Why not books in Pages like in iPhoto?
iPhoto has a great feature where one can print books with their photos. It's great. These books make the best Christmas gifts for grandparents and relatives.
However, I think Apple should also add this book function to Pages, and possibily Keynote. For example, I would love to create custom books for my children using their names, photos and stories. My own custom Dr. Zeus. I would love to print out a few copies for my kids, relatives, friends, etc.
Another example would be to write books that people could use at work, school, businesses. iPhoto works great for photo albums but what about books with mostly text? Poetry, short stories, etc.
We don't always want to print thousand of copies and need a solution for one offs and short runs. For all the progress in Desktop Publishing, creating books with real professional bindings is still not as easy as it could be. After all, how many people do you know who have created a book?
I'm guessing a Kinkos might do this but why do I need to even leave my house? After doing the iPhoto picture books, I think Apple could expand Pages and maybe Keynote with a similar functionality. Do the page layout in Pages, then press a button and bam! A professionally bound book on my doorstep in a week.
What do you all think?
However, I think Apple should also add this book function to Pages, and possibily Keynote. For example, I would love to create custom books for my children using their names, photos and stories. My own custom Dr. Zeus. I would love to print out a few copies for my kids, relatives, friends, etc.
Another example would be to write books that people could use at work, school, businesses. iPhoto works great for photo albums but what about books with mostly text? Poetry, short stories, etc.
We don't always want to print thousand of copies and need a solution for one offs and short runs. For all the progress in Desktop Publishing, creating books with real professional bindings is still not as easy as it could be. After all, how many people do you know who have created a book?
I'm guessing a Kinkos might do this but why do I need to even leave my house? After doing the iPhoto picture books, I think Apple could expand Pages and maybe Keynote with a similar functionality. Do the page layout in Pages, then press a button and bam! A professionally bound book on my doorstep in a week.
What do you all think?
Comments
If you do use pages, the way you have to save your book is to go to File -> Print, then click the PDF dropdown, and choose "Save as PDF-X". Don't do File -> Export -> PDF, it won't work.
Amorya
I'd use this feature if Apple provided it.
May I suggest http://www.lulu.com ?
If you do use pages, the way you have to save your book is to go to File -> Print, then click the PDF dropdown, and choose "Save as PDF-X". Don't do File -> Export -> PDF, it won't work.
Amorya
After going through the lulu website I have to say that it's very well put together. I'd love to have Apple and LULU get together and make the process seamless. I do appreciate you pointing out LULU though, I'll certainly use it until Apple does something.
Any idea why PDF-X files are needed instead of PDF? It's easy to do a PDF-X, I'm simply curious.
My own custom Dr. Zeus. I would love to print out a few copies for my kids, relatives, friends, etc.
Who is Dr. Zeus? Do you mean Dr. Seuss?
I also looked over the Lulu site and there is much to like. However, I don't know about the legal contract stuff. I don't want to get entangled with who the publisher is for example, and have to read through all the legal stuff to make sure I wasn't signing my work away. Not that Lulu's documentation is bad; it is just I should only have to go through all that legal work if I want to partner with them for distribution and marketing. There is a lot to read. With Apple photo books it is much easier and straight forward.
I do like lulu's book covers though and think Apple needs something like this for their books. Apple's covers suck.
I'll be keeping lulu in mind in the future. They may be the best bet until Apple can add this feature. Thanks for the tip.
Any idea why PDF-X files are needed instead of PDF? It's easy to do a PDF-X, I'm simply curious.
Lulu's printer has an issue with Pages generated PDFs. For ages they banned Pages all together, then someone discovered that PDF-X works fine.
Amorya
iPhoto has a great feature where one can print books with their photos. It's great. These books make the best Christmas gifts for grandparents and relatives.
However, I think Apple should also add this book function to Pages, and possibily Keynote. For example, I would love to create custom books for my children using their names, photos and stories. My own custom Dr. Zeus. I would love to print out a few copies for my kids, relatives, friends, etc.
Another example would be to write books that people could use at work, school, businesses. iPhoto works great for photo albums but what about books with mostly text? Poetry, short stories, etc.
We don't always want to print thousand of copies and need a solution for one offs and short runs. For all the progress in Desktop Publishing, creating books with real professional bindings is still not as easy as it could be. After all, how many people do you know who have created a book?
I'm guessing a Kinkos might do this but why do I need to even leave my house? After doing the iPhoto picture books, I think Apple could expand Pages and maybe Keynote with a similar functionality. Do the page layout in Pages, then press a button and bam! A professionally bound book on my doorstep in a week.
What do you all think?
Two thumbs up. Way up!
I hope you're listening, Apple.