Whether you're an instructor leading a photography course or a student putting together a portfolio, creating a Blurb or MagCloud publication is a great way to get things into print. Follow these tips for the smoothest possible experience.
Leave enough time
We can't stress this enough: leave more time than you think you'll need. Designing, editing, and proofreading your book will take more time than expected. Then it takes about 5 business days to print, trim, and bind your books, not including shipping time. We can't rush orders through production, not even for an extra fee.
You'll see an estimated delivery date at checkout and can also use our shipping calculator for an estimate on shipping times and costs.
If you'd like to make revisions after receiving your book leave time for that, too.
Remember, sometimes things go wrong: an order might need to be reprinted last minute, or a shipment might be delayed en route. So leave as much extra time as possible, just in case.
Found a mistake?
After uploading and ordering your book you may realize you need to change something. Blurb can't change the content of your book for you. But if you just placed the order, remember that you have a three-hour window to cancel a Blurb order yourself. (Look here for instructions for cancelling your MagCloud order). You can then upload and order the corrected version.
In any case you have to cancel the order yourself within the three-hour window. Our support team cannot cancel orders for you.
Payment
Blurb accepts payment at checkout via credit card, debit card, or Paypal. We don't accept purchase orders, invoices, or checks.
Making your first book
Whatever your assignment might be--a portfolio, portraits, or a book of poetry--make sure to read our tips for your first book. We recommend everyone review that information before starting their book. You don't want to open your printed Blurb book the day before it's due only to find out you placed things too close to the edge or used images that were too dark (or too blurry) to print well.
Leave enough time
This bears repeating: allow enough time to create your book and have it printed and shipped. It takes about 5 business days to print your book, which doesn't include shipping time. We cannot rush orders through production, no matter how urgent your situation.