My Asukabook review

[tim]

I just today received my first AsukaBook (http://asukabook.com/). I got the 60 page 10x10" bound book (http://asukabook.com/format-bookbound-hard.html), not the EX, because I made a small mistake with the order (my fault entirely). In general i'm very happy with it. I designed it in PhotoJunction (http://www.photojunction.com), and it took a LOT longer than I expected. Some details:

Size: It's a good size, and about 1cm thick including the cover. I expected it to be thicker for some reason, but there's no need for it to be.
Cover: the hard cover seems good and strong, and it looks professionally done. The spine looks great, and the barcode on the back is tiny.
Print quality: the print quality is good, as good as any book i've seen. I can't see anything on a page showing through from the previous page. The quality isn't quite up there with photographic prints on good quality paper, but I wasn't expecting it to be.
Color: the colors seem good, close to how they looked on my calibrated LCD.
Pages: They're quite thick paper, and should stand up to normal use for a good length of time.
Delivery: I received my book three weeks after I ordered it, and that's including shipping from the US to New Zealand. I estimate it took around two weeks to produce the book and put it in the mail. The book arrived well packged and in perfect condition.
Price: I won't comment on price as AsukaBook only release their price list to professional photographers. The prices are quite reasonable, definitely cheaper than photographic prints of the same size, and a lot cheaper than a traditional album.

I would recommend these books to photographers who want to supply hard cover books to their customers. Don't forget design time when you price these up, they take ages to make. Because your design time is quite long, even though the books are reasonably priced you have to sell them for a fair bit.

If you have any questions please ask, i'll update my review here rather than scattering the information all throughout the thread.

Addendum
Compared with momento books, i'd say the standard Asukabook are a little higher quality. The pages are similar, maybe slightly thicker in Asuka, and I like that with Asuka there's no manufacturer logo or URL. The problem I have with moment is the momento logo's on the back, so people can see the cost price of the book. That's not a massive deal for me, I don't hide the fact that I charge for my time plus expenses, but I don't do markups.

There's no charge to "join" asuka, you sign up and give evidence that you're a professional photographer - I just gave them my website link. The only cost is when you order a book. Asuka are in the US, but they ship anywhere in the world.

[PIXI_666]

Tim, i thought you ordered matted albums, i didn't realise asuka was coffee books. Is this somethign you give to your clients - or do you also offer matted albums aswell?

I actually recieved a coffee book from momento today, i did an order for myself to show my work and also what my clients can purchase. I actually found the pages to be a lot thicker and the whoel book turned out awesomely!!!!

There aren't as many options with covers etc. with momento, but they are SOOO quick and easy to do up on their software - it took me about 3hrs tops to finish a 40 pager.

Does it cost to sign up? And when you have signed up do you get any discounts? I just don't want to sign up and then NEVER use them - as i am happy with momento for now, but the covers look really nice - momento only do dust covers. But then again there are a lot of options for design inside - it's a free for all - you design it however you want. Are Asuka with AU aswell?

Tim - let me know a bit more about asuka? :)

Thanks!

[mizuno]

Thanks Tim,

I'm strongly considering getting a sample album done through Asuka, and you have answered a few of the questions I wanted answered before I committed.

[mizuno]

By the way, Tim, would you mind posting up some photos of the completed AsukaBook, the shots on their website are very small, so it's hard to get an accurate impression of the build quality etc.

[tim]

Del, i've added an "addendum" section above, I answered your questions in there. I offer books, matted albums, and digital albums, but I strongly recommend Queensberry digital albums because the quality is top notch. I'm considering adding another album supplier too, and dropping matted albums from my price list, as I far prefer digital.

Dan, i'll post some photos of the AsukaBook in a day or two, i'll wait until it's daytime here. If I forget PM me on Thursday or Friday and i'll get to it. Busy designing albums!

[mizuno]

Jason, i'll post some photos of the AsukaBook in a day or two, i'll wait until it's daytime here. If I forget PM me on Thursday or Friday and i'll get to it. Busy designing albums!

Thanks, mate.

My name's not Jason, though. :shock:

[tim]

Sorry mate, changed now :)

[mizuno]

Sorry mate, changed now :)

You've got me confused with someone else, I think.

My name is Dan. :cool:

[tim]

Ah sorry again, i'm all over the place tonight!

[mizuno]

Ah sorry again, i'm all over the place tonight!

It's a bit early in the week to get on the turps, isn't it? ;)

[tim]

Nah not on the turps, just busy :)

[PIXI_666]

Thanks Tim, i think i'll join up then just to check it out first, i want to compare prices first - because momento are fairly good, and i understand u pay for quality! Im really happy with momento - yet the logo also annoys me slightly, it is really teeny tiny though but i had a thorough look through asuka, and you can get many more different sized books with different covers - i like that the best :) more options are always good!
Ill look into it more, thanks for the info!!!!!

Del

[tim]

Get a sticker with your studio name on it, put it over the momento logo ;)

[PIXI_666]

haha true i guess i could - but this album is for my own purpose to show clients so im not too worried personally right now.....i could do stickers later on if id ecide to stick with momento - waiting for my rego for asuka right now....so well see!!!

[multiverso]

Hi everyone :)

I'm very new to the forum and happy if I can be of any help. I ordered an Asukabook set of sample books, and it arrived last week (I just noticed this post today) I ordered to show to my clients and I have already sold two of them, one for a wedding I did last week, and another as a reprint of a family book that I first did in Aperture. The two orders were for the 10x10 EX laminate glossy, that looks really really nice.

With the set I received I can show to my clients almost every size/cover/finish:

(1) 5x5 book bound varnish, soft cover, 80 side book
(1) 7x10 stitch bound, laminate matte, hard cover, 28 side book
(1) 10x10 bound EX, laminate glossy, hard cover, 80 side book

All them look nice for different purposes, but I'm sure the bound EX laminate glossy would be the winner for my wedding books. I don't know if I can post the price for the sample set, as I negotiated it with them, and maybe it's different for everyone.

I'm at your disposal to answer any question or post pictures.

Regards,
Javier

[dsze]

I'm just now uploading my first layout to Asuka and its taking forever! I have a fast connection and its been uploading, or appearing to upload for almost 2 hours now. Is this normal for Asuka?

thanks,

[tim]

Mine took 4-5 hours to upload, but it was 150MB and my connection from the other side of the world is only 192kbps upload. What's the upload speed on your connection Daniel, and how big is the pdf file?

[dsze]

Tim, my download speed is about 6.5MBps and my upload is 370kbps. My pdf is 129MB, which doesn't seem that big to me.

[tim]

At your theoretical maximum speed the upload would take an hour, but it's possible that there's something slowing things down either on the net, at asuka, or in between. Personally i'd leave it alone for 4 hours and if it's still uploading then i'd think about doing something. If you can monitor your connection check the upload rate and see how fast it's actually going.

[dsze]

Did your main window go blank while it was uploading?

[tim]

I forget, but I don't think so. I did it in Internet Explorer because I figured it was a safer bet than firefox.

[dsze]

Yes, I agree and am also doing it in IE. ...frustrating.

[tim]

Just relax, give it a couple of hours, it's a pretty big file. If it's not finished in two hours then either try again or mail it to them on CD.

[mizuno]

Do AsukaBook have an FTP server you can connect to using a traditional FTP client?

That would make far more sense that doing it through a web browser.

[tim]

No they don't (I just tried it).

[mizuno]

Booooooooooooo!

[dsze]

Yes, it would certainly seem that there has to be a better way of doing this. Maybe Tim's right, I just need to relax ;)

[dsze]

Ok, it never uploaded.... I gave it almost 5 hours. It seems that trying to order 2 books coupled with the 50% off first studio sample promotional code was the cause of the problem. Once, I re-created the pdf such that it only indicated 1 book, the upload took just over 1 hour. ...can't wait to see how it looks in person!

[liza]

Tim,
I create a high school yearbook using Adobe Pagemaker software. Would you say that Photojunction is somewhat akin to that? I'm interested in possibly making a sample book for customers, though I'm not sure they'd be interested in an Asukabook vs. a traditional album. People here are extremely conservative. :(

[tim]

I've never used Pagemaker so I can't comment sorry.

[PIXI_666]

Hey Tim
I am just looking at asuka right now and working out if i should just go ahead and do an order this weekend. Just checking with the programs they give you, do they work well? Do you jst download it and then open in photoshop? Im just tossing up if it's easy enough to do, because momento give you software and you just add in here and there etc. whereas with asuka it LOOKS more compliacted - that doesn't bother me. I jsut don't want to be sketchy and then give up if it's too hard.
I just like the fact that there are smaller and larger books, with an array of different covers...i have had a client ask for a "Brag" book and it be small and pocket sized and cheaper than what i have quoted. Asuka offers this.....so i am looking into it for them!
When you get time - just let me know quickly if the programs are easy to use - normally id just download and look at it - but im at work! They'll kick my butt hahaha

Thanks
Del

[tim]

Asuka give you templates for photoshop, designing albums in that takes AGES. I use PhotoJunction then tweak in Photoshop, which works well. In two months Asuka will officially support PhotoJunction, and things will be a lot easier, they're releasing a new version of PJ for them.

I'm making a small album myself at the moment, i'm getting prints done at a pro lab then sending them to http://www.boundtolast.co.nz to have them bound into a digital album. The prices are quite reasonable, i'm sure they'd be happy to ship to Australia. They might even be able to arrange the printing for you, though I prefer to do it myself.

[PIXI_666]

Thanks ill look into photo junction!

[tim]

It's pretty expensive, US$220 for a years subscription. I paid less than that for my Queensberry 14x10" leather sample album and photojunction license together, so it's a much better way to go.

http://www.photojunction.com/

[Arnie1]

Doesn't Kubota tools do an album design set of actions that work with the Asuka templates? I think Mr Kubota owns Asuka books anyway.

[tim]

The Asuka templates go into photoshop, they're basically blank pages with guide lines. You can use any template set you like with them.

[cargo123]

Tim, I purchased some album design software from Gary Fong when I went to his workshop a couple of months ago. It is used with PS CS2. It is very easy to use. I have been using it to make a Mother's Day album for my wife. Each pages is saved as a jpg. If I convert each page from a jpg to a pdf, can I make the album, or does it need to be one pdf file? I am trying to create a sample book to create interest for my clients for wedding and children albums.

[tim]

For an Asukabook it's easiest if you use their templates, to make sure you have the right image sizes. If you can make a JPG the right size you can use any JPG, but it has to be exactly the right size. You can't use pdf's as source, you have to have exactly the right number of JPGs. AsukaBook's are only available to professional photographers, but there are heaps of other books anyone can order.

The cover has to be done with their template. Be careful of which cover you use, it basically decides what type of book you order.

[cargo123]

I am currently subscribing to Pictage which has a monthly subscription fee. Does Asukabook have a monthly subscription?

[tim]

Nope.

[PIXI_666]

I dont know if this is NEW NEWS...but i just got an e-mail from asukabook telling me they have an Aussie/NZ site now...

www.asukabook.com.au

i had no idea - makes it so much easier though!!

Del

[tim]

Why wouldn't they tell their existing customers about that, I never got that email! What a bunch of... well... let's leave it there ;)

[mizuno]

I daresay it's just an Aussie domain.

Nothing would change as far as production goes. Everything exactly the same, but they also have a 'com.au' domain now.

[PIXI_666]

yeah nothing is different, it just means they do the books in Aus and send out - quicker and easier i suspect. I dont know why they told me? I sent them an email so they just replied! lol

[PIXI_666]

yeah nothing is different, it just means they do the books in Aus and send out - quicker and easier i suspect. I dont know why they told me? I sent them an email so they just replied! lol

[mizuno]

There doesn't seem to be a login section on the Australian site, so I have emailed them to register, again.

[roanjohn]

WOW!!! Thanks for this info Tim. I would like to see how your book turned out. I also am trying to make an album through Asuka........but the time spent on photoshop making each page is killing me!!! I wish there is a template that will do everything for me and I can just click on each photo and it gets there........or sumthin'

RO1

[dsze]

Hey Tim, have you actually sold or given an Asukabook to a client yet? I was just wondering what their reaction was.

[tim]

The book has been sent to the client, I expect to hear from them soon about how they like it. Roan, yep it takes fecking ages to do in Photoshop, that's why I use PhotoJunction. A proper design tool will save you a lot of time.

I still mean to take photos of the book once I get around to it.

[MrTED]

Hi All,

I just stumbled across this thread. Going back to a comment about the logo on the back of the Momento Books... I have just signed with Momento Pro and they have a custom branding package that removes the logo on the back of the sleeve and replaces it with your designed logo. It also has an embossed logo for the hard cover of the book, all part of the package. It costs a few hundred dollars to make the stamp, but I see it as well work while as the client does not see who made the book, and it give a more profesisonal image to them.

Regards,

Nathan

[PIXI_666]

tHANKS NATHAN ILL LOOK INTO IT, I MIGHT SEND AN E-MAIL WITH MY NEXT ORDER :)

[tim]

sOMEONE LOOKS AT THEIR KEYBOARD RATHER THAN THE SCREEN WHILE THEY'RE TYPING EH dEL? :P

[PIXI_666]

hahahahaha

AND typing is my job - so that's pretty terrible huh HAHAHA

[reachg]

Hi everyone :)

I'm very new to the forum and happy if I can be of any help. I ordered an Asukabook set of sample books, and it arrived last week (I just noticed this post today) I ordered to show to my clients and I have already sold two of them, one for a wedding I did last week, and another as a reprint of a family book that I first did in Aperture. The two orders were for the 10x10 EX laminate glossy, that looks really really nice.

With the set I received I can show to my clients almost every size/cover/finish:

(1) 5x5 book bound varnish, soft cover, 80 side book
(1) 7x10 stitch bound, laminate matte, hard cover, 28 side book
(1) 10x10 bound EX, laminate glossy, hard cover, 80 side book

All them look nice for different purposes, but I'm sure the bound EX laminate glossy would be the winner for my wedding books. I don't know if I can post the price for the sample set, as I negotiated it with them, and maybe it's different for everyone.

I'm at your disposal to answer any question or post pictures.

Regards,
Javier

Javier,

Can you please post some pictures of the sample set? I wana know what color they give you. I have also sent you an email with more questions.

Thanks,
G