What do you recommend for a high quality photo book service?

Question

I'm looking for a reliable photo book printing service that allows the option of uploading a high quality PDF or Indesign file, but also prints using high quality photo prints.

I've used Blurb, but their print quality, even on the higher quality paper, is on par with a high quality magazine print. While I'm not disappointed with the quality for the prices I've paid, I'm wanting to use a higher quality printer for my next project.

Has anyone found a service that does actual photo quality prints for their books, and still allows for completely custom books without using their custom software? The other requirement is that they allow for small print runs. I'm only wanting to have one or two books printed.

Answer

You bet... two labs that I've specifically used for making custom photo books are:

• Bay Photo
• White House Custom Color

They both have product lines that include a variety of different configurations (book size, # of pages, paper choice, cover options and materials, etc.), quantity of books ordered (1 or 2 is a common request), and will use 4-color or 6-color offset printing, so it will be much higher quality than Blurb, Cafepress, etc.

If you want the absolute best-of-the-best quality, and money is no object, the other option I can think of is to look into wedding album manufacturers such as:

• Asuka Book
• Leather Craftsman
• La Vie

They may be 'wedding album companies,' but there's nothing saying you're only 'allowed' to create wedding albums... But you'll want to be prepared for sticker shock. The costs are way higher than you'll pay through something like Blurb... On the other hand, the quality and customization are also top-notch, and the final product is going to have a 'look and feel' that Blurb simply will not be able to match. Additionally, these companies cater to businesses, not individuals, so you may have to jump through some additional hoops in order to use them.

Full Disclosure: I am a customer of all the companies mentioned above in my photography business, so I can personally attest to their top-notch quality... I don't get anything for mentioning them here, though, and there are other album manufacturers out there... These are just the ones I happen to be familiar with.

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