Black and White book printing, what is the best quality option?

[jnantz]

Thanks a lot, John, perhaps this is the way forward for me. I would love to see a photo of your fibre and RC books.

I don't think the problems with Blurb books have that much to do with how much you know, but are a result of using four colors to print black and white. Colors shift during the printing, and you're left with unsatisfactory output.

hi larry

from what blurb users have said to me a lot of people desaturate and then add a tiny bit of tint
so they don't have blurb black and white tint-shifts. making a blurb book is on my list
i haven't done it, and i am just restating what I've been told ...

i wish i had a sample to show you or samples to show you of these books
but they are all in the hands of others. i do have one somewhere MIA and "local"
... it is untouchable at the moment. if i can get my hands on it i will let you know !

good luck with your project !
john

[Tin Can]

I have no suggestions, except my personal experience copying color pencil and paper drawings and making a color book. As shooter and editor I need to 'adjust considerably' reality to give the client a book he liked and could sell from.

He doesn't 'see' the difference between his drawings and his book, nor do his clients. Primarily because the book and prints are never side by side and the book is 1/4 scale. Colors are close.

His paper is more yellow than white, but I make the surrounding 'paper' pure white and crop his drawings with masks to isolate his colors from the pure white.

For B&W, I have no suggestion, except to try a couple inexpensive sample books to get 'reality' in your hand.

I use http://www.artisanstate.com/

[mdm]

Glossy Piezography prints might be able to closely mimic a glossy fibre print, you may actually prefer the inkjet. They are overprinted with gloss optimiser so more robust to surface damage than matte inkjet. I have had one blue tacked to my print viewing spot for a year and it just won't go away. You might even be able to find double sided paper designed for ink jet books. Or you could use a thin consumer grade paper if you are not worried about archivability. It's not like the pages of a book are exposed to much light anyway. Printing more than a handful of copies of anything is going to require ink however you do it.

[adelorenzo]

I bind my RC prints into books, I use a Japanese stab binding which works for single sheets. I add an extra space on the left side of the print to allow for binding. It's quick and easy to do and costs a few dollars in material (needle, thread, some kind of cover material). There are other binding options too but the traditional case-bound book requires folded signatures, won't work for loose prints.

[adelorenzo]

It has a handmade look which might be good or bad depending on the result you want, but IMHO the best way to show your prints is to do it with the prints themselves. Here is one I made recently, it's bound with vinyl fabric.

[jnantz]

It has a handmade look which might be good or bad depending on the result you want, but IMHO the best way to show your prints is to do it with the prints themselves. Here is one I made recently, it's bound with vinyl fabric.

really nice work adelorenzo !

that's a great link / tutorial you posted too ..

with your book do you have trouble with the cover being not too rigid ?
i've used plexiglass and backboard for covers, never something like vinyl fabric ..
(maybe it isn't as not-rigid as it looks ?)

i agree, a book of photographs is a nice way to present ..

[Tin Can]

Excellent tutorial. Now I want a Japanese screw punch. I have dozens of rule die punches, but never heard of this device. Much better than hammering holes into paper.

I agree, why not make actual print books just like you are doing!

Great tip!

I bind my RC prints into books, I use a Japanese stab binding which works for single sheets. I add an extra space on the left side of the print to allow for binding. It's quick and easy to do and costs a few dollars in material (needle, thread, some kind of cover material). There are other binding options too but the traditional case-bound book requires folded signatures, won't work for loose prints.

[Larry Kellogg]

I go out and spend $800 on a high end scanner and the solution is to use a screw punch, needle and thread?



Where is the emoji for slapping yourself in the forehead?

Well, I guess what can be bought, can be sold.

Tell me where to get the Japanese screw punch.

[Tin Can]

I go out and spend $800 on a high end scanner and the solution is to use a screw punch, needle and thread?



Where is the emoji for slapping yourself in the forehead?

Well, I guess what can be bought, can be sold.

Tell me where to get the Japanese screw punch.

Amazon has many, but only one is actually Japanese. I want the $125 one with 9 sizes. It sounds pretty good. They have the thread, needles and heavy board for covers also. Also a book I want for $12.

Of course a traditional Japanese technique would trump a 3rd world digital press.

[Larry Kellogg]

Pure Wabi-sabi, I love it.

"Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity (roughness or irregularity), simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes."

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi