If organizing your material and making decisions is difficult, let us do the work for you. We will design your book for you and send you a pdf proof and give you the opportunity to make any changes you feel are necessary before we print.

Can I use photos taken by a professional photographer?

Photos by photographers are subject to copyright law. To use professional photos in your book you must have permission from the photographer or have purchased the negatives.

Organizing and submitting your materials...

What resolution do my photos have to be?

If you are scanning your photos and saving them to a disk please scan them in at 300dpi. If you are submitting digital pictures a good rule of thumb is that the file size be at least 1MB. Digital photos of low resolution will compromise the print quality.

How do I organize my text?

Please type and save your text to a disk or e-mail whenever possible. Make sure that the picture the text is to accompany is clear. For more detailed instructions please see the guidelines for the book you wish to create.

How do I get my order to you?

Once you have assembled all of your material (for further information see the guidelines for the book you wish to order) print out the order form either from the product page or follow this link Order Forms. Fill in all of the information and send it in with your materials.

What is the safest way to send you my irreplaceable materials?

No client has ever lost their order in the mail. To be on the safe side we suggest sending your order in with a tracking number. The U.S post office offers this service for a small fee as do all express shipping companies. Your materials and books are always sent back to you with a tracking number.

Can I FTP my files to you?

You can send your files to us electronically by using www.yousendit.com. To use this service save all of your files to a folder, zip it (with an application like winzip or stuffit) and upload it. We will get a notification that you have sent the file. We will contact you as soon as we have received it.

For the computer savvy

Can I do my own layouts?

Of course you can! You can use any layout application as long as you save each page as a jpg (jpeg) or .psd (photoshop) file. Please flatten all layers before you save your file to a disk. We also accept .tiff, .eps, and .pdf files, but these files are unnecessarily large and difficult to adjust if we need to.

If I am doing my own layouts do I still pay per photo?

No. If you are designing your own pages put as many photos on the page as you wish and save each page as a file. Each file will be considered one page and your price will be per page and not per photo.

I am designing my own book, how should I format my pages?

Set the page size as the size of the book you are designing for. We trim to full bleed but if it makes you feel more at ease create a .25'' bleed margin around your page. Before you start designing it is a good idea to place guides a .25'' around your outside edges and a .5'' on your inside margin to remind you to keep any important elements such as text (or someone's face!) away from the edge. It creates a safe zone for trimming and the area that will be obscured by the bind.

What file types do you accept?

We will accept .jpg (jpeg), .psd (photoshop), .tiff, .eps, and .pdf files. .Tiff, .eps and .pdf files can be unnecessarily large and difficult to adjust if need be so jpeg and photoshop files are usually the best option. If you work with the Adobe Creative Suite or CS2 you can layout your pages in Indesign and package them for print and save them to a disk. If you do work with Indesign please make sure you package your files and save all resulting folders to your disk.

What should I set as my color space?

For the best print results we recommend that you set your color space to Adobe RGB 1998.

What constitutes a page?

When we refer to pages we are referring to sides. For example, page 1 is the right sided page that starts the book, page 2 (left side of the book) would be the flip side of page 1.

Can I design my pages as double page spreads?

You can. For the dimensions of your page before you start double the width and keep the height the same. Place guides to create an inch safety zone in the middle of the page so you remember to keep important information outside of that area. Depending on where your page is in the book information within this area will be hidden.

Can I design my own cover?

Cover design can be a little tricky because the size of the page will vary with the thickness of the book. The safest way is to save the elements for your cover and give us instructions for the design. We will send you a proof by e-mail before we print. Or you can design the front cover as a slightly bigger page size (.5 inch all the way around) and do the same for the back cover and spine. Keep any text and important information at least an inch away from the edges.

Is there a minimum amount of pages required?

For a hardcover book to hold (and to look nice) it needs to have at least 10 sheets of paper (20 pages). For the stories written by children we usually divide up the text and format it so that we can meet that minimum requirement (see sample story by a child). If you cannot stretch your materials out to 20 pages we have the option of 1 sided printing or adding blank pages to meet the requirement.

Is there a maximum amount of pages?

There is no maximum amount of pages.

What type of bind do you use?

We use two methods of binding. The first is a "perfect bind" (standard book bind) we use this method for most of our products. For our 10 x 10, Guest Sign-in, mini albums and 11 x 8.5 books we use a "layflat bind". Take a close up look at our bind.

What type of paper do you use?

We use an acid free high quality, heavy, high gloss paper for our books (100lb text). Your photos will last without fading and your book will feel like an expensive coffee table book that you would buy in a bookstore.

Am I notified when my order arrives?

The day we get your order we will notify you by e-mail.

What is the turn around time for a book?

Turnaround time varies during the year. Our average turn-around time is 2-3 weeks from the time we receive your order to the time it is in your hands. If you have a specific date you need the book back by please let write it on your order form and we will do our best to get it to you by that date.

Can I ship directly to someone else?

Of course just fill in the shipping address on the order form and request that the invoice be sent to your billing address.

Do I get to see a proof of my book before it prints?

We e-mail a low resolution proof of your book before printing so that you are able to make any changes you feel are necessary. We want your book to be perfect!

Can I order a sample book?

We have created a sample hardcover mini album (5x5) out so that you are able to see the print and book quality. We charge a fee of $25.00 and then reimburse you $20.00 if you send it back with your order. You can order one by phone or print a sample book order form and send it in.

Is there a rush order option?

We do have a rush order option that will guarantee your book within a week for a $75.00 fee + express shipping if required.

Can I pay extra for express shipping?

This option is available and the charge is determined by the quantity of books being shipped. Please contact us for a quote.

Do you ship internationally?

We do indeed ship internationally. Rates vary depending on destination and book size.

Can I remove/replace the First Edition Logo from the back of the book?

A small FIrst Edition Originals logo is printed on the back of every book regardless of your cover design. Most photographers we work with choose to remove the logo and/or replace it with their own. There is a one time fee for this option of $60.00

I am thinking about creating a book that doesn't correspond with any of your products - Is this possible?

We love to make custom sizes and custom orders so contact us with your idea and we will let you know if it is possible. We don't print anything larger than 11 inches.

Can I order additional copies of my book at a later date?

We keep all books on file for a year should you/family or friends wish to purchase additional copies. They are always available at the additional copy price.

My students have collaborated on a story but would like to design their own cover. Is this possible?

It is! Just send in the cover illustrations as you would if the students were creating their own manuscripts.

Do the school books come with dust jackets?

To keep the pricing affordable for schools we do not print dustjackets for school book orders.