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09/24/2012 03:49:07 PM · #1 |
Hey all
For the last few years I got calendars printed up by a friend at a print company. She left, so I want to go through Henry's Moments Photofinishing to get my calendars done this year. Especially where possible, I want to be able to do full-page bleeds. The pages are 8.5 in x 11 in, landscape orientation.
So I began to dig up the RAWs of the images I want on the calendar and set the crop to 8.5x11 in. Well, I go to load them up on the calendar-building module and guess what, my images are uploading at 222% which of course would result in a crap quality image. I do plan to email the company involved to find out what dimensions my pix do need to be so I can max out the ones that are capable of bleeding, but in the meantime would like to throw this bye y'all to see what suggestions you might have...anyone had similar issues or know how to fix it?
Thanks much! |
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09/24/2012 04:00:03 PM · #2 |
All of those "template" layout things drive me crazy ... I just ordered my first photobook (Shutterfly made an offer I couldn't refuse), and all of my pictures would import as tiny squares which I had to stretch to fit the page, even though I know the files themselves are 300dpi at the final, printed page size.
I suggest that, if your files are at the final size (plus 1/8" bleed) at 300dpi, then don't worry if it has to be "stretched' in the layout, it is probably an artifact of the way the code for the layout is written.
You could also see if they have any technical support by phone or online chat.
Most places will give you a refund if there's a problem; you could order one test copy first ... |
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09/24/2012 08:27:48 PM · #3 |
Tech support was actually helpful in this case ;-)
Just heard back from them and they suggest 2550x3300 for 8.5x11 bleeds. Sadly, in the case of some of the images I wanted to use, the original RAW couldn't be found. But sometimes I scared up a tif or the original DPC entry, simply as at the time I couldn't even envision a life for those images, post-DPC. So I may do some more image-juggling, but it's early yet. |
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09/24/2012 08:39:01 PM · #4 |
Easy way to figure out pixel size is take the size of the print you want, say 16x24 and multiply each side by 300 (dpi) to get the size.
So
16x300 = 4800
24 x 300 = 7200
So you want a file sized 4800x7200 which will give you a print size of 16x24 at 300 dpi |
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09/25/2012 08:21:16 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by MinsoPhoto:
Easy way to figure out pixel size is take the size of the print you want, say 16x24 and multiply each side by 300 (dpi) to get the size.
So
16x300 = 4800
24 x 300 = 7200
So you want a file sized 4800x7200 which will give you a print size of 16x24 at 300 dpi |
True, easy enough to figure out when you look at it that way - I'm a bit dyslexic when it comes to math. For the $$ I'll be forking out for these calendars, I sure as hell want them to look good. |
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09/25/2012 08:52:45 AM · #6 |
I have used lulu.com and they do a great job with calendars. Their production cost is $12.49 qty 1 for a 12-month calendar. Larger size (13 1/2 x 19 in) is 23.49 qty 1. They have a 20% off sale thru 9/30 (that gives you LOTS of time...). Quantity discounts kick in at 5 - $9.99 ea or $19.49 ea.
Pixel size for 8 1/2 x 11 (full bleed 8 3/4 x 11 1/4) is: 2625 x 3375
Pixel size for 13 1/2 x 19 (full bleed 13 3/4 x 19 1/4) is: 4125 x 5775
Good luck with your calendars - I'm sure they will be beautiful!
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09/25/2012 08:55:58 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
All of those "template" layout things drive me crazy ... I just ordered my first photobook (Shutterfly made an offer I couldn't refuse), and all of my pictures would import as tiny squares which I had to stretch to fit the page, even though I know the files themselves are 300dpi at the final, printed page size.
I suggest that, if your files are at the final size (plus 1/8" bleed) at 300dpi, then don't worry if it has to be "stretched' in the layout, it is probably an artifact of the way the code for the layout is written.
You could also see if they have any technical support by phone or online chat.
Most places will give you a refund if there's a problem; you could order one test copy first ... |
I use Shutterfly for books all the time. I've never had to stretch an image. Are you sure you used full size images? Have you received the book yet? |
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09/25/2012 09:13:52 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by dtremain:
I have used lulu.com and they do a great job with calendars. Their production cost is $12.49 qty 1 for a 12-month calendar. Larger size (13 1/2 x 19 in) is 23.49 qty 1. They have a 20% off sale thru 9/30 (that gives you LOTS of time...). Quantity discounts kick in at 5 - $9.99 ea or $19.49 ea.
Pixel size for 8 1/2 x 11 (full bleed 8 3/4 x 11 1/4) is: 2625 x 3375
Pixel size for 13 1/2 x 19 (full bleed 13 3/4 x 19 1/4) is: 4125 x 5775
Good luck with your calendars - I'm sure they will be beautiful! |
+1. love lulu! |
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09/25/2012 01:51:13 PM · #9 |
| Ok so I've looked both at Moments Photofinishing (Henry's) and lulu.com. Both seem capable of producing good quality images, but one thing I've noticed is that you HAVE to choose a theme - and I don't want to be stuck having to do go through and use only images that are suitable for a full-page bleeds. There are some I want to do as square crops and others are dpc-size, and I've lost or misplaced the RAWS for them. Any way around this obstacle that anyone knows of? |
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09/25/2012 01:57:35 PM · #10 |
| As far as image size, you can probably get away with a resolution as low as 150dpi (at the final print size), and with Photoshop you can probably upsample the image a bit (115-150%) -- zoom in and view it at 100% to verify that you still have sufficient detail and sharpness, and no pixelization. Other than that, what I did (for a photobook) was to make a full-page collage out of the small images at their full resolution, and avoid using any preformatting or borders on their template. |
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09/25/2012 04:17:26 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
As far as image size, you can probably get away with a resolution as low as 150dpi (at the final print size), and with Photoshop you can probably upsample the image a bit (115-150%) -- zoom in and view it at 100% to verify that you still have sufficient detail and sharpness, and no pixelization. Other than that, what I did (for a photobook) was to make a full-page collage out of the small images at their full resolution, and avoid using any preformatting or borders on their template. |
absolutely, this is the way to go. just pull your image into ps and change your canvas size to whatever the size is for a full-page bleed. the only other thing you need to take into consideration with lulu is to allow for 1/4" buffer at the bottom for the spiral and to allow for almost the same at the top for the hole. not that it matters to the overall sizing, but just in terms of cropping and placement. |
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09/25/2012 04:46:03 PM · #12 |
*headdesk* *headdesk* There, I feel a little bit better. Why oh why did my friend leave that print company?...things were a lot easier, going through her. *sigh*
Still having problems (trying first on Henrys then will take a crack at Lulu), even though I did go and rework the RAWs (for images where I still have the original files) and set them to crop to scale with the Crop tool at 300 dpi. Then I checked the dimensions were correct, as they were in Image Size...but I didn't do Canvas Size. Is that what I need to do?
ETA...OK so I have finally figured out why I was having upload issues even with maxed-out file sizes, I forgot to use the Regular uploader instead of the Fast one.
But I'll still get grief when I try to upload images that are 8x8 or 8x5.5. So wondering if I can import those images into a new PS file, create a whitefield around them (as though they were centred on the calendar) and size the whole mess at the maxed-out dimensions it needs to be....stay tuned!!
PS for the lulu peeps...yep lulu looks pretty good too and also has the full page bleed option, but Henry's is local so I can go pick up the calendars and not have to pay shipping. Besides I use Henry's for all my client prints, I know they do a good job. Just have to figure out the size issues and I should have a killer calendar soon. Thanks much for the info on lulu! :-)
Message edited by author 2012-09-25 17:11:19. |
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09/25/2012 10:50:18 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by snaffles:
But I'll still get grief when I try to upload images that are 8x8 or 8x5.5. So wondering if I can import those images into a new PS file, create a whitefield around them (as though they were centred on the calendar) and size the whole mess at the maxed-out dimensions it needs to be....stay tuned!! |
This is exactly what  Skip meant when he said to enlarge the Canvas to the final page size. If you have an 8x8 image, set the BG color to white, then set the canvas size to 8-1/2x11 (or whatever the final size has to be) and you're all set. |
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09/26/2012 09:09:12 AM · #14 |
| Yep, I get the gist of what Skip and you meant. One last question though: when I combine the image and white bg, should it be in Canvas Size or Image Size? And why? |
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09/26/2012 09:53:20 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by snaffles:
Yep, I get the gist of what Skip and you meant. One last question though: when I combine the image and white bg, should it be in Canvas Size or Image Size? And why? |
pardon my bad mood, but try both and see what happens... |
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09/26/2012 10:35:43 AM · #16 |
Originally posted by dtremain:
I have used lulu.com and they do a great job with calendars. Their production cost is $12.49 qty 1 for a 12-month calendar. Larger size (13 1/2 x 19 in) is 23.49 qty 1. They have a 20% off sale thru 9/30 (that gives you LOTS of time...). Quantity discounts kick in at 5 - $9.99 ea or $19.49 ea.
Pixel size for 8 1/2 x 11 (full bleed 8 3/4 x 11 1/4) is: 2625 x 3375
Pixel size for 13 1/2 x 19 (full bleed 13 3/4 x 19 1/4) is: 4125 x 5775
Good luck with your calendars - I'm sure they will be beautiful! |
LOVE LuLu...been using them for about 4 years at about $12 a pop for my "gifts" and you can do a listing (for free) to sell any of your calenders...I usually make up about 3 variations each year...ck it out..the sale above is really, really good... |
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09/26/2012 10:41:59 AM · #17 |
| In many ways, the easiest way to do this is to create a new file in photoshop (open>new) with a white background and a page size the same as your calendar page size. Save this as "Calendar BG" and keep it open. Now open the image you want to put in the calendar, flatten it if it has layers, select all, and copy. Click on the blank white file and paste. Then scale the pasted image (edit>transform>scale) to what you want it to be within the white background, and save-as "Calendar January" or whatever. Then open a new copy of "Calendar BG", a new image, and repeat as above. |
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09/26/2012 10:43:32 AM · #18 |
Originally posted by snaffles:
PS for the lulu peeps...yep lulu looks pretty good too and also has the full page bleed option, but Henry's is local so I can go pick up the calendars and not have to pay shipping. Besides I use Henry's for all my client prints, I know they do a good job. Just have to figure out the size issues and I should have a killer calendar soon. Thanks much for the info on lulu! :-) |
Not sure what the shipping is...but I don't remember that it's out of this world (and I would remember that) I know they are fast, efficient and high quality for the paper, much better than Costco (who tweaked my pictures for tonal quality (and yes I told them to leave them alone) it was awful, Shutterfly also over saturated my pictures (reprinted with lulu and no changes and they were just fine). I think those are the calender companies that I've used. I usually order about 12 or more calenders a year. I'm all for using local, keep it at home IF they can deliver a great product.
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09/26/2012 01:51:06 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by Ja-9:
LOVE LuLu... and you can do a listing (for free) to sell any of your calenders... |
Hmmm ... how does that work? |
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09/26/2012 02:32:56 PM · #20 |
never mind, tremain did it much better
Message edited by author 2012-09-26 14:47:08. |
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09/26/2012 02:45:40 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by Ja-9:
LOVE LuLu... and you can do a listing (for free) to sell any of your calenders... |
Hmmm ... how does that work? |
Lulu uses a pricing structure that includes three parts:
1) Production costs - set by lulu and author can get bulk quantity discounts
2) Author's Profit - set by the author
3) Lulu's commission - 25% of Author's Profit
So, if you want to publish a 12 month standard calendar, the production cost would be $12.49. You want to make $4 on each calendar. Lulu's profit is $1 (25% of $4). This makes the selling price of the calendar $17.49. Lulu's explanation is different (20% of total profit on the item), but it works out the same.
Lulu offers author web sites, as well as access to your published work on their web site (click Buy tab or select the category & enter the author / title), where people can order your calendar. Customers pay $17.49 plus shipping & handling. Lulu processes the order, ships it to the customer, and handles customer complaints. Lulu pays you (monthly via Paypal or quarterly via paper check).
You can check out my site at //www.lulu.com/spotlight/tremain
Besides calendars, Lulu also offers photo book, cookbook, poetry book, paperback, hardback, and ebook publishing. You can also do retail publishing for books (through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iStore, etc.)
Another nice thing they do is if you are selling your project to the public with no profit, Lulu waives their share of the profit - otherwise, there is a minimum fee for lulu's commission).
Also, at lulu, the author retains copyright for the work, and there is no non-compete clause. Of course, they strongly suggest setting the same retail price on lulu as it is anywhere else. |
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09/26/2012 03:00:47 PM · #22 |
| OK -- thanks. I've also been planning to do some ebook publishing through a similar site, so I'm guessing it'll be much the same. I don't know how many people will pay $20 for a photo calendar, but I guess if you're making one anyway it can't hurt to put it out there. |
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09/26/2012 03:13:05 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
... Nobody ever bought mine... So I don't know how they handle the actual payouts... |
See my other post. I got a paper check from lulu for items ordered through the web site. If you set up getting paid through Paypal, they pay monthly (for prior month's revenue).
Biggest issue with trying to sell through lulu is getting noticed in all the noise. For example, if you search for calendars, you will find ones for 2009 that the authors haven't retired. So, customers have to wade through tons of garbage to find anything they really want.
Second issue is that huge production cost - your sunk cost is about $12.50, so you have to sell them for $15 or $20 to make any money - which is tough when you can buy calendars at Wal-Mart for $4.
Your best bet with Lulu is to have a special interest calendar - like a local car club, and work through them to point folks to your products. Otherwise, it is up to you to do the marketing. Lulu does offer promotional packages (for a fee), but I've been too cheap to use them.
The part I love about it is they totally take care of taking orders, fulfilling orders, shipping, collecting money, etc.
The second best part of lulu is that because they are a print on demand publisher, you do not have to carry any stock and there is no minimum order quantity.
Generally, I have been very happy with Lulu's quality - it definitely is not a cheap Wal-Mart calendar quality-wise. I have had problems with paperback book covers (they worked with me until we got it right, and replaced the books with the bad covers at no cost), and with bad binding on perfect bound books (which they also made right). |
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09/26/2012 03:18:08 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by snaffles:
PS for the lulu peeps...yep lulu looks pretty good too and also has the full page bleed option, but Henry's is local so I can go pick up the calendars and not have to pay shipping. |
Definitely something to be said for being able to walk in, look someone in the eye, show them the results, and have a conversation about fixing it if there is a problem. |
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09/26/2012 03:19:45 PM · #25 |
| Any psychoanalysts out there who can tell me why all my posts are HUGE? Sorry... |
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