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Author Topic: Custom Photo Calendars  (Read 5133 times)

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« on: December 17, 2008, 14:41 »
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Hi all :) For the holidays this year I created a 2009 calendar using the iLife and IPhoto software on my Macintosh. Basically, I plugged in my photos to their template and sent it off to Apple to produce. The price was $20 plus shipping (around $6.00) for a 10x13 wire bound calendar and the quality was excellent (photo pages coated stock, calendar pages uncoated).

I'm getting requests for more of these and I'm wondering if any of you with more experience have any suggestions for a more cost effective way of producing them? Do you think it would be best to use a local printer with a digital press to do short runs since I have InDesign to set up the document? Or is their an online alternative that would work better? Thanks for any help :)


WarrenPrice

« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2008, 15:27 »
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Have you tried Lulu?
http://www.lulu.com/
I used them for several projects.  My motocross calendar turned out very nice. 

Warren

« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2008, 15:50 »
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Have you tried Lulu?
http://www.lulu.com/
I used them for several projects.  My motocross calendar turned out very nice. 

Warren



Yes! I did take a look at this site. The price for a large calendar was actually a little more than Apple. How about mypublisher or winkflash?

AVAVA

« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2008, 16:45 »
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  Hi All,

 This year I am trying a more radical approach...
 I am in the middle of putting together a calendar that shows all the damage we do this beautiful earth and it's people every day. Strip mining, coal emissions, people being turned away from hospital facilities as they die. What really happens to those car batteries everyone thinks is helping the environment, have you done your research. There is always the mass murder in Darfur. Maybe even a group portrait of Bush Cheney and Karl all smiling together. No that photo would kill 43% of my U.S. sales.
 Really, I think there is a small but conciouse audience for this kind of calendar. We could add dates like the WTO riots in Seattle and the flooding and death in Louisinana on the specific dates they occured. Maybe also add the day the Government finally got assistance to the poorer areas of the devisataed town ( oh thats right that hasn't been completed yet ).
 This calendar would be designed to remind people to help others in need instead of themselves. How about the dates of Bombing in British tube stations or do you think it would be better if we all tried to just forget all that. It seems to me we in the U.S. don't do much to commiserate the dead of Nagasaki or Hiroshima.

 I think fluffy bunnies and pretty rainbows are great but maybe they need to be balanced a bit with reality so more people will stop and take notice. How well do you think it will sell.  :-\

P.S. Epantha please understand this was no way a put down on your idea. Just an opportunity to raise my voice against the terror in the world while everyone tries for two weeks to forget and pretend we are a peaceful people. I hope your calendar brings much joy to all you share it with, honestly.

 Your Heavy member,
 AVAVA


« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2008, 17:01 »
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Actually, my family donates money to a chosen charity every year instead of buying a bunch of gifts we don't need. The calendar is just a compilation of local photos and vacation shots that I know they would enjoy looking at throughout the year.

I don't think many people would like looking at environmental damage or negative message pictures every day on a calendar because all they have to do is turn on the news or look at the millions of pictures online. We're saturated with bad news, all day, every day. Why add to it? Also, if you focus on the negative, you will attract more of that into your life (my personal hippy opinion). ;D

« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2008, 17:09 »
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Avava,

I'll buy your calendar if it comes with 12 bottles of anti-depressants and some psychologist visits!  LOL  ;D

Sorry but I just had to chime in on this one!  Actually, I stopped getting the newspaper and watching the news for just that reason.  I know that terrible things go on in the world every day that are out of my control (mind you, I do all I can to make a positive impact), but I it's too depressing to be reminded of it constantly.  Good luck with the calendar, though, and let us know how you make out.

AVAVA

« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2008, 17:20 »
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  Hi Epantha,

 From One Hippy to another if you remember back that far we were going to change all this. Guess we just wanted to look at fluffy bunnies like our parents.
 Again this was not a negative comment on your choice I think the calendar idea of yours is wonderful, the more joy you spread the better. But many people do hide their heads in the sand and wait for it to all go away just trying to get by. That isn't wrong that is a method of survival, I am just as guilty as the next. Just needed a good rant.

 I am actually not making a calendar I was trying to share my thoughts about how we like to hide from the evil in the world. I wish I had the strength to face it every day but it is very hard. I will say the only ones that can make change are all of us and it can start in the smallest of places. I have a dear friend that just left last week for Vietnam to spend her holiday digging up mines that are still killing and maiming children for over 40 years. That is strength and that is what I admire, I am at this time in my life not that strong but I strive for the day.

Peace,
AVAVA
« Last Edit: December 18, 2008, 17:22 by AVAVA »

« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2008, 17:24 »
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How well do you think it will sell.  :-\

I think that you could get a good idea of how it would sell if you just looked at how the images sell on the stock sites.  For example, you could compare sales for fluffy bunnies to strip mining, piles of batteries, etc.

I would bet that you will find that "realistic" images don't sell nearly as well as "pink sky" images.


AVAVA

« Reply #8 on: December 18, 2008, 17:47 »
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Missing my point  Geo,

But thank you for your input.

Best,
AVAVA

« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2008, 03:36 »
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I also was designer for a calendar 2009 this year. I made everything in photoshop, then saved it as .TIFF, and sent it to the cheapest printing house I found (I sent a lot of demands around earlier).
For 100 pcs, a bit smaller than A3 format (EDIT: The calendar had 13 pages) it cost me somewhere about 5,5 per piece, but as I said this was the cheapest I found (prices were also 2 or 3 times higher).
The problem is if you only need let's say 10-20 pcs. - the price per piece would be in that case much higher as I was told (even though I ordered digital print).
Oh and about quality... even though I used just 240ppi not 300 as usual, the quality was great. ofcourse if you watched images from 10cm you could see some faults, but who looks at calendar from that close?

It's just an amateur work that I did, but when you see the enthusiastic faces of people you give this calendar it's just great.
I also got an invitaiton to join a newspaper house (that covers 1/4 of my country-ok Slovenia is small but whatever hehe) as a photographer, and I am really and only hobby photographer.

So that could be great publicity for you if you decide to make the calendar as a new year gift for example, not only for your family use (but that of course depends on images you printed).

Regards,
miskolin
« Last Edit: December 19, 2008, 03:42 by miskolin »

AVAVA

« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2008, 13:33 »
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Good for you MisKolin,

 The look on the recipients faces I'm sure was priceless. keep spreading the love.
Best,
AVAVA

« Reply #11 on: December 19, 2008, 14:13 »
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Thanks miskolin, didn't really think about it being good publicity and you could even drop a calendar off at local gift shops and galleries. For next year I may check around with local printers because there are a lot to choose from where I live and the prices should be competitive. Always like to give personalized gifts instead of buying something. Usually makes me feel as good as the person receiving the gift.  :D

AVAVA

« Reply #12 on: December 19, 2008, 14:19 »
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 I have a friend in Texas that is putting together hard back photo books from his travel photography. He has been very Happy with the results and does it all on line. He isn't much of a writer so he teamed up with a copywriter and they have made some gorgeous books together. Just another idea.

Best,
AVAVA

« Reply #13 on: December 19, 2008, 14:23 »
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Missing my point  Geo,

But thank you for your input.

Best,
AVAVA

Sorry about that.  I can be clueless sometimes.  Since you posed a question, I thought I was being helpful by trying to answer it.

Have a great day.


AVAVA

« Reply #14 on: December 19, 2008, 14:46 »
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No worries Bro,

 That is the trouble with the internet. Lots of words and so many ways to be interpreted. Keep on shooting and adding all your great posts. I look forward to it.

Best,
AVAVA


 

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