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Images, Illustrations, and Text Preparation Guide

illustration of woman adding item to webpage

Okay, this is the first step of the process (really it is the second step because the first step is you writing the manuscript).This is the time you need to have your manuscript in an acceptable format for us to prepare your files for the printer. If you are using our ghost writing services to prepare your manuscript then skip this step. We accept your manuscript via flash drive, email (preferably), or CD. We like to work with Word Document but if you are working with a different word processing program, please contact us to see if we can work with your files. Visit our "preparing layout" page for formatting assistance. Also, Above are some links that may be helpful to you as well.


There are many file-sharing programs available on the internet that allow computers to download documents and make them available to other, but we prefer that you send them to us via email or our handy uploader. All files must be sent to the email: books@griotpublishinghouse.com  


If you decide to insert additional documents and/or photos after the layout is completed, there will be a reformatting fee. Please use your Griot Code to identify these files. If you do not identify them, we cannot guarantee that your additional contents will be inserted into your Book. Below are some ways to send your files to us according to whichever OS that you are using. Contact us with further questions.

Book Covers
PDF Download
Free Book Templates
Book Tutorial Videos
Images and Text
Book Preparation Guide
Book Printing Guide
Book Identifiers
Book Binding

Sending Photos for Book Inclusion

There are many photo-sharing programs available on the internet that allows you to send photos, but we prefer that you send them to us via email or our handy uploader. Many of those programs become owners of your photos, and when using them, you give them the right to use your photos for advertisement and whatever else they wish to use them for. All photos must be sent to the address:

photos@internationalgriotpublications.com 


If you decide to insert additional photos after the layout is completed, there will be a reformatting fee. Please use your Griot Code to identify these photos. If you do not identify them, we cannot guarantee that your photos will be inserted in your Book. Below are some ways to send your photos to us according to whichever OS that you are using.

Contact us with further questions

Photo/Image Web Extensions

There are many image formats.

Some of the most common are BMP, GIF, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and many others. Computer programmers, web page designers, digital photographers, and others who use computer images may want to convert such images from one format to another.


Image file formats are standardized means of organizing and storing digital images. Image files are composed of digital data in one of these formats that can be rasterized for use on a computer display or printer. An image file format may store data in uncompressed, compressed, or vector formats. Once rasterized, an image becomes a grid of pixels, each of which has a number of bits to designate its color equal to the color depth of the device displaying it.

 

Listed below are the only extensions that we accept. If you need to covert your image extension, click here.


JPEG   PING   TIF   GIF

Learn more

Low Resolution Images

A good image published in a book is everything!

Sometimes abbreviated as lo-res., low resolution is the computer screen, image, or printed page that is not crisp, is grainy or pixilated. When referring to a low resolution screen or image on the computer, this commonly refers to a picture that has a small amount of pixels, causing the image to be jaggy. When referring to a low resolution print page, this refers to a picture that has a small amount of dots, causing the printed text or image to appear light and not crisp.


Try to avoid using images with low-resolution for it would appear pixelized.  If we detect that your resolution is too low, we will advise you of the issue at which time you will decide to either fix the resolution, replace the image with another one, print as is or remove the image all together.  Once you sign off on your files, we will not be responsible for low resolution printing.  We can replace your photos with another one of your choice, but there is a charge of $65 to fix files AFTER they have been approved by you.   If you have photos that are in question, please contact us at (888) 600.2011.

Learn more

How to Convert Pictures to JPEG or Other Picture Files.

STEP 1:   Open the photo. Most computers will have one of two options: either Paint (PC) or Preview  (Mac). Many other programs will work.

STEP 2:    Select "File" in your top menu. This should bring up a drop down menu.

STEP 3:   Select "Save As" from the menu. This will bring a pop up screen where you are given the option to change the title of the photo among other options.

STEP 4:  Click on the drop down menu next to "Format." Within this menu, there should be around 12 options, including JPEG.

STEP 5:    Select the file format or "extension" that suits your needs.

STEP 6:    Change the name of the file or the location of the file if desired.

STEP 7:  "Save." This should have converted your file and the .JPEG version should be available in the location you selected.


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Common questions about picture file types.

What is a file type?

A file type is a standard way of storing information on a computer so it can be read or displayed by a program. You can usually figure out the file type by looking at the last three letters of the file name. These letters are referred to as the file name extension. Different programs use different extensions when saving files.


What are common file types for pictures?

Common graphics file types include JPEG (.jpg), TIFF (.tif), and bitmap (.bmp). In addition, some digital cameras can save pictures in RAW format, which is uncompressed and has not had effects like white balance or sharpening applied.


Which file type should I use?

Most of the time, JPEG (.jpg) is the best file type, since it creates high-quality pictures with small file sizes by compressing the data. It’s great for storing and sharing your pictures. If you need a very high level of visual quality (for example, if you’re printing 8-by-10-inch enlargements), you should save in TIFF (.tif) format or save your JPEG picture at the very lowest compression level available.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Common Pictures Files.

 What are the advantages and disadvantages of common picture file types? 

  • ·Most programs can display, open, and save JPEGs.
  • JPEGs are great for e-mail because of their small file size.
  • Because you can vary the amount of compression used to save a JPEG, you can control the file size and image quality.


JPEG Disadvantage

  • ·JPEGs automatically compress your pictures when you save them, which reduces the visual quality by a small amount. If you use a high compression level, the image quality can be poor.

TIFF Advantage

  • There is no loss of image quality when saving a picture as a TIFF.

TIFF Disadvantages

  • Some programs, including most web browsers, cannot display pictures in TIFF format.
  • TIFF pictures can be very large (many times larger than the same picture saved as a JPEG). As a result, TIFF pictures consume hard disk space far more quickly than JPEGs.
  • All but the smallest TIFF pictures are too large to send through e-mail.


What about GIF, bitmap, PNG, RAW, and other file types?

You’ll rarely need to use a file type other than JPEG or TIFF. The bitmap format (.bmp) is an older standard that creates needlessly large files. This wastes disk space and makes it difficult to send these pictures in e-mail. GIF and PNG are commonly used on webpages, but you’ll find that JPEG works just as well. RAW files, on the other hand, can be created by many digital cameras as a high-quality alternative to JPEG. Many professional photographers choose to work with RAW files because it results in the best possible picture quality.


Should I be concerned about the loss of visual quality when I save in JPEG format? 

JPEG pictures are an imperfect copy of the original image displayed in the camera’s viewfinder. If you take pictures at your camera’s highest quality level, however, it can be hard to tell the difference. Every time you resave a picture in JPEG format, the visual quality is reduced slightly, as if you are making a photocopy of a photocopy. How much quality is lost depends upon how much the image has been compressed. Usually, this reduction in quality is difficult to see, but if you repeatedly make changes to the same picture and save it with an intermediate quality level, you might eventually notice a loss of sharpness and color accuracy. For the absolute best visual quality, save your JPEG pictures at the highest possible quality level or work in TIFF format.

A JPEG picture saved at high quality (left) and low quality (right)


’How do I change a pictures file type? 

You can save a copy of your picture as a TIFF, JPEG, or another file type by using Paint.

  1. Open Paint by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, and then clicking Paint.
  2. Click the File menu, and then click Open.
  3. Choose the picture you want to change, and then click Open.
  4. Click the File menu, and then click Save As.
  5. Click the Save as type list, and then click the type of file you want to use.
  6. Click Save.

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Book Publishing Preparation Checklist

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Image Insertions for Book Inclusion

Images are an asset to any published book if appropriate. This means that all published books do not necessarily need images, and this page is created to help you to decide if you want photos or not, and if you do, how to insert them into your manuscript.  Inserting photos is not a hard thing to do. As a matter of fact,  most document software programs such as Word Document or Open Office provides an easy way to insert images into your manuscript. They provide a menu with options to guide you in inserting your images and  manipulate the size, the color or even the quality of the image. 


Should my manuscript/book include images?

The logical answer is IT'S UP TO YOU.  That's right.  This is YOUR book, YOUR baby and YOUR decision on how it looks and reads. There are some not-so-legal rules to which type of books should include images such as: 

  • PICTURE BOOKS should include images (of course).  The only thing you should know is that black and white image printing is free and color image printing is not.  We can tell you more about that here. 


  • NOVELS are not known to have images present in them.  We will tell you our professional opinion to why this is so, but first let's deal with terminology.  Here is the definition of "novel" taken from Wikipedia: A novel is a long narrative, normally in prose, which describes fictional characters and events, usually in the form of a sequential story. We submit to you that since a novel is more of a narrative story, images provide a break in the readers mind. Sort of like a commercial that interrupts an awesome movie.  Images (for the most part) are  just unnecessary to the novel reader.


  • The size of novels are usually 4.25X7. This is a small book, so images in a small book can be hard to see for some readers.


  • Images take up too much space in such a small book.  Again; if you are writing a narrative story, you need all of the limited space that you are provided with to tell the story.  Images would just be in the way for many reasons such as those stated above. 


How do I insert images into my document?

Different software have different methods to insert images into documents. Visit the "help" link that is included in the software that you are using.  We have a quick tutorial for you if you are using Word Document.  You can find that tutorial here. 

Contact us with further questions

Image Pricing for Book Inclusion

Our packages allow anywhere between 30 to 70 Interior black & white graphics, images & tables. There is no additional charge for black & white images, but there is a charge for colored images.


How much does it cost to add a colored image to a page in my book?

To add a colored image to your book is $1.25 per page.  We do not charge by the image itself, but we do charge by the page. This means that if you have 4 images on the same page, you will only be charged $0.85.  If you have 4 colored photos on 4 different pages, your charge would be $1.25X4 = $5.00.


How much does it cost to add images to my front and back book cover?

We do not charge anything extra for the front and back cover, only the initial cover charge. Specialty covers have their own prices. Check it out here.


How to order:

  1. Count how many pages that you will be inserting your colored photos onto.
  2. Visit our secured ordering page to began ordering your colored images.
  3. Enter the amount of pages that will contain colored images and click the "update" button.
  4. When you are finished, click the "checkout" button. 
  5. Login or signup for an account.  
  6. Complete the transaction

Contact us with further questions

Common Questions Regarding Image Sizes

What is DPI?

The definition of a printed image will be given in DPI (dots per inch) or PPI (pixel per inch). This point number means that a printer can print so many points per inch (=2.54cm). The higher the value, the finer the print. A decent print definition is 300dpi, which meets most requirements.


To recap: DPI means 'dots per inch' but you need to know how many inches to know the file size of an image.


What are Pixels?

The word "pixel" means a picture element. Every photograph, in digital form, is made up of pixels. They are the smallest unit of information that makes up a picture. Usually round or square, they are typically arranged in a 2-dimensional grid. Pixels have no set size, they just expand or contract to fill the space available. 


How are file sizes determined?

A File size is determined by the number of pixels.


What image size can I insert in my book?

In all honesty, it is totally up to you. You may want an 8.5x11 photo that spans over two pages, or you may want 30 thumbnail size images on 1 page.  Again, it is totally up to you. 


What size do you recommend?

We recommend that your images be at least 300 dpi.  If your dpi is lower than 300, your photo may not print correctly resulting in a blurry or fuzzy image.  If we detect an image under 300, we will contact you so that you can either change it or print "as is" per your approval. 


What do you mean by 300 dpi?

Since the resolution is 300 dpi, it means that each inch is 300 pixels across. 


How do I measure the pixels in my image?

For example: Let's say that we have a greyscale image. If the image is 8 inches wide that means there are 2,400 pixels in width (8 x 300). Likewise, as the image is 12 inches long, the image is 3,600 pixels in length (12 x 300). To get the total we multiply the breadth by the length and the answer is 8,640,000 pixels (2400 x 3600).


We now know how many pixels are in the image. So how do we get to file size. 

Well, we know that for a grayscale image each pixel is 8 bits or 1 byte in file size. So in total the greyscale mage of 8,640,000 pixels has a file size of 8,640,000 bytes or about 8.2 MB (this is because there are 1024 bytes in a kilobyte and 1024 kilobytes in a MB).


How do I optimize my image quality and avoid errors when uploading?

Get your image ready for upload by making sure it has the right file size, format and look. This protects the image's quality and prevents errors during the upload. 


Where can I upload my files to your system?

You can either email them to us or use our handy file uploader.


You can use any image editor you're comfortable with to edit your image before uploading.


Can I shrink my image's dimensions to make my photo smaller?

Shrinking the image's dimensions may decrease its file size -- so we recommend that you don't make the image smaller than necessary.


Follow these tips to size your image:

Here is a free Internet Resizing Tool:  Easily crop, resize, and edit your images online for FREE at PicResize. 


1. Select your image either by browsing your computer for a saved image or drag and drop an image into the appropriate field.

2.  Crop & rotate your image (optional).

3.  Choose the targeted size you are desiring.  You can choose from the options on the list, or you can make your own desired size.

4.  Choose Special Effect:(Optional)

Choose your desired effect such as, Blur, Grayscale, Oil Paint,  Photo Slide,  Polaroid, Raise Rounded Corners, Sharpen  Spread, Tilt-shifted  etc.

5.  Save your image at the desired format: Jpeg, Png, Gif

6.  Download your new image.


THAT'S IT!

Contact us with further questions

Image Types

Image Types

Image Types

JPEG

Pros

Image Types

Image Types

Small file size. Works best with photos.

Cons

Image Types

Cons

*Doesn't work well with text

*Distorts image to reduce file size

*Doesn't support transparency 

Cons


GIFF

* Small file size

*Supports basic transparency

*works best with Logos, simple graphics, & low resolution images


 *Limited to 256 colors

*Images can appear grainy if they use web unsafe colors



PNG

 *Best quality, regardless of content

*supports full transparency

*great for text

*can fix some distortions caused by other file types

*works with all images



*Larger file size

*Won't upload if over 5 MB

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