RoyH alerted me to ZNO’s Little Black Books.
The web site says: ‘Unlock the beauty of professional-grade photo books without the premium price tag. The Little Black Book by Zno is the industry’s legendary “go-to” starter book for professional photographers. This book retains a passionate following amongst aspiring photographers, beginners and seasoned pros who want a simple layflat photo book.’ https://www.zno.com/little-black-book
The basic book offers 20 pages 6×6 inches (15×15 cm) with the option to upgrade to 8×8 inches (20×20 cm). The books are well-bound, sturdy and in a rigid cover with a sheen surface. The cover can be in one of ten colour options (including black and white); the front can be used for a photograph.
Photos are printed on Zno’s Lustre Photo Paper, a 242gsm silver halide based photographic paper with a mid-sheen, lustre coating. It is said to offer true-to-life skin tones. The finished pages are 0.8mm and consist of 0.5mm paper and 0.3mm substrate core.
Photo sizes are fixed at formats approximating closely to 5×4, 3×2 and 1×1 (a full page bleed).
Text is limited to one insertion, usually the title on the cover and spine
Making the book is straight forward and intuitive.
I have had three books printed as experiments, Figures, Fenscape 1 and Blue Rope, the first two in black and white the third in colour. The reproductions of the black & white photos are excellent with rich blacks, clean highlights and good mid tones. The colour rendering is accurate within the limited palette of the subject matter. The printing coped with a mix of files at 120 and 300 dpi with little discernible difference in quality. Overall the quality and feel can’t be faulted.
