Let's compile a list of printing vendors

[lmilgram]

There a lot of awesome threads throughout DSP-land with information regarding printing our layouts. I would like to compile a list with the following information:

Vendor Name
Cost: Loose Page (specify page size)
Cost: Bound Book (specify cover type, size)
Your DPI: 200 or 300?
Paper Type: ie: cardstock, regular paper etc...
Rating: 1 -> 5 from yuck to I LOVE IT!


So...where do you print your pages and/or books? Would you recommend it? How much does it cost and what is the quality.

I print some 8x8 from home and am jealous of anyone with a wide-format printer. Let's keep this thread focused on outside printing.

Thanks!
Lisa

[Abby]

I think this is a great idea :) .. I've never had anything printed, so can't contribute, but will watch for the results for sure. I have a friend who swears by Winkflash - says the quality is excellent and the price is good, but I don't know anything personally, so won't get into it.

[sherryva]

I don't print individual layouts anymore on my wide format printer, instead I print books at shutterfly.

www.shutterfly.com (http://www.shutterfly.com)
DPI: prints fine in 200 dpi, but I use 300 dpi
Paper type heavy weight paper with a little sheen to it.
Type: they have both 8X8 and 12x12
Cost: covers range from $24.99 to 59.99 first 20 pages included - additional pages $1 to $1.50 depending on book size
You can have 20-101 pages per book.
Covers- they offer 3 different types of covers
What makes them special? Quality and speed-they are fast! I generally have the book in my hand within 7 days of ordering.
You can share the book online, and others can order their own prints or book copies.
You can do full bleed pages, and a complete photo wrap cover/spine/back.
Usually you can find Shutterfly promo coupons with a simple google search.

[Ruby Rynne]

Artscow (http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=422128)
Cost: Loose Pages
8x10: $0.49
11x14": $1.79 - $3.99 (depending on quantity)
12x18": $1.99 - $4.99 (depending on quantity)
8" square: $0.99 - $1.99 (depending on quantity)
12" square: $1.99 - $2.99 (depending on quantity)

Cost: Bound Book
8" square, 20 pages: $8.99 - $9.99 (depending on quantity)
8" square, 30 pages: $11.99 - $14.99 (depending on quantity)
8" square, 39 pages: $15.99 - $19.49 (depending on quantity)
Additional pages for 8" book: $0.50 each

12" square, 20 pages: $19.99 - $24.99 (depending on quantity)
12" square, 30 pages: $29.99 - $34.99 (depending on quanityt)
Additional pages for 12" book: $1 each


Your DPI: 300, but Artscow (http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=422128) will accept anything over 150dpi
Paper Type: ie: Stitch bound, hard cover, premium matte
Rating: 4

Best part: LOADS of freebies. You get 3 photobooks, 1200 print credits and a bunch of other coupons for free photo gifts when you open your account (http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=422128) (also free), and regular freebie coupons and shipping offers in your email. I post them on my blog in case you miss any.

[DixieMama]

Artscow (http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=422128)
Cost: Loose Pages8x10: $0.49
11x14": $1.79 - $3.99 (depending on quantity)
12x18": $1.99 - $4.99 (depending on quantity)
8" square: $0.99 - $1.99 (depending on quantity)
12" square: $1.99 - $2.99 (depending on quantity)
Cost: Bound Book8" square, 20 pages: $8.99 - $9.99 (depending on quantity)
8" square, 30 pages: $11.99 - $14.99 (depending on quantity)
8" square, 39 pages: $15.99 - $19.49 (depending on quantity)
Additional pages for 8" book: $0.50 each

12" square, 20 pages: $19.99 - $24.99 (depending on quantity)
12" square, 30 pages: $29.99 - $34.99 (depending on quanityt)
Additional pages for 12" book: $1 each

Your DPI: 300, but Artscow (http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=422128) will accept anything over 150dpi
Paper Type: ie: Stitch bound, hard cover, premium matte
Rating: 4

Best part: LOADS of freebies. You get 3 photobooks, 1200 print credits and a bunch of other coupons for free photo gifts when you open your account (http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=422128) (also free), and regular freebie coupons and shipping offers in your email. I post them on my blog in case you miss any.

For those of us in the US, I just wanted to offer up my experience with ArtsCow. I tried to use them for my holiday book printing, and use my CC to purchase. Well, 4 days later, the order was STILL in pending mode. When I looked up their customer service number, the hours were from 9:00pm - 6:00am EST....they're located in Hong Kong!! So I emailed them, and the contact page said that they'd get a reply to me within 24-48 hours. Two days later, nothing, so I stayed up late to try to call them...full mailbox. I went to bed and got up at 5:00am to try again....full mailbox. It was another 4 days before I heard anything from them through e-mail...they said that because the orders are processed in Hong Kong, my CC didn't work in their shopping cart. :doh: :annoyed: :mad: After 8 days of this madness, I just sent back an email asking them to disregard the order. 8 hours later, I receive another email stating that I can use Paypal and it should go through without a problem. :rolleyes: Now WHY on Earth, when I'm cancelling an order, are they SO quick to respond??? But when I'm ASKING WHERE my order is, they take their sweet time getting back to me??? :annoyed: By this time, though, I'd be cutting it close to Christmas, so I didn't make the purchase.

So, just a warning to USA customers....use Paypal, and dont expect great customer service.

I still plan on trying them out, as I'm intrigued by their stitched binding process. I'll just do it when I don't have a deadline. :D

[Ruby Rynne]

You're not the only one who has had problems contacting customer service over the holiday runup, and yes they are in Hong Kong (that's why you get Chinese prices for the printing!).

I think they were absolutely overwhelmed with orders in the run up to Christmas, and certainly I don't think it would ever be a good idea to expect fast turnaround in December. For some reason, lots of people buy stuff right at the same time as you!

Maybe it's different in the US, but here in Europe it's quite normal to expect delivery of anything (and especially custom work) to take up to 28 days. If it's less than 14 days it's a bonus and anything under a week is a miracle. As a (recently) ex-colonial country, I think Hong Kong are used to working on the European standard rather than the US one :)

But you're absolutely right, leave yourself plenty of time and you can't go wrong. Unfortunately, as with almost everything in life, you can have cheap or you can have fast, but rarely if ever both. Especially at Christmas :)

[GailS]

I sent an order for 5 books to ArtsCow in November, used PayPal, had no problems. Books were printed and delivered within about 2 weeks and I was very pleased with them - I'm sure I'll be giving them repeat business for photobook gifts. I don't think you can beat the price.

For my larger books, I'll probably stick to VIOVIO - I can print 100 pages and the whole book is stunning (the process is a bit cumbersome though - unless it has changed in the last 6 mos or so). I used the best quality of everything - paper, custom cover, etc.) in my 100 pager and it was $48.00 delivered.

[lbjiowa]

I NEVER print layouts on my home printers (full color laser and several inkjets) ... the cost of the ink is just too high compared to having them printed elsewhere. I DO use my printers for things like small elements for hybrid projects, CD printing, etc.

I use Walgreens for proof copies (they are the closest and reasonable)

I use Costco for posters and individual pages when I'm making them for others or for wall-art. Their poster prices have recently come way down (20x30 is now $4.89!). Their 12x18 is still $2.99. Recently they introduced all kinds of additional products that I can't give any testimony for (bound books, mousepads, cups, tapestries, etc...)

I've used VioVio for bound book printing and LOVE their quality and can't find better prices anywhere on the web ... but ... as others have said their process takes a bit to figure out (once you've done it though you won't have trouble the next time ... it's that whole 'learn the language' thing ... they cater to professional photographers who are familiar with the publishing world)

[PQ FRAN]

I do not print individual pages anymore either - I print hardbound books through My Publisher (accessible through the Costco website).

[hoozieg]

I just got a book printed at Blurb.com. I did not use the premium photo paper and the photos inside the book were a bit fuzzy IMO. I think they would be much better on the photo paper - the dust jacket photo was wonderful!

They don't have 12 x 12 (yet) but 7 x 7 square.

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

They also have 8 x 10, 10 x 8 and 13 x 11.

I think Gundi put her layouts on 13 x 11 and used the extra space for titles or something. I only did photos and text as more of a travelogue.

I received the book in two weeks and when I had a question I received a response in 2 days.

If enough of us request 12 x 12, maybe they will start carrying it.

You can see a 15 pg preview of my book at http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/510737

and here's some photos I took:

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/data/500/blurbbookstrip.jpg

[lbjiowa]

Vendor Name - www.viovio.com
Cost: Loose Page (specify page size) 12" x 12", printed front & back ... so $1.50 for two prints.
Your DPI: 200 or 300? either works fine
Paper Type: Digital silk paper, acid free
Rating: 1 -> 5 from yuck to I LOVE IT! They say it's the same paper as they use in the hardbound books ... which is WONDERFUL quality!

[lmilgram]

I am seriously leaning toward individual pages rather than a bound book for 2 reasons:

1 - I'm afraid I'll forget a page and will never be able to insert it into the book
2 - my young children love to look through the albums and I would feel better if the pages were in protectors - and it's easier to reprint a page here and there rather than an entire book

so....I ordered samples from sbtoshare.com and I LOVE the cardstock prints, but I have over 132 pages to print (for 2008 alone) and that's a lot of money in one shot...so I was thinking about getting the loose pages from viovio and inserting them into a tradtional scrapbook album...possibly with a piece of cardstock between each page to retain the "stiffness". Has anyone tried this...will it work? Does it look nice? I still like my pages to have a "paper-scrapped" feel about them that I think is compromised on the thinner papers. I have a winkflash book...I like it, but I yearn for the cardstock pages.

Thoughts? Suggestions? am I rambling?

Thanks!

[Chrysanthemom]

This is a great idea to compile a list of vendors. I am new to digital scrapbooking and forums - Thank you to DSP for all the helpful tips! I have only tried one place for printing. I heard about them from a friend. I don't have anything to compare it to, but I was impressed with the quality. They are local to me, so I can pick up the pages in their store, but they ship anywhere.

ScrappingSimply.com
Cost: Loose Page - 12X12 $1.99 8X8 $.99 (Those are the sizes I have printed)
Cost: Bound Book - they don't bind books
Your DPI: 300
Paper Type: Photo paper - This why I went with them. I really like the weight of the paper and the sharpness of a real photo print - not inkjet or laser.
Rating: 1 -> 5 from yuck to I LOVE IT! 5 - Besides the quality and speed, when I had a problem uploading my prints, they were quick to respond to emails and help me.

[mcbowersox]

I printed with Blurb and was THRILLED with the books I got! The quality of their paper and the image wrap cover are fantastic! I did a freebie book at Snapfish, and it doesn't even compare to the Blurb book. Plus, Blurbs prices are awesom!

I'm currently waiting on my first book from Artscow, so I'll update when I get that.

I had put together a Word document for myself when I was shopping around before Christmas. Here's what I have so far. . .

BLURB

100# silk finish text weight paper

Large format landscape 13 x 11 – Image Wrap (dust jacket also available)

0 – 40 pages $65.95
41 – 80 $77.95
81 – 120 $92.95
121 – 160 $108.95


Standard landscape 10 x 8 - Image Wrap or Softcover (dust jacket also available)

0 – 40 pages $36.95 $22.95
41 – 80 $43.95 $27.95
81 – 120 $51.95 $34.95
121 – 160 $60.95 $41.95

Standard Portrait 8 x 10 – Image Wrap or Softcover (dust jacket also available)

0 – 40 pages $36.95 $22.95
41 – 80 $43.95 $27.95
81 – 120 $51.95 $34.95
121 – 160 $60.95 $41.95

Square 7 x 7 – Image Wrap or Softcover (dust jacket available)

0-40 $28.95 $14.95
41-80 $33.95 $17.95
81-120 $40.95 $22.95
121-160 $47.95 $28.95



SHUTTERFLY
100# gloss coated text weight paper

HARDCOVER

Square 12x12 book – Image Wrap, regular or padded AND Leather (red, blue, green, brown, black or white) ($84.99 for 40 pages)

Photo Cover $54.99
Padded Photo Cover $64.99
Leather Cover $69.99 -
* includes first 20 pages - each add'l page $1.50

Square 8x8 book – Image Wrap, regular or padded AND Leather (red, blue, green, brown, black or white)

Photo Cover $29.99
Padded Photo Cover $34.99
Leather Cover $39.99
* includes first 20 pages - each add'l page $1.00

Square 4x4 book – Black cloth hardcover, matching wallet available
4x4 Book $16.99
* price includes first 20 pages- each add'l page $0.50

Landscape 11 x 8.5 – Material Wrap with diecut (Leather, Satin, Suede and Cloth)

Leather $39.99
Suede $29.99
Satin $29.99
Cloth $29.99
* include first 20 pages, each extra is $1

Landscape 7x5 – Black, green, red and blue
$12.50 for 20 pages, each additional is $0.50




VIOVIO

100# text weight paper

HARDCOVER

Square 12x12 book – Material Wrap with diecut (suede - black or tan, leather - black or burgundy, linen – baby blue, black, charcoal, chestnut, cranberry, evergreen, navy blue, pink or sage)

Digital silk paper (matte)

$14.99 + $0.75 per page ($44.99 for 40 pages)

20-120 pages

Square 10x10 book – Material wrap with black spine (same colors as above)

Digital silk paper (matte)

$14.99 + $0.40 per page

24-120 pages

Square 8.5x8.5 book – Image wrap with text on spine

Digital silk paper (matte)

$14.99 + $0.25 per page

24 – 160

Landscape 11x8.5 book – Material wrap with black spine (same colors as above)

Digital silk paper (matte)

$14.99 + $0.35 per page

20-120


Landscape 9x7 book - Image wrap

Digital silk paper (matte)

$14.99 + $0.29 per page

20-120

Portrait 8.5 x 11 book – Image wrap

Digital Silk Paper (matte) with quick binding (glued) OR Digtal Satin with Pro-binding (stitching and glue)

$14.99 + $0.25 per page

24-160

Softcover landscape
3.75 x 2.5
5.25 x 3.5
7 x 5

Softcover square
3.5 x 3.5
5 x 5

Softcover portrait
A4
7x11 (comic book)
6x9

[mcbowersox]

I just got a book printed at Blurb.com. I did not use the premium photo paper and the photos inside the book were a bit fuzzy IMO. I think they would be much better on the photo paper - the dust jacket photo was wonderful!

They don't have 12 x 12 (yet) but 7 x 7 square.

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

They also have 8 x 10, 10 x 8 and 13 x 11.

I think Gundi put her layouts on 13 x 11 and used the extra space for titles or something. I only did photos and text as more of a travelogue.

I received the book in two weeks and when I had a question I received a response in 2 days.

If enough of us request 12 x 12, maybe they will start carrying it.

You can see a 15 pg preview of my book at http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/510737

and here's some photos I took:

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/data/500/blurbbookstrip.jpg

I read that a lot of people weren't happy with Blurb's printing before they started offering premium paper. I should note that i printed my book on Premium paper, and I believe all the prices I have listed include that.

I really like the idea of printing in a 13x11 and using the extra for something else. I've been kind of stressing out about not being able to lay pages out to the edges for fear of it being cut off. (should I talk about this issue in this thread, or should I start another?)

[mcbowersox]

Gail and Linda - When you guys did your books through Viovio did the have their online software available? They have a new software in Beta testing called "Photo Book Designer" and then their old one called "Book Machine." I am wondering if the new software will be more user friendly?

I'm planning on printing my Disney book through them cause they're the only ones I could find who did a 12x12 with image wrap.

I think every photobook gift I do will be through Artscow, though. I have to use up my free books!!!

[sherryva]

shutterfly does a 12x12 with photo image wrap cover- might be more expensive than viovio, not sure.

It isn't listed with the photobooks, it is under "print your digital scrapbook option"

[lbjiowa]

Gail and Linda - When you guys did your books through Viovio did the have their online software available? They have a new software in Beta testing called "Photo Book Designer" and then their old one called "Book Machine." I am wondering if the new software will be more user friendly?

I'm planning on printing my Disney book through them cause they're the only ones I could find who did a 12x12 with image wrap.

I think every photobook gift I do will be through Artscow, though. I have to use up my free books!!!


When we did our books at viovio we didn't use their book designer software ... would LOVE to get a review on it though! as the processs we used was hard to navigate and took three tries to get it right ... but...with good notes the next books were a cinch.

THANKS Christy for posting the contents of your WORD document...I LOVE having all the variables together in one place ...it's such a complex decision matrix it can be daunting!

[corinnacs]

Hey, Gals --

Check out this site that I just found... Has a TON of info on different photobook publishers:

http://www.make-your-own-photobooks.com/photo-book-covers-sizes.html

[lbjiowa]

I found a commercial printer that can print page designs on watercolor paper ... the results are FABULOUS!!!

I'm having mine framed so will post a photo of the results when I have it back from the framers. You have to order minimums, but they can be of different images...very nice! I love that you don't end up with multiple prints of the same image!

Prices:
8" x 8" image, printed with 1" borders for framing - order in groups of 4 @ $13.50 each
10" x 10" image, 1" borders - order in groups of 3 @ $19.80 each
12" x 12" image, 1" borders - order in groups of 2 @ $32.85 each
10" x 14" image, 1" borders - order in groups of 3 @ $23.95 each

They only charge for the actual cost of shipping . . . my prints have all arrived in excellent condition. Am currently working on four more designs that will be printed at 24" x 18" so am getting a quote (they will do special orders ... I'll come back and let you know the final quote for this order...just as an fyi)

The company is located in Minnesota and owned by a lady we met through the community ed program in her area. You know . . . that whole, "What do you do for a living" question? Well, I found out she's a commercial printer and one thing led to another! So far I've only had her do watercolor prints, but she is also able to do canvas (unstretched...you'd have to mount it) ... I don't have prices on that option.

Their website is under development so at this point in time I've been using email to contact Barb . . . sales@tictocdigital.com

(and NO I don't work for her :D I just love the work she does and thought there might be others here who'd like to have the option....esp for gifts or decorating projects ... I'd love to make a composite of some of our children's childhood artwork ... thinking that would be great on the wall in the family room...who knows!)