Blurb Forums

Hello Tomas,

I think you might find this article on our blog very helpful.

-Ben

Senior Technical Support Specialist

Hello Tomas,

I shoot and edit in RGB.  I convert to the sRGB profile for output.  By doing your own in house printing you have eliminated working the sRGB colorspace.  From what I have learned your Epson printer still doesn’t have the entire  RGB colorspace.  I have only had tutorials from Eddie Tapp concerning this issue. Eddie has taught me that there are no printers that will print the whole gammut.  I print on a simple Canon i990.  It is not a sophicated enough printer to use Icc profiles and rips.   I have had to learn perceptual rendering.  For my use this printer has enough bells and whistles.  All I print on this thing is sports posters.  Eddie asked me if the thing has paid for itself.  The answer is yes over and over again.  I send out 99% of my work.  I do portrature and sell senior portrait packages.  Its not economical to print my own stuff. 

I admire your commitment to color as I feel that it the biggest issue a photographer has.   Now about blurb.  When I prepare a file for use in a book I make sure I work in sRGB.  I have asked why not have us work in the cmyk space and the response was that the conversion was best done at the time of printing. 

There are ICC profiles for the printers that  blurb uses and I have yet to use them. I have never calibrated my monitor with my output printing service. (I do calibrate my monitor with an eye one every 2 weeks)  When I requested the ICC profiles I was told they don’t exist.  The recalibrate so often they won’t publish them.  I have found that the color management of my preferred printer stinks so I have learned to see what I will get from them by checking the numerical values of the highlights.  I have also used those numerical values in my blurb printing and have to say I am quite pleased. 

Blurb may not be what you are looking for.  Most large color coffee table books being printed by large publishing houses are printed in China.  I have learned that there is very little printing being done in the United States any more.  I have a relative in the publishing business and when I showed her my blurb books she was astounded to fine that these books were printed domestically.

I  think you should try a sample blurb book.  There is a recipe written by another blurbarian about seeing what blurb sees http://forums.blurb.com/forums/2/topics/203.  I intend to give this a try on my next blurb adventure.  

Regards

Pat T 

Hi Pat,

You refer to a color recipe and give a link. On my Mac with Safari, the link doesn’t go anywhere. I’m interested. Any other ways to get there?

Ann B

Sorry for the bad link.  There is a disclaimer on this article that that states that this recipe is working for him, his profile his monitor calibration.  BUT  I played with it and found it very interesting.

 As for China,  I was only relaying information concerning where the large expensive coffee table books are being printed.  

Thanks Brian for your imput.   I also would rather not purchase goods made in China, but I would rather keep my blurb discussions related to blurb issues and solutions.  Your posts are informative and I read and enjoy  them.  Thanks!!

Regards to all 

Pat T