The New Portfolio Book; A Fresh Way To Make A Powerful Presentation
Just as you thought everything is swinging to online promotion, a new type
of printed portfolio book has finally broken through and onto the scene. The
printing of an actual "coffee-table" book as a portfolio uses the
latest technology as a business tool for you to market your services. Presenting
prospective clients with a beautifully bound and printed book makes a powerful
presentation! New technology makes the production of top-quality bound books
both simple and affordable. These books can also be added to your line of photography
products for client sales. Clients--both consumer and commercial--love
them and it really gives you a competitive edge.
There are many different ways to create this new portfolio book. Products and
services include Aperture 1.5 picture books from Apple (www.apple.com),
wedding and portrait books from Graphistudio (www.graphistudio.com), and mini-portfolios
and art books from Paper Chase Printing (www.paperchase.net).
This is not a definitive list but just a sampling of the different types of
companies that can offer custom book printing services.
Each company offers a variety of services. These range from dragging and dropping
text and pictures into page layout templates to customized designing, printing,
and binding. Before, custom printed books were both expensive and difficult
to produce. Digital technology has changed all that. This new technology no
longer requires artwork and film for printing. Because the workflow is digital,
you can now order online and create one-up books or small volume print runs.
This allows you to affordably target your clients with different books for different
markets.
For the consumer/wedding and portrait photographer, Graphistudio produces unique
one-up wedding books (The Original Wedding Book) and their book copy program
includes parent books, guest books, pocket books, family books, and portrait
books. For the commercial photographer, Paper Chase Printing offers everything
from folding promotional books and perfect-bound mini-portfolios to beautiful,
limited edition hardcover art books.
Many photographers are still hesitant to consider printing books so we asked
for some advice on getting started.
Shutterbug: Why should a photographer consider making the move
to books--either for their own portfolio use or for selling
to clients?
Maureen Neises, Graphistudio: The market is shifting, and both
brides and photographers have come to appreciate digitally produced coffee-table
books. This type of service helps photographers by reducing their workflow and
increasing their profits.
Jeremy Matters, Paper Chase Printing: For a moment, switch places with the art
director. Think about what catches your attention and what gets thrown away.
An average commercial photography client gets promotional post cards as frequently
as you get coupons for pizza and oil changes. Your goal is to get someone's
undivided attention, even if it is only for a little while. This is where the
"book" comes in. The perceived value and effort you put into it
is enough to get someone to take a second look. Keep in mind that 90 percent
of the promo is inside the book; this sets it aside from any post card promo,
giving your promotion an additional nudge in your direction.
SB: What about content? What do you recommend photographers
use as guidelines for image selection?
JM: Once you have their attention, you really have to shine.
Fill your book with your most commercial material, and a wide range of styles.
The purpose of a promotion is to get work, not to tackle social issues. Show
your mastery of technique, your attention to detail, your ability to use lighting,
how you can get something special or unique for the client from a model.
SB: Production details are critically important to work out
beforehand. What have been the biggest production problems or obstacles your
photographer clients have encountered, so our readers will not make the same
mistakes?
MN: The most common mistake is to put too much in. Avoid putting
too many images in a book. In this case, less is more. Also, consider your options
for the book size. Because we print books our photographers are selling to their
clients we offer lots of options, such as our primary book sizes of 8x12, 9.5x13,
and 12x16. All three size options are also available in both horizontal and
square formats. Our parent books are available in 8x12, 8x8, or 12x8, or our
new 6x8, 6x6, or 8x6 books. The guest books come in six different sizes.
JM: I have a check list to share with your readers that works
no matter what kind of book or booklet project they
are considering.
1) Have a realistic expectation of quality. Demanding exact
matches on the first round of proofs can be a frustrating experience. Your goal
should be a piece that looks great, not a scientific match of the print-outs
that came from your Epson at home.
2) Call your printer beforehand. Ask for their color profiles,
as well as sheet specifications. Printing your job at a good size can save you
a lot of money. Printing at a bad size can really waste your resources.
3) Be careful when choosing paper stock. Many photographers
are used to proofing on an ultra-matte paper in their studios. This is not critically
important, considering most advertising photography is printed on glossy paper.
Most offset printers will be able to print on a matte paper sheet, but a good
matte paper can be quite expensive, and a cheap matte paper isn't worth
using.
4) Don't assume that being a great photographer or designer
makes you a printing expert. Ask for help from your printer when you need it,
and consider using a graphic artist with job experience in this area.
So, when you want exceptional promotional material, consider a hardcover book.
They can be used as portfolios, as premium promotional material for top clients,
as a product you can sell, or even be used as catalogs for customers to order
your fine art prints. The technology is here to print high quality in small
quantities.
One final thought from Matters at Paper Chase Printing: "Don't get
bogged down by cost. Consider the fact that one assignment will pay for the
cost of your promo. You will need a marketing plan no matter what kind of promotion
you print because you can't sit around waiting for word of mouth to pull
you through. We work with some very well-known, highly-paid photography professionals
with great resumes and active photo representation. If they need to spend money
on promotion, it goes without saying that people new to the industry can benefit
from it as well."
Contact Info
Graphistudio
Maureen Neises (Director)
e-mail: mneises@graphistudious.com
Paper Chase Printing, Inc.
Jeremy Matters (Prepress Manager)
e-mail: jeremy@paperchase.net
- Log in or register to post comments