Photo Books in quantity?

It is my companies 90th birthday next year and we are looking at producing a book with scans of some of the images and cuttings we have from the very early days right up the present day as a momento for the staff and ex-employees.

Although there are a lot of companies producing these I can't find anyone that does it in volume. I am looking to have around 250 copies.

Any ideas?

Andy

here http://www.blurb.com/book/pricing

Hi Andy

Can you give me an idea of the budget your company has available for the book and the spec - number of pages, hard back or soft back, etc.

For that quantity you may find it cheaper going to a good lithographic printer, they'll be able to offer/source professional binding also. I would also recommend using the services of a professional designer - or maybe a student on work placement if budget is tight. Both of these can make the difference between a real keepsake that is cherished and a bundle of paper gathering dust on the bookshelf.

I designed a photo book last year for Canterbury Cathedral last year to raise funds for renovation work. A colleague took the shots (he's a pro photographer) and I put it all together. His original idea was to use Lulu - similar to Blurb, maybe less quality - but when I saw a proof I knew the quality was not there.

First print run was digital from a local on-demand short run book printing company. They did a great job within the limitations of the technology. Second print run was litho at my preferred printer - they did a fantastic job.

Feel free to post back if you want more advice.

I second mpjx suggestion for a lithographic printer for large quantities. Look for one that has full digital presses (Heidelberg Quickmaster Di, KBA Genius or the like). Those are the guys specializing in that type of work. I would offer my service, but my delivery man couldn't row that far. Good luck.

mpjx - thanks for that, I would be very interested in some advice.

I am looking at up to 300 books
My budget per book is around £5
Pages probably 20
Hardback if possible
A4 sort of size

The other thing I will need to do is identify someone to scan the images in as they are all old photographs or press cuttings, this would not be in my budget of £1500.

Given that what are my options?

Cheers,
Andy

Hi Andy

I'm afraid the chances of you getting 250-300 books, 20 pages, hardback, A4 size of suitable quality for £1500 are virtually nil. Sorry to be negative but that's the way it is. Take a look at inkjet photobooks available online - the prices are even higher than litho print.

There are absolutely tonnes of things to consider and allow for when having a book printed. It is specialised stuff and even a lot of good designers are ignorant of all that is required. (Yves - I'm sure you have had loads of completely crazy requests from designers :lol To explain everything will take forever but I can give you some pointers:

1) If you do want to do all of this yourself and you find a printer to do it, make sure they will take the time to explain what they need from you. Communication is key.

2) Try some of the online places like this. I have no idea if they are any good and have never ever spoken to them. With their online calculator I managed to get a price of £1750 ex VAT for 250 softcover laminated, colour print, smaller than A4.

With any of these online companies make sure you get samples from them. Get samples with similar binding, finish, paper, etc as you think you might want. Walk away from any company who won't provide samples.

3) 20 pages is a little light for binding. Book pages generally go in multiples of 4 so I think you should be looking more at 36 pages plus - it will be easier to bind.

4) Do not be tempted to skimp on interior paper quality, you'll regret it when you see the final images.

5) I strongly recommend, given the budget, that you consider contacting some local Unis or Art Colleges. If you can afford the time, this sounds an ideal project for a final year graphic design/typography/printing student. Find the right student who is interested by the project with a good tutor who will help. There should be a good choice of institutions close to you in Birmingham and Coventry - they may even have access to cheaper printing.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Andy,

Have you looked at

http://www.tictacphoto.com

They do an > 20 quantity they maybe worth contacting?

Just an idea.

I saw Tic-Tac Pro at the Focus Exhibition 2 years ago and they were offering a free 20 sided photobook. They promised me that they were market leaders with huge experience in the field.

I designed my photobook and uploaded it to them. Six days later I received the book....It was awful. Absolutely awful, the colours were washed out and the quality of the printing was beyond any doubt the worst I had ever seen.
I compalined to them straight away and they admitted that it was a one off problem as they had a new printer installed. So they agreed to do it again...
Same problem, so they printed again....Exactly the same. Me thinking it might have been my photos I went somewhere else. This book was excellent!

So what I am trying to get at is this, Tic-Tac Pro are useless! Other customers had the same problem as I had searched for reviews afterwards. There are 2 sides to their business; Tic Tac Photo & Tic Tac Pro. If the pro side was as bad as that then I dread what the amateur side is like.

I would avoid with a 10 foot barge pole!

Paul