It’s called QImage, it runs on Windows, and you can find it here: http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/.

After you’ve secured a software tool that is capable of soft-proofing, you’ll need to get your hands on the color (ICC) profiles for the printer and paper to which you intend to print. If you’re self-printing to a mainstream printer (Canon, HP, Epson) using standard paper, you’ll probably be able to find these profiles online at the manufacturers’ web sites. If you’re outsourcing your printing, contact your vendor directly and request the printer profiles for their common papers and printers. I’ll skip the details of loading the ICC profile and performing the soft proof – Dry Creek Photo’s tutorial covers this pretty well.

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the ICC profiles for your target printer, you may find that the printed output looks less vibrant than the image you’re seeing on screen. This is normal – paper just isn’t able to provide the same dynamic range as a computer monitor. You may decide you need to do additional post-processing to optimize your image for the target printer based on your soft proof.

So that’s basically it – calibrate your monitor, neutralize/control the ambient light in your workspace, and soft-proof using the color profiles of your target printer and media. It sounds like a pain, but if it eliminates the frustration of getting yet another garish looking print in the mail, I for one think it’s probably worth it. Of course, the community is not entirely of one accord on this issue – Ken Rockwell, for instance, thinks all this hubbub over color management is so much ado about nothing. You should read his no-nonsense article, “Color Management is for Wimps,” to get an alternative viewpoint.

Ultimately, you must make the call based on your needs – if you’re printing a few snapshots of the kids, you’ll probably decide everything I’ve talked about in this post is serious overkill. On the other hand, if you’re outsourcing the large-format printing of 50 prints you intend to frame and sell – well, maybe you’ll be more interested in spending some time knowing that the image you’ve prepped on-screen is the one you’re going to receive in the mailing tube. Let me know what you think.

Picaboo Photo Book Coupon

Through December 16, you can use coupon code 2PDECT for 20% off any order at Picaboo. If you've gone through the trouble of downloading and installing their software, this is a good opportunity to order a book at a reduced price. If you're looking to have your photo book by Christmas, you need to order by December 14th (and choose 3-day select as your shipping option). Good luck!

Photo Book Publisher Blurb Mentioned at PopPhoto.com

You may find interesting David Schonauer's recent PopPhoto.com article on photo book publisher Blurb. In it, he describes the vision behind Blurb's creation and mentions a new social networking feature of the site where multiple artists can collaborate on a single book. David differentiates between Blurb's focus on high-end art books and the rest of the field's focus on the amateur market. This may not be entirely fair - there are several other vendors who have a reputation for high-quality, professional publications - but it's certainly a nice endorsement for Blurb's quality and service. If you're interested in reading more about other quality photo book publishers, check out my recent post where I list several.

25% Off Photo Books at Shutterfly

In keeping with my last post - Shutterfly is currently running a deal: buy one book at regular price, get 25% off additional books of the same size and style. You should also check out their Tips and Tricks section for a nice tutorial on getting the best results from your Shutterfly photo book.

Photo Books Part 4 – Ordering Your Photo Book

In my first post on photo book printing, I discussed the importance of choosing the photos you want to include and completing post-processing before starting layout. My second post dealt with what I called ‘advanced’ layout options, tools such as Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements that allow you to develop your creation starting with a blank sheet of paper. And in my last post on this topic, I described digital scrapbooking tools such as FotoFusion, a software application that provides just the right amount of handholding for the time-constrained or design-inhibited. In this post, I’ll list several vendors who can create your book for you now that you’re ready to print your pages. Bear with me – this is going to be a long one.

The vendor you choose will depend on the strategy you’ve taken toward design and layout. If you’ve laid out your pages using one of the approaches I discussed in an earlier post – such as creating a page from scratch in Photoshop Elements or using a template in FotoFusion – you’re pretty much free to choose any vendor you like. Just choose the 'one image, full bleed' option in whatever layout software you happen to be using and have at it. For best results, make sure your uploaded image is already sized appropriately for the book form factor you've selected. If this is not the case, pay close attention to how the image will be cropped (if it's too large) or scaled (if it's too small or uses an aspect ratio that is not compatible with the form factor you've selected).

If you haven’t laid out your pages on your own, you’ll want to consider the strength of each vendor’s design and layout tools when making your decision. I’ve found that it is much easier to do my layout offline – that is, using a piece of software running on my local computer – rather than attempting to do layout using a web-based piece of software. Your results may vary – that’s just my preference.

While an in-depth review of each vendor is beyond the scope of this post (there are more providers than you can imagine – just Google ‘photo book printing’), here are several vendors you may want to check out:

• MyPublisher – One of the granddaddies of photo book printing, their Bookmaker design software runs locally on Mac or PC. Check out their super-sized 15"x11.5" book if you really want to impress ($59.80 for 20 pages, Linen hardcover). MyPublisher also allows you to add a book cover for an additional fee. If you’re a Costco member, you can get a 20% discount if you download the Bookmaker software from the Costco Web site. It’s been a while since I purchased a book from MyPublisher; as I recall, print quality was decent, but I was not overly impressed with the cheapish plastic window in the front cover. I’d suggest that you definitely pony up the few extra bucks for the dust jacket they now make available.
• Shutterfly – Although Shutterfly’s book layout software is Web-based only (you must be online while using it), the fact that they offer books in the 12"x12" and 8"x8" form factors is an important distinction for the digital scrapbooker. Price for the 12"x12" is $54.99 for 20 pages; add additional pages for $1.50 (each printed side) up to 100. The layout software is decent, allowing you to apply different themes and layouts to your book on the fly. I’ve not seen a book from Shutterfly, but they seem to be rated highly on a consistent basis by those in the know.
• Lulu – Lulu is famous as a pioneer in micro-publishing; not only can you print a photo book (or novel, for that matter) at Lulu, you can also sell that book to the general public once you’ve created it. Lulu’s new Lulu Studio design software is Web-based and sports a nice Web 2.0-type interface. Like Shutterfly, you can choose from a handful of themes and page layout options, switching them on the fly to determine the best look for your book as you flesh it out. I had a few hiccups using Lulu Studio under Firefox; I had much better results when I switched to Internet Explorer 7. I haven’t personally created a Lulu photo book yet, though my understanding is that they’ve made a special effort to improve their photo book printing as of late. If there’s a possibility that you’ll market your book to the general public, it makes sense to check out Lulu.
• Blurb – Blurb is first on my personal list of book publishing sites to check out next. Like Lulu, Blurb allows you to create your book and then sell it to the general public. An option is available to include your custom logo on your books, and Blurb makes ‘Blurb Badges’ you can use to link from your Web site or blog directly to your Blurb books that are for sale. You can download their helpful “How to Make a Book” ebook for an idea of what Blurb is all about. I also like their community forums and helpful blog. You’ll download their free Booksmart software (versions exist for both Mac and PC) and run it locally – a major plus in my book. Prices are competitive with the other book printing sites mentioned above.

This list just barely scratches the surface – you should also check out:

• SharedInk (and the premium, member-based SharedInk for Photographers) – SharedInk targets those more concerned about quality and value than strictly price. Reviews and comments I’ve read have been very complimentary of the workmanship and customer support coming out of this shop in the Pacific Northwest. Check out Mark Hobson’s article on photo book printing; it has an in-depth review of the SharedInk for Photographers service.
• Bound2Remember – A favorite among scrapbookers, Bound2Remember offers an impressive array of available book sizes, including an enormous 12”x18” behemoth. Like SharedInk, reviews and forum entries have been consistently strong for this publisher.
• VioVio – Though the site is a bit out of the ordinary when compared to its competitors (it’s a wiki), VioVio offers a compelling range of products at great prices. If you have access to Adobe Acrobat, you can layout your book in whatever design tool you choose, and then rip a PDF file that you will upload to VioVio for printing. Don’t have Acrobat? No problem – just use their online VioVio Bookmaker software. You must upload your files to a VioVio gallery before you can layout your book using their design software. You’ll also be able to sell your creation when you’re finished, although you must pay an annual membership fee for the privilege. In spite of the sometimes confusing interface, VioVio is #2 on my list of must-dos after Blurb.
• Picaboo – Another strong Web 2.0 contender, Picaboo keeps their list of available book formats simple (8.5" x 11" or 8" x 6"). You must download and install their Picaboo 2.0 design software locally – a rather lengthy process due to the need to install themes the first time you launch the application. After that, you’ll run in hybrid mode if you’re connected to the Internet. Book prices are a bit higher than most, but reviews have been positive. Worth checking out for the tech-savvy who like the Web 2.0 look-and-feel.

Finally, here are a few links to articles/Web sites you may find useful as you research the best book printing options for you:

• http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/20/technology/20basics.html - Peter Wayner’s article covers on-demand printing and features SharedInk and Blurb, among others.
• http://www.slate.com/id/2143039 - Ulrich Boser writes of his experiences with several mainstream photo book vendors, including Wal-Mart, Snapfish, Sony ImageStation (now defunct), Kodak EasyShare (formerly Ofoto and the option available if you create a book directly from Photoshop Elements), Photoworks, and Shutterfly (his favorite).
• http://www.photobookstory.com/index.html#Publisher – On this web site dedicated to discussing photo book issues, webmaster Darcy provides brief reviews of some of her favorite vendors and a nice matrix that compares the offerings from Shutterfly, Kodak EasyShare, Picaboo, and MyPublisher.
• http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=38968 - Here's a great forum thread at Digital Grin that covers a lot of ground and gives photographers' experiences with various printers I've described above (and some that I haven't). Highly recommended.

I hope you’ve found this series useful and informative. If you have a favorite book publisher I haven’t included (I’ve intentionally trimmed the list to keep it manageable; it is by no means exhaustive), please leave a comment. I intend to write future posts that deal with a few other gems I uncovered in my research (such as a company in Minneapolis that offers white-glove publishing services, up to and including on-site scanning of the non-digital photos you’d like to include in your book). I also plan to discuss issues with color matching when printing photo books (hint: buy a sample copy before you order a hundred). Until later…

The Moo StickerBook has arrived!

Great news - my Moo stickerbook has finally arrived. Shipping time from London to Montana is not insignificant - Moo notified me that the stickerbook was on its way back on November 6th. I received the book today, November 17th. That's a bit longer than the 7-9 days they told me to expect.

But you know what? It doesn't matter! The results are so cool the wait was well worth it. Not sure what makes these so awesome, but I sure get a kick out of them. Highly recommended.

Now that I've seen Moo's quality, my next order will be for a set of Moo minis...

Photo Books Part 3 – Digital Scrapbooking Tools

In my first post on photo books, I described the importance of selecting and preparing the images you want to include in your book before you do anything else. In my last post, I started describing some of the layout tools available, focusing specifically on the less restrictive end of the spectrum (which offer greater creative license but also require more time and skill).

In this post, I’ll discuss an option I’ve discovered recently that – in my opinion – hits the creativity/ease-of-use/rapid layout sweet spot. Designed for the digital scrapbooking market, this tool is especially useful if you’re looking to include more in your photo book than just photos (such as journaling or artistic embellishments).

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no pro at conventional scrapbooking. I’ve never been to a scrapbooking party or bought special papers and cutting tools from Creative Memories. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I’ve just never had the time to pursue the craft (not to mention that my gender is – shall we say – under-represented in scrapbooking circles). What has always struck me as a bit of a bummer about scrapbooking, however, is that when you’ve spent the hours to create your one-of-a-kind masterpiece, it’s just that – one-of-a-kind. If your mom loves it or you want to give a copy to your daughter as a keepsake – well, you’re faced with manually creating a second, third, or fourth copy that by definition won’t be the same as the original.

That’s what intrigues me about the idea of digital scrapbooking. Invest the time to create the layout digitally, and you can create as many scrapbooks as you like for friends and family. Some scrappers use a hybrid approach, where they’ll lay out photos and background digitally and then embellish the printed page using the conventional tools of the trade. This gives the book the tactile, three-dimensional feel they’re shooting for but streamlines the process of laying out the ‘canvas’.

As digital scrapping gains momentum, several companies have brought tools to the market to serve the needs of the early adopters. One such product is LumaPix’s FotoFusion. I downloaded a trial version from LuxaPix’s web site to get a flavor for its ease of use and potential as a tool for photo book creation.

I think you’ll pick up FotoFusion’s workflow pretty rapidly. I was creating basic pages in no time, and the included training videos provide a solid introduction. The program was very reliable. Although I feel I only scratched the surface of its capabilities, I really liked it once I got the hang of it.

I’ve created a couple of samples here for your review. The first is an example of the “blank canvas” approach – I simply used one image as a canvas background and then placed a couple of images on top using custom frames. I don’t think it looks half-bad (the ‘unregistered’ watermarks are in place until you license FotoFusion). I used a couple different framing styles just to give you an idea of some of the possibilities.

The second example uses a page template provided by FotoFusion. These templates are really slick if you’re in a hurry or don’t have the time, inclination, or skill to create a design on your own. You can customize the design as you like, but this example shows the out-of-the-box result of just dragging-and-dropping photos from your photo library into the open frames on the page.

FotoFusion is a hybrid application – you download and install an executable on your desktop computer but get the most functionality out of the application when you’re connected to the Internet. This architecture allows you to buy templates and embellishments for your creation from FotoFusion’s online store as you work. This model is great if you’re doing a lot of digital scrapping – new designs are made available online all the time.

Even if you don’t use the software to buy scrapbooking templates, it still works great as a layout tool. When you’re finished with your layout, you’ll simply export each page as a new, composite image.

In my next post, I’ll talk about the mechanics of ordering your photo book and how you can get the best results.

Photo Books Part 2 – Advanced Layout Options

In my last post, I discussed the importance of picking the photos you want to include in your photo book and finishing post-processing tasks on those images before you start the layout of your book. In this post, I’ll begin discussing different layout options for your photo book.

The first decision you’ll need to make is how much artistic freedom you want in your layout tool. If you’re gifted in the area of graphic design, you’ll probably want to choose a tool that offers more creative freedom and less ‘assistance’. As an artist, you’re not interested in pre-formatted templates that lock you into a given layout or page design. If you own any of the Adobe professional tools (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and know how to use them, you’re probably in this camp. Obviously, any of these tools offer you the freedom and power only available when you start with a blank canvas.

If you’re like me, however, you may not own these tools because you’ve not been able to convince your spouse/significant other that they’re more important than food or a car payment (at least, not yet). Or maybe you do own these tools and possess the skills to use them, but you really don’t have the time to invest in doing a full layout from scratch. For people like us, I’d recommend one of two things.

First, consider using a tool like Photoshop Elements (PSE) to create composite images that combine photos, captions, and other embellishments. At its reduced price point (you can pick it up for less than $80 at several locations online, including Amazon.com), PSE is easy to use and has the added bonus of offering post-processing functions that can handle all but the trickiest of clean-up tasks. Use to learn this tool, and you’ll be well on your way to laying out some sweet pages (Napoleon Dynamite overtone intended).

If you’re looking for a bit more hand-holding, check out some of the newer tools that are targeted toward the digital scrapbooking market. I’ll talk about one of those in my next post.

Photo Books Part 1 – Select Your Images

You love photography. You love books. What could be better than creating your own photo book?

The options for creating photo books seem almost endless – in this series of posts, I’ll describe some of the alternatives for layout and fulfillment, and then describe some of my own experiences with photo book creation.

When you’re ready to create your first photo book, the initial thing to think about is which photos you want to include in your book. I know that seems pretty basic, but if you decide which photos you want in the book up front, the entire layout process will go much smoother. In fact, the number and type of photos you intend to include in your book may influence your decision on the tools you use for layout and the place where you order the book.

When selecting your photos, consider creating a theme for your book – perhaps you want to focus on a family vacation, a series of holiday photos, or a sports season. Whatever the case, assigning a theme will help streamline the selection process, which in turn will help reduce the time you need to prepare those photos for publishing. Why waste time post-processing a photo you won’t be including in your book?

Which brings me to the next point – I’d suggest that once you’ve decided on the photos you want in your book, go ahead and finish up any post-processing tasks that remain outstanding for those photos. The layout process will go much faster if you’re not trying to fix red-eye or adjust white balance settings as you go.

That’s it for now. Next post, I’ll discuss layout options and tool selection. There’s more to consider here than you might think!

Stick 'em Up

I've just placed my inaugural order for photo stickers from Moo.com. Moo - based in London - is a Web 2.0 app that lets you create a variety of cooler-than-print products using your own images. You may have heard of Moo's MiniCards - slightly smaller than a regular business card printed with images of your choice on the front and text you specify on the back. They make great calling cards for the artistic set. You can see samples of Moo Minis on their Flickr pool page.

But I digress. The stickers look cool - they come in a fold-over, stamp-like book of 90 (six per page). You tear out the pages and stick 'em to your heart's content. I'm thinking the kids will have a ball slapping these babies all over the house. Here's hoping they come off as easily as they go on!

Moo has apparently struck deals with a variety of leading photo-sharing sites, which makes getting access to your photos super-easy. If you've got a Flickr page, for instance, you can simply link it up to Moo and start laying out your sticker book, minicards, etc. using photos that you've already uploaded. And because the items you're printing are fairly small, you can get away with the typically lower-res photos you store on sites like Flickr.

The stickers use a square form-factor, which means you'll need to do a bit of cropping to achieve the best results. Moo offers a great interface for this that also allows you to zoom in and out to get the best crop. Having said that, I found I had better luck cropping landscape images than their portrait counterparts; your mileage may vary. As an aside, if square stickers don't strike your fancy, you can check out the round photo stickers available at Zazzle. I plan to blog on Zazzle in a future post, so I won't steal my own thunder but will invite you to check out their stickers if you're interested in an alternative.

From an ease-of-use perspective, I was very impressed with Moo's entire user experience. I'm in software development myself, and I understand how difficult it can be to make a workflow process seem very simple. Kudos to Moo for a job well done on that front. I also liked that Moo offers the option to pay using either a credit card or PayPal. Very convenient.

From project start to checkout, I spent roughly 10 minutes linking to my Flickr account, picking the photos I wanted to print as stickers, and adjusting the zoom/crop for each of the 40 or so photos I decided to print (you have the freedom to print up to 90 different stickers in a single book). The price - including shipping - came to just under $14. I did not have to specify that I was located in the US to get US pricing - the site took care of that business automatically.

I'll post on sticker quality once I receive my book in early November. If sticker quality is anywhere close to the smooth process of ordering them up, I'm sure I'll be very satisfied. More to come...

Direct Printing on T-Shirts

Over at her Great Output blog, Eileen Fritsch has posted an article on inkjets that allow you to print directly on t-shirts. While the technology is certainly no threat to silk screening, it certainly holds interest for the creation of "one-off" shirts such as those you might like to create from your own photos.

You're not going to be buying one of these babies for the home office - prices run from $10-20K. I'm linking to Eileen's post for a couple of reasons: first, it's just plain cool; second, you might ask around at your local print shop or specialty photo shop to see if they're getting into this game; third, for the more enterprising among you, this technology may represent a business opportunity. My kids swim competitively - a professional photographer at one meet took photos of the kids and allowed parents to proof and purchase photo packs poolside. Can you imagine the sales opportunity if he'd had one of these babies churning out t-shirts on the spot? Eileen estimates shirt and ink costs to total around $2/shirt; with retail prices between $18-30 each, you're looking at a pretty decent ROI.

Great Output: Flatbed Inkjets Print Directly on T-Shirts