# Photobook layout with individual page sizes



## Cornelius (Sep 11, 2012)

Dear forum users

I plan to use lightroom to print my own photo books for my clients, using my Epson 3880 printer.
Now, Lightroom offers with the Blurb photo book layout plugin a nice tool to layout a book. Unfortunately I can't use this tool, due to the limited page sizes which are available.

I will use either a Hahnemühle self-print photo book or a Tecco Book (http://www.tecco-book.de/index.html), which will basically use a A4 page size, but adds some space for the binding of the individual pages.

Does anyone knows a plugin which offers me a nice layout functionality like the book module, but offers me also the possibility to set page/paper sizes to my personal needs?
Of course it would be also possible to layout the book in InDesign or create the individual pages in Photoshop, but this would cost much more time (and also the need of rendering the RAW files prior the layout work) compared to a plugin like the book module, where I can do the layout (without text) directly in lightroom from scratch.

Thanks for your feedback!

Regards from Switzerland


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## Victoria Bampton (Sep 12, 2012)

Hi Cornelius, welcome to the forum!

Sorry, I don't know of any such plug-in at this point in time.  There are options in terms of using Publish Services to be able to easily keep the exported photos updated with your Develop changes, for use in InDesign, but that's about as close as you'll get at the moment.


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## Cornelius (Sep 18, 2012)

Hi Victoria

That is to bad..  I had the hope that there is a way to do the layout directly in Lightroom. Unfortunately the book module is to much linked to Blurb (I guess Adobe gets a lot of money for that restriction).

In the meantime I found that Apple Aperture provides exactly the functionality I am looking for. A book layout module, where I can freely choose and set the page size to my custom paper from the Tecco Book.
Whether I like it or not, I have to use Aperture for the moment until Lightroom also offers the functionality. After I switched from Aperture to Lightroom beginning of this year, I hoped that I don't have to use 2 softwares in futures..


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## Victoria Bampton (Sep 18, 2012)

I think it's as much a technical issue as it is a financial one Cornelius.  Hopefully they'll make further progress in LR5 though.


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## Marshall Black (Oct 13, 2012)

Not sure if it will help now as your post was in Sep. I made a book using Photobox (UK online print company) and used LR3 to create the pages. No text apart from intro pages.
So if you are making a print book it might be of use to you. Here's a link to my blog on the process.
Hope this helps.
Marshall


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## Cornelius (Nov 13, 2012)

Hi Marshall

Thanks for your link.
My issue is still active.. The possible way over the print module in Lightroom is still an option, but this way will not offer me a easy pdf export of all Pages in one single pdf File. Unfortunately this i essential for my workflow, due to the fact that I have to send a book layout preview to my customers prior printing the book on my printer.

Lets hope that Lightroom 5 offers free page size settings in the book module.


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