Book Machine FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions


Photo Book Creation

How do I access the photo book wizard to create my book?

To access the photo book creator you must first register and log in. Then you will need to upload your images. On the gallery page select the "order book" icon, which will compile your book and allow you to preview it. If you are satisfied with the layout you can continue and order a book. If you decide to make changes you can go back to your gallery — reorder pages, change descriptions, upload new pictures, or delete pictures if you decide you would like. Then you can select the "order book" icon and view that book again.

How do I get multiple images on one page?

We offer an image layout option for multiple images on the page. You can select this during the bookmaking process. All you need to do is select the "order photo book icon, select the advanced option by the layout feature, select the drop down menu to the left of the Images Per Page feature. You can then select the number of images per page you desire. Here is an example of a a member who has created multi-up images.

How do I rotate an image?

You can rotate your picture by selecting the image you plan to rotate and clicking the "edit image" icon (paper and pencil). Scroll down and you will see the rotate buttons.

How do I batch rotate my images?

Select the gallery in which the images are stored, click the "image order" icon. Select the box to the right of "batch select" for each image you wish to rotate, then select the rotate direction in the "batch command for checked items" field at the bottom of the page (there is a drop down arrow to select). Finally, select save changes. Often, after rotation, your browser might have the old thumbnail images cached. To clear the cache, hold down the SHIFT key and click reload while viewing your gallery.

Can I auto rotate my images?

Yes, if your camera keeps track of your picture orientation, auto rotate will adjust your images so they appear upright. Auto rotate is available in the image order area, the image edit area, and on upload.

How do I designate my gallery / cover image?

In order to choose the cover image begin on your gallery page. In the upper right of the screen you will see a row of icons. Select the "image order" icon. The image order page is layed out in three main columns: "Thumbnail", "Title and Position", and "Miscellaneous". In the miscellaneous column there are three options for each image: gallery image, favorite image, and batch select. Select "gallery image" for the image you would like as your cover. Then scroll to the bottom of the page and select save changes. When you create your photo book this image will be the cover, and this can be changed anytime you want. You can choose to display or not to display the cover image within the book body during the book creation process.

My book is created and in my web store. How do I change the cover image?

Follow these steps to change out covers
  • login, and select DASHBOARD
  • select the BOOKS AND PRODUCT
  • MY PRODUCTS--- Click the product you want to change
  • Click Step 2 COVER DESIGN
  • select the browse button in the front image section of the page, browse to get the new cover image
  • select the UPDATE COVER button.

I assume that my first image will print across from the inside front cover and then the other pictures will fall in behind. Is that correct?

Yes, the first page will print on the right (opposite the inside of the front cover). Here is a link to a picture of that layout.

/photos/image/1983/135/132/133


How do I create a page with text only?

Currently, we cannot accept text documents in the Book Machine. However, you can in our Book Designer!

You can add considerable text to your page by uploading a blank image i.e. small white square then enter text in the image description.

How do I add image captions to be printed in my photo book?

To add captions to your images all you need to do is select the gallery that contains the images, select the image to which you wish to add the caption, and select the "edit" icon (paper and pencil) located in the upper right of the screen. On this edit page you can set the image title, write a description of the image, change the image, rotate the image, reduce the image size, set the security level, and key a travel location so that your image shows up in the travel section.
Note: To see image captions in your book you must select the smart captions option. The images with captions will then be printed with a white border and the caption centered below the image. Images that do not have captions will automatically be scaled to full bleed. If you want the border that goes with captions yet don't want text you will need to fool the system. You can accomplish this in one of two ways. You could either add spaces in the description field or add an HTML no-break space, which is:   in the description field.

Is it possible to setup a book where most pages are single photo to a page (some with comments, some full bleed) and others with multiple images?

Yes. There are several options to have mixed single and multiple images on each page.

  1. If you add text to the long description of the image, and select the "Print Detailed Image Pages" you will get "1-up" pages with just a single image, even if the rest of the book is multiple images per page (called multi-up).
  2. Or, in the "Image Order" while editing your gallery, you can select "Favorite Image" next to the images you want to be Full Bleed. Then, in step 2 of the Advanced Book Machine, you can select "Full Bleed Favorites"


Using the techniques above, you can have a variable number of images across multiple pages. Here is an example of how this would work.

  1. Say you upload 13 images to a single gallery
  2. Add detailed text descriptions or select as Favorite Image to images 4, 9
  3. Choose the Advance Wizard with "3 images per page" and make sure you check "Print Detailed Image Pages" or "Full Bleed Favorites"
  4. click "Create Book". The PDF will look like:

Page 1: first 3 images
Page 2: Image 4 with a description (or full bleed favorite)
Page 3: next 3 images (5, 6, 7) together
Page 4: image 8 full bleed
Page 5: image 9 with a description (or full bleed favorite)
Page 6: images 10, 11, 12
Page 7: Final image full bleed.

The EASIEST way to determine number of images per page is to use our "image order" feature.
Edit your gallery and select the "image order" icon. While in the image order section you number your images so they fall within the book in the order you prefer. If you would like one image on a page you do not add an extension to that image. If you want 2 images to a page you will have an extension on the image that you want to fall as 2 to a page. Here is an example 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 (3 images on page 1) 2 (one image on page 2) 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 (five images on page 3) You can have any number of images per page from 1 up to 48 images. If you set it up to display 48 images on a page they would be very small :)

REMEMBER to save when you finish numbering :) Also, you will need to select "gallery image order" as your "Images Per Page" option during the bookmaking process.

Note: The inside cover of the photo book is blank (white). Image number one will print on the right when you open the book. Images two and three will face each other when you turn the page, and so on (evens are on the left, odds are on the right). Here is an example: inside cover and page one

What are the layout and bleed options for my photo book?

We offer two types of image bleed for your printed pictures - (smart and full). For smart bleed your images will be scaled down to have a white margin and include your title and description. If there is no title or description, they will be scaled to full bleed to cover the entire page. For full bleed images that have the same orientation of the book size will be scaled to go to the very edge of the page. Images that are portrait in a landscape book will be scaled to the top and bottom edge, but will still have a left and right white margin. Images that are landscape in a portrait book will be scaled to the right and left edge, but will still have a top and bottom white margin. Here are some example bleed images: smart bleed with portrait left and landscape right, full bleed on right.

Can I stretch an image across two pages or do I need two cut it in half then upload it?

If you want an image to stretch across two pages you would need to upload the images separately and then make sure they fall one on the left and one on the right when you preview your book.

Can I stretch my cover image across the front and back of the cover?

Yes, the full stretch cover option is in the book making process. You select "order photo book" make your interior selections, review your preview, hit the create cover next button and on that page there are 3 tabs. On the Advanced tab is where you select Stretch front image across entire cover.


Is your software compatible with Max OSX?

Our software is web based so we are compatible with all operating systems, including Mac OSX. You can use any browser you like. In fact, we have many mac users and our company uses a lot of Mac and Linux computers.


Where can I find more information?

Here are a couple of helpful links:
Photo Book General Information
Photo Book Example Gallery
Photo Sharing