Have been making very large albums lately..between 70-90 sides at 12x12...even made a few at 100 sides(the maximum allowed by my album company)
Seems that for an album this size the paper is not the really thick album page but slightly thinner to accommodate the number of pages..I am finding that the books always arrive to me with some pages warped or bent..therefore not letting the book really close all the way...
the album company tells me this is "movement" which seems to me to be a euphemism for warping...
here are a couple of photos of my most recent book...which is otherwise gorgeous...
the company has all sorts of remedies and excuses..but the bottom line is that once it looks like this..no fix really corrects it properly...
the album company which i dont want to name..is one of the more popular companies with a great rep...
Sometimes temperature and/or humidity change in transit can cause issues, and the pages should acclimate. If they don't settle and the company's remedies don't solve the problem, they need to remake the book.
High humidity for a few days will do, it is probably not permanent. Moisture gets in the outside edge under the print, the card expands, hence the warp. Let it stabilise/dry at a normal humidity and then put it back in it"s box.
it could indeed be a humidity/climate thing, but also perhaps the technique they use to build their books. We make our own albums but my wife is the bookbinder and the expert on these kind of things (I just deliver a layout and raw printed sheets ) so I can't tell for sure.
evertdoorn wrote:
it could indeed be a humidity/climate thing, but also perhaps the technique they use to build their books. We make our own albums but my wife is the bookbinder and the expert on these kind of things (I just deliver a layout and raw printed sheets ) so I can't tell for sure.
The issue really looks like humidity. The question is, who is guilty ?? The currier They could have storaged the album in a very humid place or the book binder ?, for not preventing this by puting enough silica gel or stuff like that, or also warning the transporter the box contained delicate articles, keep away from humid places.
Or that it is still winter, I see there is a huge difference between bringing albums in winter than in summer time.
denlex wrote:
Have been making very large albums lately..between 70-90 sides at 12x12...even made a few at 100 sides(the maximum allowed by my album company)
Seems that for an album this size the paper is not the really thick album page but slightly thinner to accommodate the number of pages..I am finding that the books always arrive to me with some pages warped or bent..therefore not letting the book really close all the way...
the album company tells me this is "movement" which seems to me to be a euphemism for warping...
here are a couple of photos of my most recent book...which is otherwise gorgeous...
the company has all sorts of remedies and excuses..but the bottom line is that once it looks like this..no fix really corrects it properly...
the album company which i dont want to name..is one of the more popular companies with a great rep...
thanks for the input guys...a few things to note...
transit time is one day..they pack it, ship it and i get it the next day...
humidity could be a problem but this is not the humid season here in NY...disappointing that the company
has it in their facility perfectly flat and then i get it like this...
However it is cold...not zero..but maybe 30 degrees..it is possible that the indoor/outdoor differential causes this...
but if so, that is unacceptable also...don't make a book that is so temp sensitive that it cant be delivered!!
they also told me to weigh it down..so i tried that but no matter how long I left it under weight.. it never flattened out..the affected pages all remain the same...
so this last book they took back for repair..got it back a week later...they did not replace the pages..they just put it in their press machine...result is not satisfactory..still looks warped..maybe slightly better..but any pro would see this as unacceptable..here is cell phone shot of the adjusted album...
Still...bothers me how the company calls this "movement" (calling it warped is a no no) and refuses to acknowledge that maybe the offending page/s need reprinting and then a rebind....
So..bottom line is I would like to try a new album company..but for these big albums with so many pages there are few choices...
A thing to keep in mind, is that these very large albums (with so many pages) put a lot of pressure in the spine and exterior of the book (the book block is attached to this exterior). This could also be a cause for some issues.
Then the company shouldnt offer so many pages if they can´t handle it, sure an album that size will suffer more than a lighter one but not the very first 5 minutes
note: I have in the back of my studio a couple of boxes with two albums from the Lab that arrived this morning, honestly, It is the "worst" part of the wedding, to control and see if all is ok.
sherijohnson wrote:
I have a feeling there are too many pages partially causing this.
My feelings exactly..if they cant reliable deliver this..then don't offer it..
instead..it is offered..with all sorts of excuses as to why it happens!!
tried that on this album and others like that i have received...doesn't work...once the page is affected like this..
I find that it really never resolves and lays properly anymore...
I know the answer is to get less pages and move to the thicker pages...but my style of book always seems to have too many pages for that...
If it arrives badly wrapped in the winter, this means the album company is not properly drying and conditioning them before shipping. If they warp after they arrive then the air in your home/studio is too dry. Not unusual during the winter months. Run a humidifier and get the humidity up to about 50% and they should flatten out and stay that way with some weight on them. About ten pounds. In the summer they will often bend in the opposite direction because the humidity will be higher. In the summer months run a dehumidifier. Humidity does wonky things to paper.
Finao is now counter-acting this by shrink wrapping their albums before shipping them.
Every album company that I have ever used through the years, their books will warp a little in the winter months. Some brands far worse than others
MRomine wrote:
If it arrives badly wrapped in the winter, this means the album company is not properly drying and conditioning them before shipping. If they warp after they arrive then the air in your home/studio is too dry. Not unusual during the winter months. Run a humidifier and get the humidity up to about 50% and they should flatten out and stay that way with some weight on them. About ten pounds. In the summer they will often bend in the opposite direction because the humidity will be higher. In the summer months run a dehumidifier. Humidity does wonky things to paper.
Finao is now counter-acting this by shrink wrapping their albums before shipping them.
Every album company that I have ever used through the years, their books will warp a little in the winter months. Some brands far worse than others...Show more →
I was wondering why Finao now wrapped their albums. Makes sense.
I also had a 20 page Playbook wrap in February and it was indeed -40C with 5% humidity outside.
) so I can't tell for sure. 
They could have storaged the album in a very humid place or the book binder ?, for not preventing this by puting enough silica gel or stuff like that, or also warning the transporter the box contained delicate articles, keep away from humid places.
