I just received my first custom photo book order from Blurb, and
thought others might be interested in my experience / review. (If
nothing else, Google Groups can archive this for the next person
researching photo book printing...)

This was my first photo book - a photo journal of a trip to the Rocky
Mountains. I decided to make it as a Christmas present for my sister,
who took the trip with me. (She doesn't read photo newsgroups, as far
as I know.) Blurb was the third self-publisher I tried out. The first
was MyPublisher.com. I actually put together a 40-page book with their
software, and it was ready to go, but was a little reluctant to
actually place the order. I wasn't 100% pleased with the book I had
assembled; I found their pre-defined page layouts a little restrictive,
and I wasn't a huge fan of the cover style. There were a few other
things that didn't sit right with me, and while at one point I had
actually typed in my credit card number and was ready to hit "Order", I
decided to check out my other options.

I looked at Viovio next, primarily because they allow you to upload a
PDF to print. I liked that idea, but when I actually tried my hand at
page layout, I was terrible at it, and it was a lot of work. I didn't
have the time to learn page layout software, so I dropped that plan. I
didn't like Viovio's other printing option (automatic layout, with
little or no text), so I ended up at Blurb.

I've been very pleased with both Blurb's software and their support - I
think all my questions were responded to within 24 hours. Their product
range is limited, but their 10x8 hardcover (with dust jacket) was
almost exactly what I was looking for.

Books are assembled using their BookSmart software. It's fast and
simple, but you don't have full creative control. Pick a style/theme,
pick templates for the dust jacket and individual pages, and drop text
and pictures into the predefined text/image area. There were a few
cases where I couldn't find a layout that exactly had what I wanted,
but for the most part, I liked their selection. They seemed a little
more varied and flexible than MyPublisher's.

The templates are very nicely designed, and look quite professional. By
biggest problem with them is that the front and back flaps, front and
back cover, and spine, are all linked as a single template. There are
only a few dust cover templates available, so I had to make a
compromise: I wanted a full-bleed image on the front cover, and this
prevented me from getting the back cover I liked. I ended up leaving
the back cover blank (the template has a full-bleed image on it, but I
didn't put anything there).

Blurb adds a small bar code to the lower-right corner of the back
cover, and this is not visible in the layout software. It looks like
it's possible to accidentally end up with this bar code covering an
important part of your cover. Also, the last page cannot be changed: it
has another bar code, and a small Blurb logo. Every other page can be
changed, including the one that's automatically added at the beginning
with text declaring that the page layouts are copyrighted by Blurb,
Inc.

I divided my book into four chapters (one for each day of the trip).
The software automatically propogated the book title, chapter title,
and page numbers onto every page (though you can remove this if you
want). The templates are smart enough to -not- put any of this
information on pages with full-bleed photos.

Blurb's pricing is different than most other places I looked into. Most
places charge a flat rate for the first 40 pages (or whatever), and
then a price per page after that. Blurb charges in blocks: a book
anywhere from 20 t0 40 pages is one price, then 41 to 80 pages is
another price, etc. This is actually nice; my book ended up a little
over 60 pages long, and it's nice to know that adding a couple blank
pages, or tossing in one extra picture, is free.

Print quality is...about what I expected. It's book-quality, really.
Not as nice as prints, but way cheaper. Viewed from normal reading
distance, the pictures look fine. If you look closely, the individual
dots are visible quickly enough. The text (which is solid-colour, white
in my case) is of excellent print quality. To my eye, the front cover
image (on the dust cover) is a little lower-quality than the interior
of the book.

Blurb does not do any colour manipulation. This was a first for me -
I've always had prints made at labs that do automatic colour
correction, and have never requested otherwise. However, I have a
calibrated monitor. My RAW files were all developed in the sRGB colour
space, which Blurb assured me was perfect. Some of the pictures seem a
-touch- darker than I expected (again, the dust cover seems worst), but
on the whole, no complaints.

The paper feels good quality. However, the pages and back cover of my
book are black, and they pick up fingerprints very easily. Not a
problem with Blurb, but something to consider when designing a book.

A few notes on shipping: I shipped to Canada via UPS Ground. I thought
I was going to be hit with large customs brokerage fees, but the
declared value of the package was $6, so there were no fees. I checked
the packing slip, and the books have been declared as $3 each. I'm not
sure if this is the value of the raw materials or what. (Or, as someone
suggested, they looked at the pictures and decided "Yeah, this is worth
about three bucks.") Either way, it saved me from the hassle of doing
my own brokerage to avoid UPS's fees.

The books (I ordered two) were individually shrink-wrapped, and packed
in a flat cardboard mailer. They arrived in excellent condition. The
package shipped from iPads.com (in Seattle), not Blurb. I don't know if
these companies are affiliated in any way, or if Blurb simply
outsources their printing.

Overall, I'm quite pleased. I'm sure I'll have more books printed in
the future, and unless I want full control over page layout, I see no
reason not to go with Blurb. My 66-page books cost $35 USD each, which
I consider quite reasonable. A friend that used to work in the printing
industry has suggested that I might be able to get a small local print
shop to make a similar book for the same price (of course, that would
require doing my own layout).

And whether you go with Blurb or not, I heartily recommend getting a
book printed, just for the experience of opening the package and seeing
your name printed on the spine. My biggest disappointed right now is
that I'm running out of people to show it to...

- Darryl