AboutBill Frank Expertise I help authors become publishers. I'm a self-publishing consultant with resources in editing, graphic design, printing, distribution and marketing. I can help you turn your manuscript into a published book. I identify the best distribution channels for your book. I also help you build a marketing plan to sell the book. I specialize in non-fiction books and I take fiction books on a selective basis.
Experience Book layout and design; book printing; channels of distribution and book marketing.
Organizations Publishers' Marketing Association. Book Publicists of Southern California.
Education/Credentials MBA in Marketing and Finance. BA in Economics.
Expert: Bill Frank Date: 2/2/2008 Subject: converting original artwork to book form
Question QUESTION: Hello! Could you provide advice on how best to make top-quality (yet budget sensitive) prints of acrylic paintings so they may be published in book form? I have a draft children's book with original art on one page, accompanied by the story on the opposite page -- it is about 30 pages total. The book is to be self-published, we do not wish to send the original art to China (where I know some superb quality art books are put together), but rather we hope to contract with a publisher in the U.S. Before we do that, however, we'd best figure out how we can ensure the colors of the paintings will be maintained as true to the originals as possible. Short of an expensive glicee, I don't understand how that's done. Though maybe that is the way to go? Anyway, I know I should just contact a publisher and get the answer, but I wanted to do a bit more research before I started calling. Any thoughts you might have on the technology / protocols best utilized in this situation would be most appreciated!
ANSWER: Hi, Rebecca. Thanks for your question. The answer depends on several factors. First, what is the size of the 30 images you want to prepare for your book? Are all the images the same size, or are they different sizes? Second, are the acrylics framed or unframed?
The type of help you seek is best provided by a printer. A publisher will not offer free advice on this sensitive subject unless the publisher was interested in buying your manuscript; in which case the publisher would be responsible for these details and it would not be your concern.
To accomplish what you want to do, your images will have to be digitized. Typically, this involves scanning your original images. There are two main types of scanners: flat bed and drum. Flat bed scanners are more common. If your original artwork size is small enough, a flat bed scan may be sufficient. It used to be that flat bed scanners were considerably less quality than drum scanners. This is no longer the case. While drum scanners are always higher resolution, flat bed scanners can produce terrific results. Because flat bed scanners are more prevalent, scanning is usually less expensive. Drum scanners deliver extraordinary, high resolution images from your original artwork. Drum scanners can also scan larger sized originals. There is one catch. The original has to be malleable enough to wrap around the drum of the drum scanner. Expect to pay more for drum scans, too.
If you are planning to self-publish your children's book, then you'll want to identify the book printer with whom you're going to work and have these discussions with him.
If you are selling your manuscript and artwork to a publisher, you'll want to find an agent to represent your book to children's book publishers that might be interested in your work.
Good luck with your project.
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QUESTION: Wow. I've clearly asked the right person. And sorry about using the term "publisher" when clearly I should have been using the term "printer." Anyway, if I may ask one follow up question, with the following as further background: the paintings are all the same size, about 10 x 12, BUT they are not on a malleable medium. So, I need to find a printer with a great flat bed scanner (no agent or publisher, just self publishing for the moment). My follow up question is whether you could / would recommend 1 or 2 flat bed scanners that would give the kind of quality I'm looking for. I know my digital cameras vary in picture quality based on numerous factors, I would assume scanners do as well and that I should ensure the printer I end up working with has such a scanner. I mean, I know I'll have that conversation ad nauseam before I contract with anybody, and I'll start a web search for such reviews after I send this e-mail, but maybe you know of a model or two that just can't be beat? Thank you again!
Answer The size of your original artwork dictates that you use a scanner that scans oversized originals. Specific brand names are not as important as the specifications of the scanner. In addition to being an oversized flat bed, you want to make sure the scanner has three things. First, check the resolution of the scanner. Resolution is measured in dots per inch. The higher the resolution, the better. The trade off for the higher resolution, however, is file size. The higher the resolution, the larger the scanned image file will be. Verify the resolution is optical resolution, not just interpreted resolution. Some scanners use software to enhance the resolution. Look for a printer with a scanner that scans 2400 dots per inch, or higher. Second, check the bit depth. The higher the bit depth, the more colors the scanner can "see." A bit depth of 24 is adequate; 48 is better. Third, check the dynamic range of the scanner. The dynamic range determines how accurate the color scanning will be. The higher the dynamic range, the better. Seek a dynamic range 4.2, or higher.
