I was up early to finish matting 30 prints to go up in a New York restaurant. I'll write more about it after the installation.
So it was a beautiful day, and there was a lot of work behind me (I had been up since 5 a.m.) and I got a chance to just put the M3 around my neck with the fifty and out I go. If you haven't shot for a while - the city seems alive with possibilities. You know the feeling. I had lost a couple of good shooting days - it was the torrential rain season here - working on two projects in the house.
But as I say - it was a crisp spring day. On the corner was the homeless woman with her dog and possessions in a shopping cart. But the cart was decked out with colorful objects. Her dog "shorty" was asleep. I leave them to their own world without any desire to interfere.
And two avenues over - ah - my favorite subject: a cat is sitting in the middle of the sidewalk in profile. It has just stepped out from a deli and people walk around it.
I bend down - it's always a careful thing with cats - how close to get so it doesn't scoot off - but the cat senses I'm a friend and ignores me. I can put it nicely in the bottom third. Now - what to fill the rest of the frame with? Will someone interesting walk by?
Will the cat even turn to look at me? And so I sit on my haunches, as does the cat, waiting. Okay, I take a shot or two first just in case (hammering the nail). And from behind an older woman walks by - stops and turns. She seems to be annoyed. Snap. Certainly she'll be out of focus. Fine. But what is she annoyed about? She takes a few more steps into frame. Snap.
I can almost hear her say, tut tut. But tut tut about what? Is it now illegal to photograph cats? Is she upset that the cat is in the middle of the sidewalk blocking pedestrians? Is she worried that the cat will run into traffic?
I know not. After a few minutes she walks off. The cat turns - as cats do - and moves lazily back into the store. I continue on my way - as I usually do - but her expression leaves me puzzled. And that's the mystery of even the simplest, most reverential shot on the street.
6/10/2006
w-7a
I was out early today and picked up the m3 for the first time in a long time; and it was fun. I found clothing store named named "Lester's" and took shots of it for a) the 11th man and b) lester.
I was going to write a song about Kaz being traded from the Mets to the tune of Goodbye Norma Jean, i.e. Goodbye Matsui - but as far as I got was:
Goodbye Matsui,
Though we never
Liked you at all
You had improved your game,
You even caught a ball.
But I couldn't remember if his name was spelled with an "s" or a "z" and that was as far as I got - fortunately for you.
I was going to write a song about Kaz being traded from the Mets to the tune of Goodbye Norma Jean, i.e. Goodbye Matsui - but as far as I got was:
Goodbye Matsui,
Though we never
Liked you at all
You had improved your game,
You even caught a ball.
But I couldn't remember if his name was spelled with an "s" or a "z" and that was as far as I got - fortunately for you.
6/09/2006
what's new
The gigabooks binder arrived. I don't even have time to open the package. I have about 50 prints to mat. I'm not cutting mats myself anymore, unless they're square - but I still hinge them and attach the prints with see-through strips.
I actually got that notice the other day that the maintenance tank on the 4800 needed to be changed - so that was exciting (not). Pull the old one out and put the new one in.
When these commercials jobs are through - I'll go back to the bookbinding experiment and I guess put a plug for them in the blog.
My main problem - as always - is space. I just tossed about 100 test prints from the days of bronzing / spraying experiments with the 2200. Sort of a shame since they're not bad unless you hold them at the right angle under the light - but I'm tossing stuff left and right to make room for more mats and to setup the bookbinding space.
I actually got that notice the other day that the maintenance tank on the 4800 needed to be changed - so that was exciting (not). Pull the old one out and put the new one in.
When these commercials jobs are through - I'll go back to the bookbinding experiment and I guess put a plug for them in the blog.
My main problem - as always - is space. I just tossed about 100 test prints from the days of bronzing / spraying experiments with the 2200. Sort of a shame since they're not bad unless you hold them at the right angle under the light - but I'm tossing stuff left and right to make room for more mats and to setup the bookbinding space.
6/08/2006
6/07/2006
Washing Grand Central
I've been going through some of my architectural stuff for a commercial job. This is still one of my favorites: HP5 - ah what a film.
More Books
I ordered a couple of books by P.J. Wodehouse but when I crawled into bed to read one - all I could do was look at the binding and how the book was put together. Both were hard copy books, published in Woodstock New York, and printed in Germany. I removed the dust jacket and felt the cloth cover. I was transported by the feel to a collection of books by Dickens that we had as kids. I don't know how my father managed it but there were always the complete works of someone in our Bronx bookshelves: Dickens, Twain, the Tarzan series, Dostoyevsky.
I suspect that my penchant for reading all the books of a favorite author began back then. With Twain, for example, we didn't just read the famous ones, but there was a book of letters, and an essay about how to prepare for a speech (something he knew a lot about). I can still remember him describing how a speech should seem to be spontaneous but was always to be carefully rehearsed.
I'm certain that my father got these sets when neighbors moved away, or from the garbage bin. But once in the house, they were there for years - waiting to be discovered - one by one.
Books that my father had gone through were impossible to read because he circled every word that he didn't know, or that was new to him. Questions written all the margins. For years, he kept a box with index cards where he would write down one new word, and one new definition per day.
We were steeped in literature and classical music. We fell asleep listening to a record about the life (I think it was tragic) of Lizst. My sisters and I still laugh about the dramtic - dum-dum-dum crescendo at the end of the Lizst record when the narrator proclaimed: And Liszt died!
Dum-dum-dum
And the music swelled. And off we went to sleep dreaming about the lives of the musicians in far-away places like Vienna. I'm certain that all the great composers died in Vienna.
Mark Twain - as I remember it - died when the comet came back. He was in bed and asked his daughter - who he was not on good terms with - to bring him his two cats. She carries them to his bed and then he kicks off.
These are memories - probably mixed up memories - from these records we listened to at night.
One day - when the so-called rich people (we always thought everyone around us was rich) - moved from the third floor - we got a complete set of Shakespeare. Now that was a treat. My father would read to us from either King Lear or The Tempest. The Tempest was my favorite because of the magic stuff that went on. The bad guys were also the best characters.
Anyway - I hope this bookbinding bug gets out of my head soon so I can enjoy the books the way I used to.
I suspect that my penchant for reading all the books of a favorite author began back then. With Twain, for example, we didn't just read the famous ones, but there was a book of letters, and an essay about how to prepare for a speech (something he knew a lot about). I can still remember him describing how a speech should seem to be spontaneous but was always to be carefully rehearsed.
I'm certain that my father got these sets when neighbors moved away, or from the garbage bin. But once in the house, they were there for years - waiting to be discovered - one by one.
Books that my father had gone through were impossible to read because he circled every word that he didn't know, or that was new to him. Questions written all the margins. For years, he kept a box with index cards where he would write down one new word, and one new definition per day.
We were steeped in literature and classical music. We fell asleep listening to a record about the life (I think it was tragic) of Lizst. My sisters and I still laugh about the dramtic - dum-dum-dum crescendo at the end of the Lizst record when the narrator proclaimed: And Liszt died!
Dum-dum-dum
And the music swelled. And off we went to sleep dreaming about the lives of the musicians in far-away places like Vienna. I'm certain that all the great composers died in Vienna.
Mark Twain - as I remember it - died when the comet came back. He was in bed and asked his daughter - who he was not on good terms with - to bring him his two cats. She carries them to his bed and then he kicks off.
These are memories - probably mixed up memories - from these records we listened to at night.
One day - when the so-called rich people (we always thought everyone around us was rich) - moved from the third floor - we got a complete set of Shakespeare. Now that was a treat. My father would read to us from either King Lear or The Tempest. The Tempest was my favorite because of the magic stuff that went on. The bad guys were also the best characters.
Anyway - I hope this bookbinding bug gets out of my head soon so I can enjoy the books the way I used to.
6/05/2006
PRINT SHOP
My little print shop has been rockin' today.
1) Two commercial orders
2) Figured out paper for the text part of the book (linen rag, inexpensive and nice feel) and goes through inkjet fine. In other words: stationary.
3) Wrote a summary of what I've come up with so far in the book binding business but it's not ready to post yet.
4) Received digital photo book kit from BreezKit. This is by far the nicest and most flexible system I've looked at. You can use your own paper. Essentially, for $19 they are supplying the cover (black linen), adhesive, and other bits and pieces. Once you've got this, if you just want the covers... well you can make your own. I haven't assembled the book because...
5) Had two print orders to get out and another 50 or so prints to do and
6) For the first time I had a major clog with the epson 4800. And after a fair number of automated cleanings, I moved the print head to the center of the machine and cleaned off the ink pads with warm water. The heads are clean now but there's a touch of diluted ink around the edges of the print so I have to wait for it all to dry up a little. Waited, and the beast is happy now.
My apartment looks like a bomb hit it. I must have ten different types of paper floating around the place. Funny thing - I actually would use the Epson Luster for some parts of the book, but they had to print "Epson Professional" whatever on the back which kills it.
My plan (once all the commercial printing is finished) is to do a simple photo book with the Canon double-sided paper (using InDesign) and assemble it with the BreezeKit system. That will really give me an idea of how pages turn, smudge or don't smudge or any other hidden surprises.
1) Two commercial orders
2) Figured out paper for the text part of the book (linen rag, inexpensive and nice feel) and goes through inkjet fine. In other words: stationary.
3) Wrote a summary of what I've come up with so far in the book binding business but it's not ready to post yet.
4) Received digital photo book kit from BreezKit. This is by far the nicest and most flexible system I've looked at. You can use your own paper. Essentially, for $19 they are supplying the cover (black linen), adhesive, and other bits and pieces. Once you've got this, if you just want the covers... well you can make your own. I haven't assembled the book because...
5) Had two print orders to get out and another 50 or so prints to do and
6) For the first time I had a major clog with the epson 4800. And after a fair number of automated cleanings, I moved the print head to the center of the machine and cleaned off the ink pads with warm water. The heads are clean now but there's a touch of diluted ink around the edges of the print so I have to wait for it all to dry up a little. Waited, and the beast is happy now.
My apartment looks like a bomb hit it. I must have ten different types of paper floating around the place. Funny thing - I actually would use the Epson Luster for some parts of the book, but they had to print "Epson Professional" whatever on the back which kills it.
My plan (once all the commercial printing is finished) is to do a simple photo book with the Canon double-sided paper (using InDesign) and assemble it with the BreezeKit system. That will really give me an idea of how pages turn, smudge or don't smudge or any other hidden surprises.
6/04/2006
Binding Continued
I just ordered the Gigabooks binder from Gigabooks. There just were so many options to consider but this seems to give me the most flexibility at a reasonable price. I'm not going to do any more as far as layout etc. until I've got the machine.
* * *
Besides deciding on fonts etc. I have one other thing to find that is new for me: paper for printing the text part of the book, i.e. the book I'm contemplating will contain prints (that's now the easy part) and stories. So I need an inkjet ready paper that is double-sided and that feels and turns like book paper. Not enhanced matte. I'm guessing it would need to be a thinish cotton paper - but I honestly don't know. I think another trip to Staples is in order.
In other words - the book is going to have a narrative flow (words!) with what I'm calling "plates" with the photographs that illustrate the story. The model for all this is the old Sherlock Holmes stories - as seen in the Strand Magazine with illustrations. To further complicate this whole endeavor - the usual letter size paper is not appropriate and I really don't want to have to cut paper in bulk. So I'm leaning towards 8 x 10 sized paper. The "text" paper should have some grain - some tooth to it.
Anyway - I think that's the last part of this puzzle to figure out. I may be biting off more than I can chew. Though actually - the InnovaArt smooth cotton isn't bad - but it's costly. What the hell - if nothing else, I learned a new term: Imposition Software.
* * *
Besides deciding on fonts etc. I have one other thing to find that is new for me: paper for printing the text part of the book, i.e. the book I'm contemplating will contain prints (that's now the easy part) and stories. So I need an inkjet ready paper that is double-sided and that feels and turns like book paper. Not enhanced matte. I'm guessing it would need to be a thinish cotton paper - but I honestly don't know. I think another trip to Staples is in order.
In other words - the book is going to have a narrative flow (words!) with what I'm calling "plates" with the photographs that illustrate the story. The model for all this is the old Sherlock Holmes stories - as seen in the Strand Magazine with illustrations. To further complicate this whole endeavor - the usual letter size paper is not appropriate and I really don't want to have to cut paper in bulk. So I'm leaning towards 8 x 10 sized paper. The "text" paper should have some grain - some tooth to it.
Anyway - I think that's the last part of this puzzle to figure out. I may be biting off more than I can chew. Though actually - the InnovaArt smooth cotton isn't bad - but it's costly. What the hell - if nothing else, I learned a new term: Imposition Software.
6/03/2006
More About Paper and Binding
I did make some progress today. First thing was I found out that InDesign won't automatically print your book in folios / or signatures - and if you don't know what that is - forget it.
There are programs and plug-ins that you can buy for that purpose but they are either expensive or there was something about them I didn't like.
I also decided that I wasn't going to use matte paper. That was out. And it wasn't a good idea to be bending semi-gloss photo paper. So I am convinced that single sheet photo paper is the way to approach this.
I tested Canon dual-sided semi-gloss and that's just fine, though still on the expensive side. It's about a dollar per sheet at Atlex for letter size. So if your book is going to have say 20 pages - that's $20 for paper, though you could mix it with single sided etc. But as I say - prints look great, and it's just the right thickness so the pages will turn easily and you can't see the back image coming through. I did some smudge tests with it and it also seems fine. There may be another double-sided semi-gloss paper out there to test. If you want to keep it simple, you can just buy linen hinges with adhesive for each page - and put it into a post book.
But what looks most promising right now is a small binding press for perfect-binding. This means that the books will not lie flat when open - but will be more like the Aperature book, though frankly - the inkjet prints will be of a better quality.
I don't think I'm going to do the post-bound book thing because they look too much like photo albums. I want this to look like a real book. Ever so slowly - and with a couple of Tylenols - I'm getting close.
There are programs and plug-ins that you can buy for that purpose but they are either expensive or there was something about them I didn't like.
I also decided that I wasn't going to use matte paper. That was out. And it wasn't a good idea to be bending semi-gloss photo paper. So I am convinced that single sheet photo paper is the way to approach this.
I tested Canon dual-sided semi-gloss and that's just fine, though still on the expensive side. It's about a dollar per sheet at Atlex for letter size. So if your book is going to have say 20 pages - that's $20 for paper, though you could mix it with single sided etc. But as I say - prints look great, and it's just the right thickness so the pages will turn easily and you can't see the back image coming through. I did some smudge tests with it and it also seems fine. There may be another double-sided semi-gloss paper out there to test. If you want to keep it simple, you can just buy linen hinges with adhesive for each page - and put it into a post book.
But what looks most promising right now is a small binding press for perfect-binding. This means that the books will not lie flat when open - but will be more like the Aperature book, though frankly - the inkjet prints will be of a better quality.
I don't think I'm going to do the post-bound book thing because they look too much like photo albums. I want this to look like a real book. Ever so slowly - and with a couple of Tylenols - I'm getting close.
6/02/2006
Making Your Own Book
This is the fun part where you try a new paper and get to beat your head against the wall. First off, I've never been crazy about matte paper. You know that. Now how nice it was with my Silver Rag or Luster etc. where I could just go into Monochrome Advanced Mode, a couple of tests, and I was in business. So I can't go into Monochrome mode with Matte Paper and Photo Black Ink. So right away I'm into trying to either fool the printer; or a new setup with a profile. This is where you begin to eat up money on tests.
I think the problem is that you need to use matte black ink to get d-max with this paper; and actually the profiles I see are for MK ink. So - am I going to switch to MK ink on the 4800 for a book. No.
However - all is not lost. I'm going to setup the 2200 with MK and use a profile for that and see if it's doable. Ugh.
I suspect that today will be a day to go backwards.
11:05 A.M.
I switched to matte black ink on the 2200, downloaded a profile from Booksmart for this paper, did the setup for using the profile and turning off color management in the driver etc. The results are okay. But there is the usual color shift you get with the 2200 as you move the print from incandescent to daylight.
I can get rid of the shift by hooking up my ImagePrint software - but I'm just not crazy about the smooth matte look. Never have been. The overall look is similar to what you'd get with Enhanced Matte etc. Nothing spectacular. Not compared to what I'm used to with Silver Rag or even with Luster on the 4800.
Honestly - at this point - I want to use the paper stock that I like. I think I'm going to look for some other method of assembly. I will sacrifice having double-sided printing if I can get the paper I like, and if the book can lie somewhat flat when opened. I want to do some smudge tests with the Silver Rag. BTW - nobody even has Silver Rag right now and there is no ETA. And I'm down to my last roll.
12:00 p.m.
I'm going to wait for the BreezeKit that I ordered which lets you use your own papers and supplies the cover and adhesive and clips - before I waste any more money.
3:45 p.m.
I'm going to say one other crazy thing. For under $800 you can simply buy two machines that will do a "perfect binding" with glue for a hard cover book. The binder and a crimper. Don't think I'm nuts but this is a real possibility right now but I'm going to have to look into it more carefully. These produce "real" hardcover / softcover books.
5:20
Here's one more link about making your own perfect bound book featuring the gigabooks press (scroll to bottom). I mean, basically, you're talking about $300 startup for making your own perfect-bound books. Of course I doubt if you're going to produce hundreds this way - but if you get to that point - you're ready to have them bound by someone else.
6:33
And there are dual side semi-gloss inkjet papers out there. One from Moab looks promising.
I think the problem is that you need to use matte black ink to get d-max with this paper; and actually the profiles I see are for MK ink. So - am I going to switch to MK ink on the 4800 for a book. No.
However - all is not lost. I'm going to setup the 2200 with MK and use a profile for that and see if it's doable. Ugh.
I suspect that today will be a day to go backwards.
11:05 A.M.
I switched to matte black ink on the 2200, downloaded a profile from Booksmart for this paper, did the setup for using the profile and turning off color management in the driver etc. The results are okay. But there is the usual color shift you get with the 2200 as you move the print from incandescent to daylight.
I can get rid of the shift by hooking up my ImagePrint software - but I'm just not crazy about the smooth matte look. Never have been. The overall look is similar to what you'd get with Enhanced Matte etc. Nothing spectacular. Not compared to what I'm used to with Silver Rag or even with Luster on the 4800.
Honestly - at this point - I want to use the paper stock that I like. I think I'm going to look for some other method of assembly. I will sacrifice having double-sided printing if I can get the paper I like, and if the book can lie somewhat flat when opened. I want to do some smudge tests with the Silver Rag. BTW - nobody even has Silver Rag right now and there is no ETA. And I'm down to my last roll.
12:00 p.m.
I'm going to wait for the BreezeKit that I ordered which lets you use your own papers and supplies the cover and adhesive and clips - before I waste any more money.
3:45 p.m.
I'm going to say one other crazy thing. For under $800 you can simply buy two machines that will do a "perfect binding" with glue for a hard cover book. The binder and a crimper. Don't think I'm nuts but this is a real possibility right now but I'm going to have to look into it more carefully. These produce "real" hardcover / softcover books.
5:20
Here's one more link about making your own perfect bound book featuring the gigabooks press (scroll to bottom). I mean, basically, you're talking about $300 startup for making your own perfect-bound books. Of course I doubt if you're going to produce hundreds this way - but if you get to that point - you're ready to have them bound by someone else.
6:33
And there are dual side semi-gloss inkjet papers out there. One from Moab looks promising.
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