Recent Blurb experience - problem

[Benjamin Marks]

:bang:

I recently used Blurb.com's Booksmart software to create a 160 page book of photos of my brother's wedding. Book #1 arrives (the "proof" copy -- still costs $115 bucks) and pages 74 and 75 are stuck together. The finish of the paper is damaged prying them apart. No problem, says blurb. Send the book back to us and we will re-print for you. They issue an RMA and send a UPS label (thank you blurb).

Reprint arrives . . . and no sticky pages but the colors have all shifted towards brown. The B&W pages look like sepia, the reds and greens have gone muddy. Arg. Colors on the sticky-pages version were fine.

Customer service, reasonably prompt and polite via e-mail, but a little defensive. Now it will take ANOTHER week-10 days, assuming they agree that this is a problem they can correct.

Any other experiences with this vendor?

Ben Marks

 

[shadowfox]

I have published close to ten different books now via Blurb.

Several are for my wife's clients (had to have one reprinted due to sub-standard wrapped canvas cover). Sold several copies of my photo-book also. Never had a problem with colors shifting or pages stuck together. Not saying that those don't happen, just contributing some facts.

For the most part, they try to correct unsatisfactory products (as you indicated above). And taking into considerations that they are a growing business (look at their volumes now compared to just two years ago), I still think they are one of the better alternative considering the quality vs cost ratio.

Are they perfect? of course not, but neither are the others.

 

[Frank Petronio]

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=53261&highlight=Blurb

That's me.

Latest version: http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/861180 it should be pretty decent.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=53261&highlight=Blurb

That's me.

Latest version: http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/861180 it should be pretty decent.

It's way overpriced at $72 for a 160-page 8x10 book so if you do buy one, please don't tell me because I'll figure you're a stalker or something. Sane people wouldn't pay that much.

.............:lol:

 

[Sparrow]

Frank; very interesting set of photos there, I’m impressed

Ben; did they come from different printers? What print profiles were you using? I’ve not been able to descoved what colour-space we are supposed to use.

 

[Sparrow]

American Photo, in December, had an article comparing all of the printers, including Blurb.

What did they conclude?

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Interesting data points -- thanks for your input.

Ben Marks