How to design - Other software

What if you want to use Photoshop/ Indesign or any software we are not built in?

Here are the spread dimensions for lay flat books like ArtBook or AriaBook

Closed Book Size (in.)	Print Size Before Trimming (spread width x height) spread = double page	Spread design size (px)
Square Formats
4x4"	10 x 20cm (4x8")	2362x1182
6x6"	15,2 x 30,4cm (6x12")	3590x1795
8x8"	20,3 x 40,6cm (8x16")	4795x2398
10x10"	25,4 x 50,8cm (10x20")	6000x3000
12x12"	30,5 x 61cm (12x24")	7205x3602
16x16"	40,64 x 81,28 (16x32")	9600x4800
Vertical Formats
12x9"	45,7 x 30,5 (18x12")	4795x3602
16x12"	61 x 40,6cm (24x16")	7205x4795
Horizontal Formats
8x12"	20,3 x 61cm (8x24")	7205x2398
12x18"	30,5 x 91cm (12x36")	10748x3602

Send files in sRGB JPG at 300DPI.

In general, we work under an assumption that your pictures and design are made with utmost care in both artistic and technical department. This allows us to focus on our craft. Still, during printing process we often catch errors listed below. Please read them carefully as we do not take any responsibility for imperfect print if these are found in your book.   

LET IT BREATHE!

Remember that we will trim more or less of what's outside of the red lines in album preview during ordering. We do it by hand and can't guarantee it to be always the same. 

Make sure that your design "breaths" after trimming. Keep at least 1.5cm / 0.6in from the edge of your design OR align your images on the project edge to be trimmed. Please do not "aim" for the red line in the preview. IT DOES NOT END WELL.

ONE DESIGN FOR BIG AND SMALL BOOK

When ordering duplicates or more importantly the duobooks from a single design, please remember that downsizing it for smaller books presents an issue. Together with images getting smaller, so is the safe zone between them and the edge of the project. 

For the main album like 12x12" or 10x10" we recommend no less than 1.5 cm / 0.6 in of white space from the design edge if you do not intent the image to be trimmed at all. We cut 3-4mm of the design in the guillotine leaving a neat ~1 cm / 0.4 in space left. 

While the big album is fine with that space, imagine creating a 15x15cm/6x6" duobook with the same design:

- 1.5cm/0.6in recommended free space around suddenly becomes only 0.75cm/0.29" in the duobook.

- Then we cut 2-5mm/0.07-0.2". You may end up with only 0.25cm/0.1" of white space in your duobook!

Solution:

If you intend to order duobooks together with your main album, please make sure that you leave extra space in the main design. We recommend 2.5 cm.  

SOFT / PIXELATED / NOISY DESIGN?

Please check your files at 100% magnification to see if the files are sharp enough and noise is up to your standards. We always assume they are! Remember that print on paper will slightly highlight the noise.

MIND THE FOLD

Are there any faces across green line? Our fold quality is really great BUT consider moving them away.

Please also mind that with Fuji Paper (AriaBook) there might be a slight decolorisation in the fold. This is a normal (thus unwanted) property of darkroom photo paper.  


TEMPLATE ERRORS

Some people use templates in PS or InDesign. Sometimes when you replace an image in one of the slots, 
some portion of the old image still bleeds around the new one or we see a gray stripe. Please check your files in 100% magnification.

CREASE

Our crease and fold quality is really good and narrow (0.8mm) but please do not put important images like faces running across the fold.