Photobook mock up production

Hi all, I hope my question is posted in the proper place and if not, please move it to the proper slot, thanks to the moderator in advance.

My question is, for those of you who have produce your own photo book dummy, what paper did you printed on. Just to be clear, we are taking about scanned LF format films and printing digitally. Currently I am using Epson Premium presentation Matte and I am not very happy with it. The problem (I think) is because it's a matte surface and it''s throwing off the black point since it absorbs more black ink than other surfaces.

and if you are making your mock up commercially, who do you go to, I am familiar with Blurb but just wondering if there are new service providers in the field.

thanks

Robert

I would use a glossy paper. I tested the Epson paper you reference with poor results. If you are near a Costco, check on the glossy Kirkland paper made in Switzerland (68 lb.).

Thanks Merg, the reason I have not used a glossy photo paper is because it looks and feel too much like a RC photo paper，and when used as "book" pages it just doesn't feel right. That is also the reason I was using the matte Presentation paper but the drawback is obvious, the image quality takes a hit. I am hoping to find a somewhat matte paper that does well with B/W images...maybe too much to ask for :-)

I ran a lot of double-sided papers through my Epson 3800 a few years back for a B&W book project, but never found anything that ticked all the boxes so put the project aside. All the papers I liked were either too expensive, too thick, or too easily abraded.

My favorite matte paper was probably Hahnemuhle photo rag Book and Album, just wish they made it in something lighter weight than 220 GSM. It has short grain for sharp folds, a pretty durable surface, and a really nice tactile feel but it's pretty expensive.

Moab Lasal matte was pretty nice as well, but there was a faint lavander cast in the highlights off my printer that was tricky to profile out. The semigloss version was pretty decent as well, but that was 330 GSM compared to the 235 weight of the matte version.

I also tried various lightweight double-sided 'brochure' papers from Inkpress, HP, and Epson, but found nothing I really liked. Those all had the RC look you mention.

Thanks for chiming in Colin, I'll give the Hahnemuhle a try, because of the binding method I am using I don't need the paper to be double sided so maybe I can go with the single side version of the paper(?)

Good thing that this is just a book mock up(one or two copy max) so the cost is somewhat bearable, considering how much is already invested in camera, lens, film shooting and rest of the production cost leading up to this point, basically the bleeding continues :)

Robert, I misunderstood your goal, and was thinking of a larger producton. Agreed, the glossy does not have the right "feel". I was thinking of it for the right "look" as a pre-press guide. Utimately, I ended up having a 500 copy offset press run.

For my mock up I wanted double-sided sheets and used the Red River Zeppelin SemiGloss paper. So many choices! Colin gives some good ones.

I used Hahnemuhle Duo for a 12"x12" book and was very happy with it. Sadly they discontinued the large sheets and the following copies were printed 9"x9".
If you're interested you can see it and the offset printed version at www.contact49.com
Good luck with your project!

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Originally Posted by fuegocito

Hi all, I hope my question is posted in the proper place and if not, please move it to the proper slot, thanks to the moderator in advance.

My question is, for those of you who have produce your own photo book dummy, what paper did you printed on. Just to be clear, we are taking about scanned LF format films and printing digitally. Currently I am using Epson Premium presentation Matte and I am not very happy with it. The problem (I think) is because it's a matte surface and it''s throwing off the black point since it absorbs more black ink than other surfaces.

and if you are making your mock up commercially, who do you go to, I am familiar with Blurb but just wondering if there are new service providers in the field.

thanks

Robert

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Part of the problem might just be that printed is simply reflective which is naturally darker than a computer display which transmits light. You may need to use a profile or apply a curve to images once you've settled on a paper.

For commercial output competing with blurb, I have used modern postcard for some exhibit catalogs and postcards and I think they are very good. It would not a be a good choice for a handful of copies, but is otherwise nice for small-medium runs.

I think you need to approach this from a perspective of finding a good paper first and then making it work in a book. Also look for different binding options, like Swiss binding in order to stress the paper coating less. Find a paper you like and then (assuming you you are working on a fine art printer) get a custom profile made from Freestyle Photo for the paper you want (obligatory I don’t work for them but spend a ton of money with them statement). That will solve your black isssue.

I would look at what weight paper you want to use, what surface paper (i.e. smooth or a slight texture), and whether you want a warm or more neutral tone paper. If you can answer those questions that will narrow down the field significantly. I would also avoid anything with optical brightness. I could talk all day about papers, let me know if you have any other specific questions.

-Joshua