Blurb BookSmart is a free application with which you can make an entire book manually or using the assistant tool. It is composed of four simple steps: select the size of the book, a template design, the title, and the pictures that you wish to include.
Portrait: Basic. (8×10 in, 20×25 cm) Download Template. Install the BookWright app on your Mac or PC. Click the Download Template button above. Locate the.blurb file, in your Downloads folder. Double-click the.blurb file to launch BookWright. Choose Save As and give your book an original filename. Create Books Using Desktop Application, Web App or Adobe Indesign Plugin. To get started with Blurb, simply click the Make a Book option from the home page, after which you will be provided with three book making tools. You can either use an easy to use template, use the desktop application (Blurb Booksmart) to create a fully customized book.
Deal Expires: 12/31/2021 |
Deal Expires: 12/31/2021 |
Deal Expires: 12/31/2021 |
Deal Expires: 12/31/2021 |
Deal Expires: 12/31/2021 For my in-depth reviews on Blurb photo books including my own wedding album with Blurb, plus other ongoing deals check out my Blurb Reviews page. |
| Discount at checkout. |
Check out the photos at right of actual Blurb books I've made and be sure to check out the links to my full in-depth reviews below!
Click here to download Blurb's FREE software
Blurb was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area. Blurb’s BookSmart software is available for Mac and for PC. You download the software to your computer and build your book offline. When you complete your book, you upload it to the website.
Blurb’s BookSmart software allows for complete customization of your photo book. Blurb allows for a full-page bleed on the front cover and back cover, and titling on the spine, printed directly on the hard cover surface for complete customization of the exterior of the book. The cover is matte which means that it doesn’t show fingerprints and has more of a “real book†look to it. This option is known as the ImageWrap. Other hardcover options include a dust jacket.
A standout for Blurb’s software is the ability to create your own templates or alter the provided templates, and save your custom templates for use in future books of the same size. You can also do a two-page spread (a single photo stretched over two pages) and also place your photo as background for the template. The software is pretty intuitive and flows smoothly. Another less common feature of Blurb's is the ability to accept PDF files for upload into a book.
Look here for a detailed step-by-step tutorial on how to create customizable templates in Blurb.
Blurb’s print quality is very good but in my experience, not quite as sharp as MyPublisher’s. Blurb’s premium paper however feels heavier than MyPublisher’s paper (when compared to MyPublisher’s Classic photo book), but I’ve never ordered the regular paper, so I can’t say firsthand how that compares. (UPDATE: Check out my Blurb paper comparison review Blurb offers two types of premium papers in lustre or matte finish and two newer ProLine papers in addition to the standard paper.
Blurb's photo book prices are very reasonable. It used to be the case that additional pages were priced in groups of pages, but since early March 2013 Blurb changed to a per page pricing structure which is more typical of other companies. According to Blurb 80% of the most popular book types would drop in price or stay the same, but with ProLine paper upgrades increasing in price.
Another notable feature is the ability to share and sell your book online. Blurb allows you to set your own price and keep 100% of the markup and has an easy to navigate and visually appealing bookstore where you can preview and buy authors’ creations.
Unique Features/Tips
- You can get up to a whopping 440 pages in Blurb, many more pages than most other publishers
- Customizable templates can be saved for future projects and software is easy to use
- Offers a variety of sizes including square books as well as portrait and landscape options
- Blurb now has more paper options including two ProLine papers, one with a matte textured surface (Uncoated) and one with a pearlescent finish (Pearl Photo). New endpapers and other upgrades have also been added.
- Blurb offers bookmaking tools and support in Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German
- Volume discounts start with just 10 books. At higher quantities, Blurb also offers order fulfillment, special enhancements such as foil stamping, custom sizes and traditional offset printing.
Don't forget to check the main Photobook Dealspage for all of today's deals! Bookmark that page orfan me on Facebookand you won't miss out on the latest coupon codes!Save money with the latest Blurb coupons and deals.
Blurb Reviews from the Blog
Apr 4, 2016: Six Prizes! Blurb Mother's Day Photo Book Giveaway - Enter By 4/11/16
Apr 26, 2015: Blurb Mother’s Day GIVEAWAY Winners Announced!
Apr 13, 2015: Blurb Mother's Day GIVEAWAY $300 in prizes Ends 4/20/15 Plus Exclusive Blurb Coupon Code!
Dec 31, 2013: Year In Review Photo Books - Happy New Year!
Dec 8, 2013: Blurb $200 Giveaway Winners Announced
Nov 21, 2013: Blurb Photo Book Giveaway! $200 in Prizes + Blurb Coupon Codes
Aug 8, 2013: Make Your Own Family, Heritage and Genealogy Photo Book
Jan 8, 2013: Blurb 365 Project 2012 Giveaway Winners Announced
Dec 28, 2012: Blurb 365 Project Giveaway! $100 Prizes - The Last Push for 2012 (ENDED)
Nov 16, 2012: Blurb Coupon Pre-Black Friday 2012 (25% off extended thru 12/3/2012))
Oct 25, 2012: Custom Notebooks, Journals and Planners - Day 3 Can't Miss Christmas Gift Ideas (Updated 2014)
Oct 1, 2012: FREE Photo Book from Blurb 2012 - Make a Facebook Photo Book in Minutes
Aug 15, 2012: Blurb eBooks for the iPad
Jul 12, 2012: Blurb Instagram Giveaway 2012 Winners Announced & Blurb Coupon Codes
Jul 1, 2012: Exclusive Blurb Coupon Code and Giveaway - Blurb Instagram Book Review 2012 (ENDED)
Jan 3, 2012: Blurb Custom Notebook Review
Aug 26, 2011: Blurb Review of Softcover Photo Book & GIVEAWAY Ends 9/1/2011! (ENDED)
Jul 27, 2011: How To Sell Your Photo Book Online - An Interview with Photographer Dan Lo
Jun 13, 2011: Blurb Review 2011 (UPDATED 2016): ProLine, Premium and Standard Papers Compared
Apr 16, 2010: Q&A: How to Create Customizable Layouts in Blurb
Mar 13, 2010: Blurb vs Mpix Review - Make Your Own Affordable Wedding Photo Book - A Bride-to-Bride Guide (with Pictures) Part II
Mar 8, 2010: A Review of Photo Book Printing Companies that I’ve Used: Blurb vs. MyPublisher vs. Snapfish vs. Mpix
Quick Specs for BlurbNew to photo books?Learn the lingo
| Book Type | Hardcover & Softcover |
| Book Shape | Portrait, Landscape & Square |
| Types of Covers | Full Photo Cover, Dust Jacket |
| Min/Max Pages | 20 - 440 standard paper; 20 - 160 premium paper |
| Paper | standard - 80 lb. matte; premium - 100 lb. matte or lustre paper; ProLine 100 and 140 lb. |
| Binding | professional library binding |
| Lay Flat | No |
| Fully Customizable Layouts | Yes |
| Themes | 15 |
| Layouts/Templates | Full customization; 300+ colors |
| Backgrounds | Yes |
| Image as Background | Yes |
| Full Photo Cover | Yes |
| Customizable Spine | Yes - solid color and title only (no image) |
| Full Photo Back Cover | Yes |
| Full Page Bleed | Yes |
| Captions/Fonts | Yes |
| Embellishments | Yes |
| Mac/PC | Both |
| Download or Online | Download |
| Special Photo Importing | Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, SmugMug, iPhoto |
| Share Online | Yes |
| Sell Online | Yes |
| Collaboration | No |
| Logo | Yes - removable with fee |
| Photo Editing in Program | Rotate, Size, Borders |
| Digital Scrapbooking Compatible | Yes |
Blurb Photo Books
Thinking about designing a photobook on Blurb?You can view a detailed chart of every Blurb photo book,including sizes and pricing. See the full list ofBlurb photo books.
Leave a comment with your own review of Blurb
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Blurb Booksmart Templates
Free & Powerful
Create layouts, add text, and set up print-ready pages. One file makes both print and ebooks.Customizable Templates
Start fast with high-design templates for popular books, or start fresh with your own layouts.10+ Years of Quality
More than 320,000 books, ebooks, and magazines have been completed with BookWright.
Built-in Tutorials
BookWright, our free book publishing software, features videos, instructions, and tips built right into the application so you’ll have everything you need to self-publish a book, right at your fingertips.Ella Bella Bunny Detective
'The whole process with Blurb has been super easy, putting the book together using the BookWright app was really simple.'Fall Fare
'As a visually sensitive person, I knew I needed a program that was simple and intuitive. I was thrilled when I found curating a narrative through BookWright to be second nature.'Twenty Fifteen
'If you like a little more control, BookWright allows you to really get into the nitty gritty of customizing your book…I did an entirely custom book in about an hour!'
With Bookwright
Blurb Booksmart Templates Pdf
Features
- Free, downloadable, professionally-designed layouts (and the ability to easily create your own)
- Print book, ebook, and PDF output—all from the same project file
- Free unique ISBNs for every version of your book (a $125 value)
- WYSIWYG print output via a colour profile custom-built for our printers
- Reflowable text containers
- Rich Text Format (RTF) import for text-centric books
- Import of your existing Blurb book files (created in BookSmart or Bookify)
System Requirements
Windows - Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10- Intel Pentium Dual-Core or AMD Athlon II processor
- 2GB of RAM
- 500MB of available hard-disk space
- Screen Resolution - 1280x800
- Internet connection required for publishing
Mac OSX - 10.7+- Intel Core 2 Duo processor
- 2GB of RAM
- 500MB of available hard-disk space
- Screen Resolution - 1280x800
- Internet connection required for publishing