Printing-1 photo book printing service redesigned

The online photo service Printing-1 is growing and increases its service capabilities in the UK. The company now offers a range of soft and hardcover photo books from leaflet size to A4 books with up to 144 pages Printing-1 photo books are available with three different bindings methods (staple, spiral and book binding) with soft and hardcover in matt or glossy finish. Taking good photographs is easier and cheaper than ever before. Many digital images lingering on computer hard drives could be preserved in coffee table style photo book or stand out as a mounted canvas on a wall or in the

reception room. Until recently photo canvas printing was done by small workshops at horrendous prices. Printing-1 claims to apply the latest technology and efficient production methods to offer what it calls “large prints at small prices”.

Printing-1, a specialist service for amateurs and professional photographers, prints photos onto canvas on frames starting at 30 cm per side and increasing in 10 cm steps to 80 cm per side, where any combination of size can be chosen in these 10 cm steps. Images are delivered stretched and mounted onto a robust wooden frame which can be hung on the wall immediately and is expected to be extremely long lasting, due to optimised inks and fabrics.

Photo Book Software
According to Printing-1, during the software development special emphasis was put on ease of use and creative freedom for users on Windows and Apple computers. Images are not only fully scalable and can be positioned freely on any page; each frame can be defined individually, too. Instead of limiting creativity through an automatic assistant the program provides templates to help positioning images after which they can still be adjust or moved. In general, the new photo book software entices creative experiments with the lay-out tools. Printing-1 is going down new paths: The program allows switching between binding types and book formats at any time, automatically adjusting the page layout.

Beyond the use of layout templates, each page can be edited freely. The editing tools include free scaling, rotating and positioning of photographs. A line around an image helps to set it against coloured backgrounds. The printing-1 My Photobook software for Windows and Mac also provides a tool to post-edit images individually. This allows giving images a degree of semi-transparency, an interesting effect on some overlapping images.

With digital photobooks the many digital memories vanishing on ageing computer hard discs can finally see the light of day. The digital photo service Printing-1 delivers in the UK, the USA and most European countries within two weeks of ordering online. The ability to view digital photographs on ever improving screens removed the immediate need for printing. It appears that long lasting, professionally printed products like canvasses and photo books will keep photographers interested in printing for some time to come.