Layout & Files

Layout Help! (Updated 2008-03-04)
    Layout Help File Download this! It's super-cool and it may be helpful in preventing common mistakes. It also includes export settings for PDFs.
    JPEG 8x8 10x10 and 12x12 guides • Use as a guide to see what will trim off and where the fold will be.
    InDesign TEMPLATE (10x10) • If you're an InDesign user, here's a quick start on a few album spreads (updated 2009-01-28).
    If you know how to use color profiles, click here to download the .icc for our printer.

What are the file specifications?

• Design your spreads to the dimensions of the book you‘re ordering. E.g., if you‘re ordering a 10x10, design each 2-page spread as a 20x10.
• Keep important information (text, faces, etc.) in from the edges—we will trim off .25" all the way around.
• If you want an image to bleed off the edge, you need to bring it all the way to the edge of the page—don't just bring it slightly past the trim line.
• Save your album in 2-page spreads as 300dpi, sRGB JPEGs; or as a single 300dpi, sRGB PDF that contains all your spreads (jobnumber.clientname.pdf).
• Use high JPEG quality (e.g. 9 in Photoshop), not maximum! Typical spreads are 2-5 MB when prepared properly.
• JPEG File naming: Name single-digit spreads with leading 0s for proper alphabetization:
  
  

  GOOD Example: spread_08.jpg spread_09.jpg spread_10.jpg spread_11.jpg

  BAD Example: spread_8.jpg spread_9.jpg spread_10.jpg spread_11.jpg

  
  

If I'm ordering a 10x10, won't my final spread size be 20x10?
The files you send to KISS will be, but, after we print them, we will trim them down .25" on every edge so the final dimension will be 19.5x9.5. The cover of your book will measure 10x10, so for us to fit the block of the book inside the cover, it needs to be slightly smaller. Please see the Layout Help files, above, for more detail about where we trim your pages. This is the biggest problem we have with people's files: they don't understand the trim process. Please read the Layout Help files!

Do I need to do anything special to my images before uploading?
Like with any photographic print, you should know that album spreads will reproduce slightly darker than what you are seeing on a well calibrated monitor. If your monitor is out of calibration, the print may be even darker. When designing your album, look for ways to keep things bright; adjust levels, dodge faces, etc. We also recommend editing in sRGB, which will be much more faithful to print than Adobe RGB. For more information about sRGB vs Adobe RGB, click here. If you know how to use color profiles, click here to download the .icc for our printer.

What software can I use to design?
Anything that exports a 300 DPI sRGB JPEG or PDF.

Do different book sizes require different files?
Not typically. If you're going to be ordering multiple sizes of a single book, we recommend designing it as a 10x10. The files for a 10x10 can easily be resized to print a 12x12 or an 8x8. If you design a 12x12 and reduce it to an 8x8, be aware that your margins shrink about 30%. We will still take .25" off every edge on an 8x8, just like we will on a 12x12, but on an 8x8, it's a much larger percentage of your page that gets trimmed off. Just be sure to keep important things in about .5" and you should be plenty safe.

Do you provide design?
Yes! Click here for more details. KISS is working with four fantastic design companies to provide you an even simpler process! You simply select design as an option in checkout, then choose the designer that suits your taste. When you‘ve completed your order, you upload the images you want in the album with a text file containing any notes you may have for the designers, and we take it from there! Here's our crack design teams...check them out:
Pages? Spreads? Sides?
We‘re not sure who started screwing this up, but we aim to put it straight. A page is a page is a page. Just like a book, um... because it's a book. A spread is 2 pages, as seen in this image. KISS deals in spreads (because we don't print single pages).

Do you print on the first page?
No. The inside covers and first/last pages are covered in a black, textured paper. Every printed page in our albums is a 2-page spread. If you want the ”first-page feeling,“ you can design the left half of your spread as white (or another solid color). Click the thumbnail at left for a larger illustration.

Ordering

Why can't I see pricing?
When you sign up at the store for an account, there may be a slight delay as we verify that you are, indeed, a pro photographer. We only sell to photographers, so the pricing is hidden from consumers. If you are thorough in your signup (address, email, business name, etc.) there shouldn't be any delay in your seeing pricing. Try waiting a few hours and logging back in to the store again to see if pricing has been opened up to you. When you sign up, be sure to give us a business name and an email address attached to that business.

What is your turn-around time?
It takes roughly 45 seconds to order online. Your order will ship from our facility 15 working days from when we receive good files. If files are uploaded before 10:00am, Pacific, that day counts as a working day. If files are found to have problems, we'll alert you by email and work with you to correct them. The 15-day counter starts again when the repaired files are received.

What if I need it NOW?
On the last page of the checkout process, there is an option to RUSH your job. It will add a 40% RUSH fee to your order and we will move your book up to the front of the line. This typically means the book will ship from our facility within 7 working days of ordering. You should probably upgrade your shipping, too!

Do you check my files?
We do. We look for resolution, color, and cropping issues primarily. We will contact you about any issues in those three areas. If our technicians see something else that they may be concerned about (e.g. a bride's face on a fold line, or a misspelling), we will contact you. It's our goal to have your book look as good as it can! KISS, however, is not responsible if something other than resolution, basic color, and cropping issues show up in your final book.

How do I upload?
After you've placed your order, you will receive a confirmation that gives you an order number and a link to upload. Create a folder with that order number, place your layouts (sequentially numbered JPEGs or a single PDF) in that folder, and click on the link. The link takes you to http://www.KissWeddingBooks.com/upload, where you simply drag your job-numbered folder onto our logo and it will send the files to us.

How do I upload a replacement page?
Just go to http://www.KissWeddingBooks.com/upload and drop it on the lips! Make sure to put it in a folder named with your job number and the word "fix." E.g., if your job number was 1499, you would create a folder named "1499fix" and put ONLY the files that need replacement in that folder. Please name them the same as the files they are to replace.

What if I'm having trouble uploading?
Contact support and we'll get you hooked up to the FTP.

Can I order if I'm not a wedding photographer?
Yes! Our only restriction is that you are a professional photographer who will charge sales tax on your final books. Since we're a wholesale company, we depend on you to collect proper sales tax for your state.

Do you ship internationally? What are the rates?
Yes! We ship all over the world. Once you have an account, you can put a book in your shopping cart and start the checkout process to show shipping calculations.

What is your Christmas Deadline?
December 1st. See how KISS stacks up against the competition by clicking here.

Books

Do you have photos I can use in my marketing?
We do! You can download them by clicking on this link. These were provided by an awesome KISSer, Matt Ramos, without our even asking. Thanks, Matt!

Are there discounts for studio samples?
Absolutely! You can use the coupon code SAMPLE upon checkout to reduce the cost of your book by 20%! You can use this code as many times as you like. KISS loses a small amount of money with each sample. We're happy to invest in relationships with our clients, but we want to make clear that sample albums are just that: samples. They're not to be sold to your clients, but to show your clients what their book will be like when they order.

Are your studio samples marked?
Yup! We brand our lips logo into the leather on a back corner. The brand is about 2" wide, embossed into the leather.

Do you discount duplicate albums (clones)?
No. We guess if a client asked you to design two entirely different books from 2 sets of photos, you would‘t likely offer a discount because you‘re doing the same amount of work twice. Clone discounts are typically beneficial when the design time is a factor. For us, the amount of work and materials are identical no matter what the content is that we‘re printing. However, if you're ordering design, you only have to pay for it once—the design can be used on as many copies as you like.

How many spreads/pages will you bind?
Books are priced at a 10-spread (20-page) minimum. We'll bind up to 40 spreads (80 pages).

What paper do you print on?
We do true, RA-4 photographic printing (much nicer than "press prints"!) on Fuji Crystal Archival paper. Super-durable, with a nice, soft finish. We found, after much testing, that the Fuji paper showed less discoloration and deterioration across the book seam.

How thick are your pages?
Our pages are juuuussst right! 2mm, including the substrate and print mounted on both sides.

What is your guarantee?
We guarantee you'll love the whole KISS experience! Go ahead, throw some stuff in your cart, it‘s too fun! Oh, and our products are guaranteed for life from any defects in manufacturing or materials.

What are "Little KISSes?"
Click here to find out! They're so cute!

Can I provide my own prints?
Yes. We require all your prints to be laid out as 2-page spreads. We can not mount single pages. Simply put in the notes that you are going to provide your own prints, then have your prints mailed to:
     KISS Wedding Books
     Production Department
     573 West 4800 South
     Salt Lake City UT 84123

We used to give a slight discount for providing your own prints. However, the process is actually more difficult for our book-makers and any slight damage to a print required reordering, waiting, shipping, etc.—as opposed to turning around and reprinting immediately. That, coupled with the fact that different papers bind better or worse than others means we can no longer offer a discount for providing your own prints. We hope you understand! Note: when providing your own prints, KISS does not warranty the quality of the printing or the durability of the paper.