What makes the quality difference in a press book?

mercphoto

Just ordered my first Blurb book with the new ProLine photo paper. Really curious on how much better it is. And it got me to wondering just what makes the difference in quality between all the various vendors. Blurb uses HP Indigo inks, but so does Apple and I feel the Apple book is noticeably not as good. But Black River Imaging also uses Indigo inks (with an option for 6 colors), and I *think* (but not sure) that so does Bay Photo and Asuka Book.

This begs the question where the difference in the appearance of the quality of the books come from. Is it the particular press those Indigo inks are put into? The quality of the paper used? Something else entirely? Or is the difference really not as large as I've convinced myself it is?

I know there is a difference in bindings, etc. But for this conversation I'm only concerned with the quality of the printed page.

I guess the big reason why I've only used Blurb for the non-essential photo books, and gravitated towards a BRI or Asuka for the important photo books, is that I have seen a difference in the past. In a week I should know if the new ProLine papers blurs this distinction some. Other than that the other big thing is I prefer the 10x10 format, which Blurb does not offer.

Thanks for any thoughts on the subject.

Mark Dickinson

To me the clarity and color saturations as per my calibration makes me happy. Whcc.com is usually good with me. Page thickness and binding makes it very elegant or cheesy

digismile

I just ordered a book using the Proline paper too. I thought 7x7 was a bit small, so I went 12x12.

I figured I had to try it once ... I'll let you know my thoughts too.

JimKarczewski

Paper and the machine used to print them. I think there are a couple of different machines available that are sold to the labs for doing this kind of work and some have a better quality output. That being said, it's also how well the lab knows their equipment and what it's capable of doing.. If they are clueless, then it's probably not going to come out as good as a lab that knows their stuff inside/out.

mercphoto

JimKarczewski wrote: »

Paper and the machine used to print them.

That's what I was thinking too. I just reviewed a few of my photo books. I like the Asuka books best. They are the most expensive that I have used. And they are limited in page counts (for example, you can have a 20 page book, or a 30 page book, but not anything inbetween). The last Blurb book I did last year (before ProLine paper) has great detail, but lacks some punch in the colors. Probably due to the paper they use. I have a Black River Imaging book, but honestly the photos themselves were not top-notch to begin with so I really can't compare. I would need to do a book through them with better source images to get an honest opinion, though their reputation is quite good.

I know Black River Imaging has a 6-color upgrade option that is reasonably priced. I don't know how many colors Asuka uses. And I think Blurb, even with ProLine papers, is still only 4-color printing.

Should have my ProLine book tomorrow.

mercphoto

I've received some info direct from the suppliers that helps explain some of the differences.

Asuka: "We use a 6-color HP Indigo digital on demand printer, and the printer is calibrated every 100 prints. All AsukaBook products endure extensive research, development, and testing to ensure they are the best. Our products are assembled by hand with complete quality control and care. We use special inks that outlast the life of widely used press inks. A surface varnish coating or laminate is also applied, increasing durability and quality."

Black River Imaging also says they calibrate "several times per day".

digismile

I just received my Blurb book printed on Proline paper. I am very pleased with the quality and finish.

One image was probably not sharpened to my liking, but overall, very decent results for the price. The book was 38 pages, so it would have cost a small fortune to print from Asuka.

The only real "issue" is 12 x 12 seems pretty big. Wish they had 10 x 10. Also note that there is about a $20 premium if you want to replace the Blurb logo with your own (which I did).

mercphoto

I got my ProLine as well, and I was not impressed myself.