# Anyone gotten a book printed? (Short run, color pics) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [March 2, 2022, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373 "2022-03-02T22:38:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/1 "2022-03-02T22:38:43Z")
It’s going to be a birthday present for my mom. But not a surprise. She’s been writing up a history of her life (and her ancestors’). I’ve been editing it and scanning photos from her extensive shoeboxes of yellowing snapshots. So I’ve got it down (from 120+) to **48 pages**. Set up in InDesign, with 2-4 photos per page. I’d give the printer a **PDF**. So now I need to get 6-8 books made by mid-April (her Almost-100th-Birthday). Would love to have **hardcover** or a quality **coated paper cover**. But all of that is optional, given costs and time frame. So… are there quality options online? Places like _Shutterfly_ seem to be set up for 20-pages or less, using their templates. I had hopes for _Bookmobile_ (their order form let me specify paper weight and cover stock), but they have a minimum run of 25. I might have to give up online, and just find a short-run mom’n’pop print shop (in Southern Wisconsin, if you know someone…). Thanks for ANY help you can give! (Even if it’s just your best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend, who heard from this guy who knows this kid who works at 31 Flavors who got a book printed, it’s worth a try!) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/2 "2022-03-02T22:57:28Z")
Either UPS or FedEx can do printing chores on quality paper. They can give you clear plastic covers, or use heavy paper stock, and put in a variety of bindings (usually a variation of a coiled plastic binding). I did two genealogy books for family using UPS. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/3 "2022-03-02T23:00:05Z")
Try Blurb! I have and was pleased with the result. > **[Create, Print, & Sell Professional-Quality Photo Books | Blurb](https://www.blurb.com/)** > > Create, print, and sell professional-quality photo books, magazines and more with Blurb. Get started today with our free bookmaking and design tools. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/4 "2022-03-02T23:01:38Z")
I have taken jobs like that to the local print shop with a digital press. Is that a problem? Surely it is better to examine proofs in person than to order a job online only to find out something was screwed up. ETA I can’t remember which variant of PDF/X I used; better ask them what they require. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/5 "2022-03-02T23:48:45Z")
Back in 2018 I designed a book as a retirement gift for the company’s executive director (I was the company’s graphic designer). We only printed two copies because the publisher offered a “sample” book (or two) at a much lower price than other places I looked. The publisher was [BookBaby](https://www.bookbaby.com/Quoter/default.aspx), and I was able to get two hardcover books with color laminate covers and interior color for… under $100, I think. My design was letter-size and about 80 pages, but there were a dozen available formats, and the company didn’t seem picky about the number of pages. _However,_ I just checked out the site and it seems that the deal is now just **one** sample book for $99, and the next price break is 25 for about $800. There are multiple ways to order, and I didn’t check out all their print-on-demand options. If you need design assistance the price will get bumped up. I did not want any assistance, beyond the provided trim templates. I was very happy with the result, and the retiree (a good writer) couldn’t keep his eyes off the book during the party. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2022, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/6 "2022-03-03T00:26:59Z")
Surely your Mom has enough friends and relatives that 25 copies could easily be used up? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2022, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/7 "2022-03-03T02:06:24Z")
I can’t speak for digs, but maybe $800 isn’t a casual purchase for a birthday present. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/8 "2022-03-03T02:22:01Z")
I used to have photo books made at Walgreens. You could select a theme, drop in your photos, add text… Being that text is the dominant thing (instead of photos) it probably wouldn’t be easily edited with their interface. It would allow photos to be added, however. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2022, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/9 "2022-03-03T05:10:12Z")
So you’re looking for short-run, digital, color book printing. [AlphaGraphics](https://www.alphagraphics.com/print-services/manuals-catalogs) is probably the best-known national chain doing that, but lots of local and mail-order operations are around. [PrintPlace](https://www.printplace.com/products/catalogs) quotes me $1250 for 25 copies of a 48-page saddle-stitched, self-cover “catalog.” I’d also check [SharpDots](https://sharpdots.com/products/catalogs/) and [LewisColor](https://www.lewiscolor.com/copy-of-direct-mail). The tricky thing with “self-cover catalogs” is that the covers feel insubstantial. You can buy stiff covers that you insert the catalogs into, by hand for only two dozen, or talk with the printers about what options they might have. “Photo books” are designed with stiff covers. Besides the well-known photo book manufacturers already mentioned, take a look at [ClearStory,](https://myclearstory.com/) which quotes $40 for a 48-page book. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/10 "2022-03-03T13:04:59Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I can’t speak for digs, but maybe $800 isn’t a casual purchase for a birthday present. I can see them charging 10–25c per page, but $99 for a “sample” book? The only advantage of some online shop vs Mom and Pop is that the former might be cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/11 "2022-03-03T14:55:08Z")
Found an even more promising supplier hiding in my bookmarks: [https://www.shortrunprintingltd.com/viewQuote.php?QuoteResults=1&&QuoteID=563969](https://www.shortrunprintingltd.com/viewQuote.php?QuoteResults=1&&QuoteID=563969) 25 books, $320 shipped, perfect binding with heavier (but not stiff) covers. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/12 "2022-03-03T19:58:15Z")
Wow, I didn’t expect so many great suggestions. I’ll check all of these out. THANK YOU much! > [@DPRK](#): > > I have taken jobs like that to the local print shop with a digital press. Is that a problem? NO problem, I just assumed a half dozen would be too short a run (most of my design/pre-press experience is from back in the Offset Lithography days. But digital is a whole new animal, and maybe quantity isn’t a big factor). And, yes, seeing proofs would be great! . > [@PastTense](#): > > Surely your Mom has enough friends and relatives that 25 copies could easily be used up? You are way underestimating the _(I shouldn’t say boring, but maybe…)_ Highly Personalized nature of her reminiscences. I doubt her friends would care about long stories about her great-great-grandfather riding his horse from Round Prairie, MN to Long Prairie, MN… (though he _was_ the last survivor of the Mankato Indian Massacre, so that’s almost not boring). Six copies takes care of all her kids and grandchildren (not a very fertile family). ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/13 "2022-03-03T20:01:43Z")
> [@digs](#): > > NO problem, I just assumed a half dozen would be too short a run. But most of my design/pre-press experience is from back in the Offset Lithography days. But digital is a whole new animal, and maybe quantity isn’t a big factor. I forgot exactly what the place I most recently went to used, maybe some model of Xerox Versant, but I do not believe that with that form of printing they care about the quantity (unless it’s a big job, of course, in which case there are other technologies). ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/14 "2022-03-04T02:43:30Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I doubt her friends would care about long stories about her great-great-grandfather riding his horse from Round Prairie, MN to Long Prairie, MN I think their feelings could easily be hurt if they weren’t given a copy. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/15 "2022-03-04T06:56:48Z")
Ohhh, hadn’t even thought about that. Hmmm, she and her “Sorority Sisters” at the retirement home keep a library, and she could present them with a copy… one each, or just one for the library. It’s in the rec room where they all gather for bridge and NFL games, so would be very accessible). ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/16 "2022-03-04T11:51:49Z")
I printed out a 380 page, full color, 8.5x11" book from [Lulu.com](http://Lulu.com). I think I paid about $27 for each one. The quality was good for the pages, but the hard back, for this size, isn’t the greatest, the bottom corner has torn a bit. That might not be as big of a problem with a smaller book. They took a pdf no problem, and they have multiple sizes to make books from. They would be able to get it to you by Mid April. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/17 "2022-03-04T15:22:13Z")
I’ve done 3 books using [ubuildabook.com](https://ubuildabook.com/) way back in 2010. The last one I did was hardcover 8.5" x 8.5" (square), gloss paper, 34 pages, 5 copies. Cost was $182.00. Submitted to them as PDF. Very happy with the quality and the turn time. ETA: Just checked the price for the same book today - price is now $306.75 ---
**Author:** ![Macfries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@Macfries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macfries)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/18 "2022-03-04T16:03:20Z")
I am,a scoence fiction graphic novel. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/19 "2022-03-04T20:11:25Z")
I’ll second the SharpDots recommendation. I’ve used them in the past for some high-quality, short run digital printing that my regular vendors didn’t want to touch. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373/20 "2022-03-05T00:13:07Z")
> [@Macfries](#): > > I am,a scoence fiction graphic novel. Here, you lie down on the couch, and tell the nice man in the lab coat how long you’ve been a graphic novel… Seriously, I’d _love_ to know how you’re getting it printed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-gotten-a-book-printed-short-run-color-pics/960373.md?page=2)