Printing across the gutter

I am working on a book right now that has a number of images that print across the gutter, something I usually don't like very much but I feel it is right for this project to make it flow best. Presently, the book is only 48 pages, so saddle-stitching is viable and is less intrusive. However, I may expand the book ideally to 80 pages or more and prefect-binding just swallows up too much of the image across the gutter. Does anyone have experience with lay-flat books? Do they truly lay flat? Are they printed evenly across the pages? I have been using Blurb for one-off prototypes when I get a coupon, but I am open to other suppliers especially since Blurb's black and white work can vary in tone and quality--yet another issue with images that are split into different signatures.

Pieter12 said:

Does anyone have experience with lay-flat books?

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Yes, our wedding album is a lay-flat affair.

Pieter12 said:

Do they truly lay flat?

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Pretty much, yes.

Pieter12 said:

Are they printed evenly across the pages?

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Yes. It's literally a single print that extends across both 'pages'.

The above applies to the RA4 printed books. These are chromogenic RA4 prints that are then laminated and bound. IDK if there are differences with what Blurb offers. RA4 in general isn't great for B&W.

I'm not a big fan of images that span the gutter, but doing it in a saddle stitched book isn't too bad. When I designed my zine I decided not to have my images span the gutter (even though it was saddle stitched) despite the fact that it obviously meant smaller images throughout the book. The only image that I had span the gutter was the image right in the middle of the book. This was primarily because it is not always possible for the printer to perfectly align the left and right half of the image since they are on separate physical pages. The middle image is on a single piece of paper so there are no alignment issues.

Re: Blurb. I wouldn't suggest having a book of black and white images printed with Blurb. I've tried it a couple of times and there's always a noticeable color cast to the images, even when exactly following their instructions for preparing black and white image files. I had a similar problem with Mixam, another popular online printing company.

I ended up going with a company called Colpa Press in San Francisco. Their black and white printing was very good and they were terrific to deal with. It's a small company and you'll likely deal directly with the owner, Luca. I should mention that it was Luca who suggested that my images not span the gutter due to possible alignment problems - he couldn't guarantee perfect alignment everywhere (I don't think anyone can but few bother to mention it).

Best of luck with your book!

I use Blurb as a sort of proof of concept supplier. When they send me a coupon, I can get a single book printed for a reasonable cost. Same with Magcloud, owned by Blurb. My most recent experience with Blurb was that the black and white images alternated from a blue-ish to a green-ish tint, and on a second try in a different format, the images were almost neutral but a bit muddy. They have printers in different cities and it seems like the book size and binding determines where the printing is done, and the presses don't match up at all. I have intentionally designed the pages that cross the gutter to keep important elements on one side or the other, so misalignment wouldn't be too disturbing. At this point, my goal is to have a few books that I can use as leave-behinds or to easily carry along to show any interested parties what the project entails without having to lug a heavy portfolio of matted prints. My ultimate desire is to have an exhibition and maybe get the gallery to participate in the production of a decent book. A long shot, I know.

The reason for my inquiry about lay-flat books is if they look like a real book and not an album, they might be a reasonable alternative. Not necessarily from Blurb, but maybe Saal Digital.

When I was in charge of yearbook production (most stressful job ever!), we sometimes ran images across the gutter. I had to check all students spreads, and triple check the spreads with images going over the gutter, because one girl made sure that a girl she couldn't stand, face was in the gutter.
Some images look great crossing the gutter.

Andrew O'Neill said:

When I was in charge of yearbook production (most stressful job ever!), we sometimes ran images across the gutter. I had to check all students spreads, and triple check the spreads with images going over the gutter, because one girl made sure that a girl she couldn't stand, face was in the gutter.
Some images look great crossing the gutter.

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LOL

My old teacher, David Vestal, referred to running photos across the gutter as "layout murder".

It may be layout murder, but sometimes it makes a major impact to the overall design and flow of a publication.

I have a copy of Michael A. Smith's A Visual Journey. It uses fold-out pages for longer panoramic images. Works better for me than across the gutter. Checkout https://www.lodima.org/shop/michael-a-smith-visual-journey

My inquiry is about print-on-demand such as Blurb.

I have many conventionally-printed books that print across the gutter, and all look fine. But they have been done by good printers and binders. I also have one of the volumes of Mark Power's Good Morning, America which has many across-the-gutter 4-page fold-out spreads. They look fabulous. Just a pain to fold back without damaging the pages!