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When I was presented with the opportunity to review the process of ordering a book from Blurb.co.uk, I must admit I had never heard of them. I was familiar with a few other similar websites such as BobBooks.co.uk, so I had my own expectations about the service they offer. What struck me instantly when visiting the website for the first time was the design (unsurprising for me), everything was laid out well and had an uncomplicated feel. A site like this really does need to look hassle free or people will give up in frustration, as we all have done at some point in our browsing lives.

The process is explained in 3 steps, which is great for bookmaking newbies such as myself. Although this site doesn’t require you to have any design knowledge to produce a book, it certainly helps. I chose to use the ‘PDF to Book’ route and download the InDesign plug-in to make my book, however they do offer two other routes: ‘Bookify Online’ and ‘Blurb BookSmart’.

As I said, I chose the PDF to Book option but I want to give you a brief run down of the other processes Blurb provide. Bookify Online is an un-fussy and quick way of producing your book, everything is done in the browser so you don’t need to download any new software. Probably its best feature is its photo importing, not only can you upload from your computer but also import entire albums directly from your Flickr and Picasa accounts. This is a great feature that makes the process incredibly quick for people who don’t want to spend hours tinkering with the arrangement.

Alternatively Blurb BookSmart is a downloadable program you use to design the book. This gives you a bit more control over your project as you have the ability to use your own layout and fonts. Whereas Bookify is suited to simple photobooks, this program lets you include text with your photos and placement is a lot less restrictive. This is a great option for people who want to control the elements of the book, but have little or no design experience.

The PDF to Book route gives you ‘full creative control’ as you can download InDesign plug-ins and templates to start you off, from there the design options are pretty much limitless. My one comment is that you use the plug-in, as the template download gives you 54 files when you’ll only use 2 of them. The plug-in has a simple menu to set up a new document including notes to advise on bleed areas, safe zones etc.

A few hours, and several cups of tea later I had my book designed and ready to upload. The uploader does a detailed check on your files to make sure everything is print ready which only takes a few minutes, if everything comes up green you’re ready to order your book. With regards to price you do get a good deal compared to other ways of getting your book printed, and the website itself acts as a book store as you can make your book available for resale which is a great way to make a bit of extra cash.

Fast forward 6 days and a white UPS parcel turns up at my door, the books are delivered in a clear plastic wallet which is a nice touch as it keeps them in good condition if you ordered several for resale. My overall impression is that the end product gives a very professional feel to your project, and the book itself is of a very high quality. The finish of the cover is smooth and the cover wrap is very neat, inside the pages have the same silk finish but are quite thin which you would expect from Standard Paper. The image print quality is adequate on this paper, but I’m sure it would be improved if you upgraded to higher quality paper.

The overall experience I had with this website was very good, as it clearly displays what steps you need to take and has a large resources section with tutorials and documentation to answer the majority of problems that could crop up. One thing this site does better than most others is the Bookstore, the whole experience of which is very user-friendly. You can browse through books that take your interest and are all presented to you in an appealing way, also the whole idea of buying an individual’s book is quite a unique experience as you are getting something more personal than you can get on the high street. This website is something I would definitely recommend to any photographers or illustrators, as not only is it a great way to show off your work in a professional format but you also make your project publicly available to be seen and even purchased.

The following Terms and Conditions of Service apply to all products and services provided by Unfold Design.

All work is carried out by Unfold Design on the understanding that the client has agreed to Unfold Design’s terms and conditions.

Copyright is retained by Unfold Design on all design work including words, pictures, ideas, visuals and illustrations (unless specifically released in writing) and after all costs have been settled.

If a choice of design is presented, only one solution is deemed to be given by Unfold Design as fulfilling the contract. All other designs remain the property of Unfold Design, unless agreed in writing that this arrangement has been changed.

Copyrights and Trademarks
By supplying text, images and other data to Unfold Design for inclusion in the customer’s website or other medium, the customer declares that it holds the appropriate copyright and/or trademark permissions. The ownership of such materials will remain with the customer, or rightful copyright or trademark owner.

Any artwork, images, or text supplied and/or designed by Unfold Design on behalf of the customer, will remain the property of Unfold Design and/or it’s suppliers.

The customer may request in writing from Unfold Design, the necessary permission to use materials (for which Unfold Design holds the copyright) in forms other than for which it was originally supplied, and Unfold Design may, at it’s discretion, grant this. Such permission must be obtained in writing before it will allow any of the aforesaid artwork, images, text, or other data to be used.

By supplying images, text, or any other data to Unfold Design, the customer grants Unfold Design permission to use this material freely in the pursuit of the design.

Should Unfold Design, or the customer supply an image, text, audio clip or any other file for use in a website, multimedia presentation, print item, exhibition, advertisement or any other medium believing it to be copyright and royalty free, which subsequently emerges to have such copyright or royalty usage limitations, the customer will agree to allow Unfold Design to remove and/or replace the file on the site.

The customer agrees to fully indemnify and hold Unfold Design free from harm in any and all claims resulting from the customer in not having obtained all the required copyright, and/or any other necessary permissions.

Alterations
The customer agrees that changes required over and above the estimated work or required to be carried out after acceptance of the draft design will be liable to a separate charge.

The customer also agrees that Unfold Design holds no responsibility for any amendments made by any third party, before or after a design is published.

Licensing
Any design, copywriting, drawing, idea or code created for the customer by Unfold Design, or any of it’s contractors, is licensed for use by the client on a one-time only basis and may not be modified, re-used, or re-distributed in any way or form without the express written consent of Unfold Design and any of it’s relevant sub-contractors.

All design work- where there is a risk that another party make a claim, should be registered by the client with the appropriate authorities prior to publishing or first use or searches and legal advice sought as to its use. Unfold Design will not be held responsible for any and all damages resulting from such claims. Unfold Design is not responsible for any loss, or consequential loss, non-delivery of products or services, of whatever cause. The customer agrees not to hold Unfold Design responsible for any such loss or damage. Any claim against Unfold Design shall be limited to the relevant fee(s) paid by the customer.

Disclaimer
Unfold Design makes no warranties of any kind, express or implied, for any and all products and/or services that it supplies. Unfold Design will not be held responsible for any and all damages resulting from products and/or services it supplies. Unfold Design is not responsible for any loss, or consequential loss of data, or non-delivery of products or services, of whatever cause. While we take resonable steps to investigate the materials we recommend, we accept no responsibility for the performace or quality of materials or any consequential loss arising from their failure. The customer agrees not to hold Unfold Design responsible for any such loss or damage. Any claim against Unfold Design shall be limited to the relevant fee(s) paid by the customer.

Unfold Design reserves the right to use the services of sub-contractors, agents and suppliers and any work, content, services and usage is bound by their Terms and Conditions. Unfold Design will not knowingly perform any actions to contravene these and the client also agrees to be so bound.

Unfold Design and its clients agree to comply with Printers Terms and Conditions which include disclaimers for non-completion on time and the flexibility to supply quantities within 10% of the total ordered. Unfold Design recommend that if an exact quantity is required, then 10% extra is added to the quantity and extra time made available should the job be delayed.

Turnaround time of projects vary, therefore it is always recommended to inform Unfold Design of any time scales that you require completion of the project by. Unfold Design design will not go to print on a printed project unless the work has been proofed and paid for in full. Failure to do so may result in a delay of the project, which Unfold Design will not be accountable for.

General
These Terms and Conditions supersede any previous Terms and Conditions distributed in any form. Unfold Design reserves the right to change any rates and any of the Terms and Conditions at any time and without prior notice.

Design Project Completion
Unfold Design considers the design project complete upon receipt of the customer’s final approval. Other services such as printing, display panel production, film-work, website uploading, publishing etc either contracted on the clients behalf constitute a separate project and can be treated as a separate charge.

Payment
Upon completion of the project the customer will be invoiced the total amount due, this should be paid in full within 14 days of receipt (unless otherwise agreed by Unfold Design). With printed works Unfold Design require payment in full upfront before the order is processed, unless otherwise agreed. If paying by Paypal you may be asked to pay an additional transaction fee, this is charged by Paypal to Unfold Design per transaction and is not included in any quote or invoice issued by Unfold Design. Should you choose to pay by Paypal, Unfold Design will inform you of the additional fee you will be charged.

Cancellation Rights
You have a right to cancel your order. In the event of cancellation you will be invoiced for the cost of the work carried out so far based on our hourly rate. If no work was carried out, you will not be charged.

Website Design
Once web design is complete, Unfold Design will provide the customer with the opportunity to review the resulting work. Unfold Design will make one set of minor changes at no extra cost within 14 days of the start of the review period. Minor changes include small textual changes and small adjustments to placement of items on the page. It does not include changes to images, colour schemes or any navigation features. Any minor changes can be notified to Unfold Design by e-mail or fax and confirmed by post.

Unfold Design will consider that the client has accepted the original draft, if no notification of changes is received in writing from the customer, within 14 days of the start of the review period.