Center "Bleed Area" in Artscow hardbound books

[guitargirl]

I have a question about the way Artscow books are bound. Can you see your entire page, or does some of it get "lost" in the binding? I want to put a panoramic photo across a 2-page spread. Other printers I've looked at recommended repeating a little bit of the photo on each side of the binding because some of it is hard to see. I don't know if I need to do that with Artscow or not - I couldn't find anything on their website.

I'm not sure if I'm making any sense on this! :) Here's the page at Viovio that shows how to do a photo across 2 pages: http://www.viovio.com/photos/gallery/11323
So, should I do that for any place I get my books printed? Or is it something to do with the way Viovio binds their books?

[dagwood]

:wave:I use Artscow mainly printing 8 x 8 pages and 8 x 8 albums, and yes you do have blend problems. I have learnt the hard way that you have to leave at least a quarter inch around all the edges, making sure there is no journalling etc, that can get chopped off. I have not attempted to spread a photo over two pages, as I have still not mastered the amount of blending. http://www.artscow.com/share/txrxy5iksfho
this is one of my first albums and you can see that on pages 13 and 14, I have not allowed enough room around the edges of Meryls pages.

I am getting a bit better but even on this album I have still not left enough room around pages 12 @ 13, and 18 @ 19.
http://www.artscow.com/share/95bgc64ukb1e

I keep trying though as I love the quality and artscow keep sending me lots of lovely specials:yippee::yippee:

[guitargirl]

Thanks for sharing your albums! I can see what you mean about the bleed on the edges. I'll make sure to keep things away from there! When you get your book, does it really lie flat like they say on the website, or are there parts in the center that are hard to see because of the binding?

[Kathleen]

Daggs, those were really helpful! The preview that you share with us that shows the actual cropping ... at what point do you see that? Could you see that when you "made" the book, and then did you have the option to go back and adjust?

[MarsOlson]

awesome albums dags! did you leave 1/4 ' border around all the pages?

[dagwood]

No, in the first album I didn't leave the 1/4' border around the edges, thats why the pages have been cropped and I have lost some of my journalling. The second album I threw together in one night, to take advantage of a special artscow had on. Some of the pages were new LO's that I maded in PS, so those had a 1/4' border around them, and the ones that got chopped off were old LO's that I had not left an edge around. Now I always scrap with a 1/4' border so that I am ready to take advantage of any specials they have going. Artscow seem to always have a special on offer:yippee:
There books lay flat on the table, and nothing is lost in the binding. I love the hardcover albums, the quality is great. When dropping and dragging your LO's into the album you can view a greyed out section around the pages so you are warned about the cropping. This section can also be zoomed in and out if liked.

[guitargirl]

Thanks, Daggs! That's exactly what I needed to know! So, I think I'll just duplicate the 1/4" in the bleed area in the center, but not worry about any extra overlap for the binding.

Thanks!!!!!!

[butterbly]

Hi Lisa
I remember this thread here http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37104&highlight=artscow which has some good tips on avoiding the bleed area.
Also here is a book cover template (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=301446) which could be useful too.
I will be ordering my first artscow book soon and will be interested to see the double pagers turn out.
best of luck for your book

[carti]

:wave:I use Artscow mainly printing 8 x 8 pages and 8 x 8 albums, and yes you do have blend problems. I have learnt the hard way that you have to leave at least a quarter inch around all the edges, making sure there is no journalling etc, that can get chopped off. I have not attempted to spread a photo over two pages, as I have still not mastered the amount of blending. http://www.artscow.com/share/txrxy5iksfho
this is one of my first albums and you can see that on pages 13 and 14, I have not allowed enough room around the edges of Meryls pages.

I am getting a bit better but even on this album I have still not left enough room around pages 12 @ 13, and 18 @ 19.
http://www.artscow.com/share/95bgc64ukb1e

I keep trying though as I love the quality and artscow keep sending me lots of lovely specials:yippee::yippee:

<<Wow I think you did great on this album. I have been wanting to make a 50th wedding Anniversary photo album, however, don't understand how to do it. I read the tutorial in Artscow however, they just so pictures no sound and it goes so fast, I don't understand a thing! :)>>

[honeymoon]

Dags these are fantasticly inspiring!

I guess the other way to do it would be to put each page on a black bg and shrink the page by a 1/4 inch, so that each page has a black border which may not be as noticeable if it is cropped.

[sammdc]

daggs that album is totally amazing I just ordered 2 like you to take advantage of a special and as such didnt do any border to allow for bleeding so will see what they look like and will from now on make a point of leaving a bleed area around each of my layouts

[ebears]

I have just had 6 8x8 books printed by Artscow (to take advantage of a special) . In all my newer LO's I tend not to place too much right on the border, especially journaling. this shows in the books I had printed, where in the older LO's, I had placed journaling and/or titles close to the edge. With their specials it is possible to have more things printed.

[Lauren]

I always do this with each page for an artscow album - I flatten my layout - reduce the size to 11.5 inches and paste it into a 12x12 black image -( I do all my layouts at 12x12 but usually buy 8x8 albums but you can just use the same image) - Usually when i get my books i cant see any of the black but if there is some there you really dont notice it - Its a method thats worked really well for me for the 5 albums Ive had done with them

[Noremacc]

I am confused. Is there a reason you use black to put your layout on? If I had a page where the layout had a blue background, couldn't I just use a blue so if any part of the solid colors show it would blend in more than black?

[Lauren]

You could use whatever colour you have in your background but its so easy to place all your layotus on black and if it does show up ( and usually it doesnt but sometimes it does with just a small strip around the edges - it looks really quite classy - like a thin black border- and then facing pages match - if i had a cream edging on one page and a blue one on the facing page i dont know that it would have quite the same effect. - A lot of my backgrounds and blends of different colours too - gradients where teh top of the page is ligher than the bottom - - I dont have to match that up - - for me personally its better to not try to match ( too much time involved too ) - and just make the black a design feature ( as I said before often it doesnt show up because it becomes the bleed area anyway