help! Big Difference between hardcover & softcover printing

I ordered copies of the same book in hardcover and softcover.
The softcover looks fine but the hardcover has printed much darker.

The jacket on the hardcover has a green cast to it and has obliterated most of the highlights, it’s a black and white image. It printed so dark you can barley make out the image.

I understand the dust jackets may be printed on a different machine, but why the discrepancy between the inside pages? Even the color cast’s are different between the two.

How would you correct for this in the future? Do you need to have separate files for both hard and soft covers to make sure they print properly?

thanks for any help.

the book in question is here,
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/231446

- Jonathan

Posted by
jthnhale

May 12, 2008 12:58pm PDT

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After my post below I decided to analyze the images in my book. One image in particular ’ APPLE MARKET’ stands out as good black and white printing with just some very minor magenta casting at certain angles and in certain light. I seem to have given this image a bit more contrast than the others during the editing stage. Maybe paying more attention to achieving optimum contrast is part of the answer. Even so, if B/W images are important from a ‘Fine Art’ point of view, I would be reluctant to use blurb for the printing, as good as they otherwise are.

Posted by
islander1

May 13, 2008 1:49am PDT

Permalink

I also just got two copies of the same book (Standard Landscape 10×8 inches (25×20 cm), 30 pages Custom Logo Upgrade Premium Paper, lustre finish ), the Hardcover version is great, but the softcover has a distinct sepia tone to some of the images and a purple cast to other images. I’ve submitted a support request and hope that someone can explain this. I don’t understand why there would be a difference when the only the cover is different. (All photos were processed in Lightroom 3.0 and exported using the same color profile. see the original images here, they are all B&W except one color image

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=259142&id=562292155&l=7ab5abe526)

My client wants both hard and soft cover versions of the book and they need to be identical. And since Blurb doesn’t provide printer profiles the answer will be "sorry, please adjust the color in your photos and order another book."

Check the book here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1869335

Posted by
robholcomb

Jan 6, 2011 9:25pm PDT

Permalink

Hi robholcomb,

"And since Blurb doesn’t provide printer profiles the answer will be "sorry, please adjust the color in your photos and order another book."

We do actually provide a color profile specifically designed for our HP Indigo printers. You can find it, and loads of info on color management, here. Please do continue to work with your support rep so they can find a solution for you.

As all of our book pages are printed on the same type of machine, your page printing should be the same or similar (allowing for minor variation due to calibration levels).

Covers are indeed printed on a different type of press due to paper size limitations, and may look slightly different than the pages. However, your book pages should look similar regardless of the cover type you choose.

As this is an old thread I’m going to lock it to keep things fresh. Should anyone have a question not answered by the info above please either start a new thread or contact us here at customer support.

Regards,
Michael/Blurb Customer Support

Posted by
mikewhy

Jan 7, 2011 9:22am PDT

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Book Printing

help! Big Difference between hardcover & softcover printing

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help! Big Difference between hardcover & softcover printing I ordered copies of the same book in hardcover and softcover. The softcover looks fine but the hardcover has printed much darker. The jacket on the hardcover has a green cast to it and has obliterated most of the highlights, it’s a black and white image. It printed so dark you can barley make out the image. I understand the dust jackets may be printed on a different machine, but why the discrepancy between the inside pages? Even the color cast’s are different between the two. How would you correct for this in the future? Do you need to have separate files for both hard and soft covers to make sure they print properly? thanks for any help. the book in question is here, http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/231446 - Jonathan	Posted by jthnhale May 12, 2008 12:58pm PDT Permalink

After my post below I decided to analyze the images in my book. One image in particular ’ APPLE MARKET’ stands out as good black and white printing with just some very minor magenta casting at certain angles and in certain light. I seem to have given this image a bit more contrast than the others during the editing stage. Maybe paying more attention to achieving optimum contrast is part of the answer. Even so, if B/W images are important from a ‘Fine Art’ point of view, I would be reluctant to use blurb for the printing, as good as they otherwise are.	Posted by islander1 May 13, 2008 1:49am PDT Permalink

I also just got two copies of the same book (Standard Landscape 10×8 inches (25×20 cm), 30 pages Custom Logo Upgrade Premium Paper, lustre finish ), the Hardcover version is great, but the softcover has a distinct sepia tone to some of the images and a purple cast to other images. I’ve submitted a support request and hope that someone can explain this. I don’t understand why there would be a difference when the only the cover is different. (All photos were processed in Lightroom 3.0 and exported using the same color profile. see the original images here, they are all B&W except one color image http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=259142&id=562292155&l=7ab5abe526) My client wants both hard and soft cover versions of the book and they need to be identical. And since Blurb doesn’t provide printer profiles the answer will be "sorry, please adjust the color in your photos and order another book." Check the book here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1869335	Posted by robholcomb Jan 6, 2011 9:25pm PDT Permalink

Hi robholcomb, "And since Blurb doesn’t provide printer profiles the answer will be "sorry, please adjust the color in your photos and order another book." We do actually provide a color profile specifically designed for our HP Indigo printers. You can find it, and loads of info on color management, here. Please do continue to work with your support rep so they can find a solution for you. As all of our book pages are printed on the same type of machine, your page printing should be the same or similar (allowing for minor variation due to calibration levels). Covers are indeed printed on a different type of press due to paper size limitations, and may look slightly different than the pages. However, your book pages should look similar regardless of the cover type you choose. As this is an old thread I’m going to lock it to keep things fresh. Should anyone have a question not answered by the info above please either start a new thread or contact us here at customer support. Regards, Michael/Blurb Customer Support	Posted by mikewhy Jan 7, 2011 9:22am PDT Permalink