Magcloud Tabloid Format

 I have ordered and received several photobooks using the "Tabloid" format on Magcloud. I find this to be an economical way to get your images in print. The results have been very good in terms of image quality, paper, and binding.

The formats I have used are 8 1/2 x 11 and 11 x 17 - both in the Landscape orientation. I used the wire-o-binding option. The publications were of high quality. The printed images were true to the colors of the originals. The wire-o-binding allows the book to lay flat whilst going through the pages. Paper is reasonably thick. Overall the book is pleasing and feels professionally made. 

Magcloud provides templates and specifications for page sizes, bleed, and margins. I use Affinity Publisher and had no issues setting up the pages. You are able to preview your book prior to submitting for print. 

This is an excellent format to use to see your work in print. It is a high quality product that is reasonably priced. I recommend giving it a try.

Showing Photos on 7" Android Device

There are numerous sub $100 7" screen Android device out there. Even though I have a Kindle Fire, I wanted  a real Android device so I bought a AGPtek (Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) MID 7" TouchScreen Wi-Fi G-sensor Tablet 4GB Built-In Storage With Expandable Micro SD Card Slot) device which I am quite happy with. I bought it mainly for email, videos, photos, and surfing the web. I wanted an app that would display my images as a slide show and after testing a few I settled on Fish Bowl Photo . You can display the images on your device in a grid fashion. Selecting an image will zoom the image to it max size for the device. They also have a slide show function. What I like about Fish Bowl is that it doesn't rotate the images during the slide show as some other apps do. Therefore you are not rotating the device for portrait or landscape. Sure - you give up some on the size of the displayed image, but it's a lot let arm movement. You can adjust the delay between images. There are no transitional effects, no fluff. Just a simple app that does a good job with your images. 

Update 12 July 2012: There was an app on my 'droid device that I hadn't paid attention to called 2160P which is a photo app which does a good job of displaying photos, slide shows and editing. I think I may like it better than Fish Bowl Photo. However, I could not find it at the Google Play store or on the internet. If you are familiar with it - leave a comment.

Hardcover 3 Flap Portfolio

Here are some images for a hardbound portfolio I made recently. The portfolio was designed to hold 8 ½ x 11 inch photos. It is approximately ½ inch thick. It has three flaps. I didn’t have a large enough of the same kind of paper to make the flaps and end paper, so there are several colors involved. Also, the black triangle is there simply to cover the ribbon, which I forgot to place under the end sheet. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome. Your comments are welcome.

Three Flap Portfolio

Inside 3 Flap Portfolio

Make a photo ebook.

I have made several portfolios using the tools at www.spotbit.com. You can construct a ebook by loading individual photos as pages or by uploading a complete pdf file. You can have the books setup as public or private. Links to the books can be emailed to friends or clients. This is another way to publish and distribute your photos or portfolio. You can also sell the ebooks if you like.

The site showcases other peoples portfolios and many photo/design magazines from around the world. It's another place to look at and be inspired by photography.

Ebooks are downloaded as executables. Double click on the .exe file and the reader pops up with content. Nothing is installed on your computer. Give it a try.