Professional Photographer Submission Guidelines
Book Size and layout
PhotoBook Press books are available in square, portrait or landscape shapes. Standard page sizes are:
-
Square
- 12 (w) x 12 (h) inches – hard and soft covers
- 10 (w) x 10 (h) inches – hard and soft covers
- 9 (w) x 9 (h) inches – hard and soft covers
- 10 (w) x 12 (h) inches – hard and soft covers
- 9 (w) x 12 (h) inches – hard and soft covers
- 8 (w) x 10 (h) inches – hard and soft covers
- 12 (w) x 10 (h) inches – hard and soft covers
- 12 (w) x 9 (h) inches – hard and soft covers
- 10 (w) x 8 (h) inches – hard and soft covers
Portrait
Landscape
Hard bound books with sewn signature books are constructed with 12-page sewn signatures starting with 3 signatures, or 36 pages. A nicely sized sewn book typically has 6 to 12 signatures, or 72 to 144 pages (1 page = 1 side). However, higher page counts
(more than 200 pages) are easily accommodated and we make them all the time.
Soft cover books (and glued spine hard cover books) are constructed using
perfect binding (glued spine) construction. Soft cover page counts run from 20 to 120 in multiples of 2 pages.
Fine books typically have several pages in the front and in the back for “front” and “back” matter, which includes the title pages, dedications, etc., and which add substance to the content and are important to the longevity of the book. Often the first and last pages are blank.
- Sixty to one hundred twenty photographs make a very complete and beautiful book.
- Additional images are easily accommodated.
PhotoBook photographs can be placed one (or few) on a page for a classic and elegant look, and combined with headings, captions and full text to develop a truly custom presentation. Multiple images on a page, full bleed and full spread presentations are possible and are beautiful additions to a classic look. Magazine style pages with many images on each page are easily accommodated. The use of text to identify people, locations, dates, thoughts and feelings insures that the PhotoBook has the information content required to last the ages.
PhotoBook page layout should consider the fold in the gutter (the middle of the book). Typical layouts with white space provide a 0.5-inch margin on the outside, top and bottom edges, and 0.625-inch in the gutter. Full bleed (all the way to the edge of the page) and full spread (spanning two pages) images are common and quite beautifully treated in these PhotoBooks.
- Full bleed requires an extra 0.125-inch extension of the image on all sides.
- Full spread requires placement of the subject to one side, not centered on the gutter.
Image File Submission
Digital images can be received in any standard digital format. However, high-resolution sRGB images are requested in JPEG, PSD, or TIFF. We prefer layered PSD if you are doing the layout. Any flattened image is suitable if we are doing the layout. We will convert to CMYK (and preserve color in the process). Our Design Tool software only accepts JPEGs. No RAW images, please.
- Image resolution should allow at least 300 dpi in the printed size. If you are not sure, provide us the maximum resolution possible and we will size it to fit the page.
- Embed the color profile in every image.
Images can be received by electronic transmission using ftp (file transfer protocol). Delivery by CD/DVDs is also welcome. When using the Design Tool, the completed book with images is automatically uploaded to our ftp server.
- Use our convenient ftp upload available by clicking on the button on the home page.
Document Submission
Complete documents can be imported as long as all images and fonts are included. Adobe inDesign “package for print” submissions are preferred. Adobe PhotoShop, and Acrobat PDF documents with CMYK images and embedded fonts are accepted.
