Making a Coffetable Album

[seankyh]

Hi all,
I have seen some amazing work here regarding these things called coffe table albums - Weddings, babies etc.

Would like to know some details

1) What software would be the best to do the layout? Adobe Illustrator or just Photoshop would do?

2) What are the typical sizes of each page that one should work with? What would be suitable for printing?

3) Are there any printshops in Singapore that would accept these kind of jobs? Any recommendations that you can provide?

4) After printing it, how do I mount it onto a nice album? Are there shops that sell these kind of albums?

 

[LENS]

Hello, i would like to know those answers too.

So any standard size for a coffee table book? Most of the consumer injet printer is able to print up to A4 size photo paper only, right?

I am trying to use photoshop to create the layout, i am wondering if i want to insert the photo, do i have to change the image size (making it less smaller files)? or just scale it(i assume the files size is still same)?

 

[MatthewSCL]

Hi all,
I have seen some amazing work here regarding these things called coffe table albums - Weddings, babies etc.

Would like to know some details

1) What software would be the best to do the layout? Adobe Illustrator or just Photoshop would do?

2) What are the typical sizes of each page that one should work with? What would be suitable for printing?

3) Are there any printshops in Singapore that would accept these kind of jobs? Any recommendations that you can provide?

4) After printing it, how do I mount it onto a nice album? Are there shops that sell these kind of albums?

1) Anyone will do as long as u are familiar with what u are using.
2) Any size as long as u can find the right size of album and a place for you to print those weird sizes. Anyway, usually got for 8R would be the safest.
3) Print shops basically treat them as normal prints. Since they are in JPG most of the time.
I believe Beautiful memories at standford house near city hall is coming out to do these types of coffee table book for people..but charges are quite high..
4) Paste the photos using those roller glue which looks like a liquid paper. For albums look for gloryworkz.

 

[MatthewSCL]

Hello, i would like to know those answers too.

1) So any standard size for a coffee table book? Most of the consumer injet printer is able to print up to A4 size photo paper only, right?

2) I am trying to use photoshop to create the layout, i am wondering if i want to insert the photo, do i have to change the image size (making it less smaller files)? or just scale it(i assume the files size is still same)?

1) yes. if you want it easy way, go buy canon printer and the easy to make album with 2 sided printing paper. You can create the coffee table book style using photo record loh...simple and easy to use.

2) As long as you are working on the correct size (example: 8inch by 10inch), rescale or so will not have much inpact on the final outcome. Just make sure you dont have any low resolution images cos they would not look good if you print big loh..

 

[stnicholas81]

i got answers to ur solution.

1) Pay me and i do for u =P just kidding. Well it depends on what are ur expectations. Using a true blue layout software like indesign, quark is the way to go as they are the standards for DTP. alternatively, iphoto does a neat job too, and u can send staright to apple for publishing. Free hand is good too but hard to use. and NO! NO! NO! NO! illustrator is not meant for DTP. Photoshop can la but not true blue.
check this: http://www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto/books/

2)Any size man. just to tell u the odd size is more expensize. stick to conventional size if u want. Y not u lay everything out and do digital print. ur photo wont drop out, u dont have to manually paste them and ur digital print can take the texture of the paper u print them on.

3) Simple Digital at Bras Basa. Look for william.

4) Spray mount is the best, its even. dun use glue -> 1. it makes the paper soggy. -> if it is too thick it will overflow and can be messy.

Lastly: wat are u looking for exactly? the way u put it sounds like u want to create a scrap book. Get a plain book from book binders and paste ur photo in. Coffee table book is printed, u dont paste photos in it. If u need advice, PM me, charges in coffee at starbucks~!

 

[LENS]

1) yes. if you want it easy way, go buy canon printer and the easy to make album with 2 sided printing paper. You can create the coffee table book style using photo record loh...simple and easy to use.

2) As long as you are working on the correct size (example: 8inch by 10inch), rescale or so will not have much inpact on the final outcome. Just make sure you dont have any low resolution images cos they would not look good if you print big loh..

Hello Matthew,

I have rather stupid question, i will create a document in photoshop, a layout size..let's say is good enough for two 6R photo. But the photo i have is 1800x1200, when i cut and past to the layout, it is much bigger than that layout, so i will just scale it till it fits that layout. I am wondering.. will that the right way to do, as the photo printout quality won't affect? or i need to change the image size to fit my layout by tell 6inx4in, etc..

 

[stnicholas81]

iphoto coffeetable bk:

Drag drop n print~! BUT currently they do not have the service in sg. =P

 

[LENS]

2)Any size man. just to tell u the odd size is more expensize. stick to conventional size if u want. Y not u lay everything out and do digital print. ur photo wont drop out, u dont have to manually paste them and ur digital print can take the texture of the paper u print them on.

Lastly: wat are u looking for exactly? the way u put it sounds like u want to create a scrap book. Get a plain book from book binders and paste ur photo in. Coffee table book is printed, u dont paste photos in it. If u need advice, PM me, charges in coffee at starbucks~![/quote]

Hi Nicholas,

What is the conventional size? would you mind to share? the size that is widely accepted by printing company.

 

[MatthewSCL]

Hello Matthew,

I have rather stupid question, i will create a document in photoshop, a layout size..let's say is good enough for two 6R photo. But the photo i have is 1800x1200, when i cut and past to the layout, it is much bigger than that layout, so i will just scale it till it fits that layout. I am wondering.. will that the right way to do, as the photo printout quality won't affect? or i need to change the image size to fit my layout by tell 6inx4in, etc..

i would suggest resize after u paste. That will give you a better control over the layout. Else u need to change size again and paste, if not correct, change and paste again, and again...and again and again,,:embrass:

 

[MatthewSCL]

2)Any size man. just to tell u the odd size is more expensize. stick to conventional size if u want. Y not u lay everything out and do digital print. ur photo wont drop out, u dont have to manually paste them and ur digital print can take the texture of the paper u print them on.

Lastly: wat are u looking for exactly? the way u put it sounds like u want to create a scrap book. Get a plain book from book binders and paste ur photo in. Coffee table book is printed, u dont paste photos in it. If u need advice, PM me, charges in coffee at starbucks~!

Hi Nicholas,

What is the conventional size? would you mind to share? the size that is widely accepted by printing company.[/QUOTE]

huh? arent the sizes 4R, 5R, 6R, 8R..etc?..i am getting more and more confused from the way you asked the questions...if you have funny sizes, you can print on those standard size and then cut yourself loh...

 

[stnicholas81]

Hi Nicholas,

What is the conventional size? would you mind to share? the size that is widely accepted by printing company.

huh? arent the sizes 4R, 5R, 6R, 8R..etc?..i am getting more and more confused from the way you asked the questions...if you have funny sizes, you can print on those standard size and then cut yourself loh...[/quote]

Seriously a coffe table book is not a book where u print photos and just compile together. right here we are talking about laying them out nicely and printing them out and binding them together into a book. I thin what the threadstarter is saying is he just want to get a book and paste photos inside. thats more like scrapbooking.

Conventional sizes i mean is ISO size. A4, A3, B4, etc for books. My way of doing coffee table books is lay them out according to asthetics and print. thats frm my understanding.

Seiously I dont get what the threadstarter wants either. Y do he need to paste anything at all if he is doing a coffee table book?

 

[MatthewSCL]

Seiously I dont get what the threadstarter wants either. Y do he need to paste anything at all if he is doing a coffee table book?

Probably he is refering to doing the photos layout from software and then printing the layout page and then paste on those professional albums. and not sticking each photos on the page itself.

 

[seankyh]

To MatthewCSL, StNicholas81 and LENS, thank you for the discussion. It has helped me decide on what I need to do.

Yes. I understand that coffeetable book is NOT scrapbooking. Always thought they were somehow connected, but there is no hard and fast rule right? I mean each page in a book can be special. You could have pre printed pages and you can have pages where photos are stuck on. But for consistency, I will proceed without pasting or mounting. I will do the layout first and print.

Photoshop will be my weapon of choice.
iPhoto errrr.. MacOS I dunno how to use. Cannot find 'Start' button!!:bsmilie:


Sean.

 

[seankyh]

Seiously I dont get what the threadstarter wants either. Y do he need to paste anything at all if he is doing a coffee table book?

Stnicholas, I meant to get a photoalbum off the shelf, create and print (including layouts) and then glue the entire page to the pages in the photoalbum. So MatthewCSL is right. I like the hard cardboard feel of a high end photoalbums. Unless you have other methods? You can't just bind the printed sheets right? Wouldn't it look too flimsy?

 

[stnicholas81]

no hard feelings man, cause i m confused as well. haha u r right no hard and fast rule. I'll always stick to the cheapest one. =) digital print. u need any help feel free to PM me k?

 

[stnicholas81]

Stnicholas, I meant to get a photoalbum off the shelf, create and print (including layouts) and then glue the entire page to the pages in the photoalbum. I like the hard cardboard feel of a high end photoalbums. Unless you have other methods? You can just bind the printed sheets right? Wouldn't it look too flimsy?

Hi Sean, there are different type of paper which u can choose from. thick, thin u name it they have it. glossy matt metallic, the limit is ur imagination man. U might want to visit those printing shop, i recommend simple digital (william) at bras basha or Visual hub (heng) at sunshine plaza.

 

[seankyh]

Thanks for the offer to help and the places to get material. I will try out on my own first and see. Should be quite fun.

 

[stnicholas81]

u should, dtp is fun~! remember that images need to be at 300dpi for opimal result! not 72dpi... haha i know u know la, just a gentle reminder.

 

[zaxh81]

Anyone know where to get slip in album for S8R size?
1 photo per page type and how much?

Thanks in advance.

 

[yymun]

i am keen to create a coffetable album for my baby! may i seek help from u guys? esp in PS?