Remember me
Pinchbooks are sold with and without front cover windows.
Most photographers, when they’re ready to market their most recent portfolio to editors, publishers, agents, and galleries, will use a book publisher like Adorama’s Printique. This choice enables the photographer to produce a tidy, glossy package that presents the chosen work in a professional light. Unfortunately, this practice prevents the rapid replacement and substitution of new photographs into this printed portfolio. If flexibility and a professional looking portfolio are both important to you, then this DIY system will “answer the mail.”
Known as a “Pinchbook,” this system, made by Spiral, is low cost, dead simple to use, and, best of all, looks great. Sold by Freestyle Photo & Imaging, Pinchbooks come in a variety of styles and colors, ranging in price from $6.99 to $22.99. Yes, you could opt to just insert your photographs into a Pinchbook and begin your marketing pitch; with just a couple of extra steps, however, you can seriously raise the bar on your portfolio presentation.
You’re probably wondering why Pinchbooks are called, well, Pinchbooks. The name is derived from the method used for inserting pages into the book. Basically, both book covers are folded back against each other opening a trough. This trough is where photographs, interleaving tissue, backing media, etc. are inserted. When the portfolio is full, the covers are released and the trough pinches all of the media together into a neatly bound volume.
This pinch-binding action is repeatable and doesn’t harm any of your media. A thoughtful addition to the trough is a short ledge at the bottom of the book. This ledge prevents any of the pages from slipping or falling when loading the Pinchbook.
There are four products that you can use to enhance your Pinchbook presentation:
Everything that you’ll need for pitching the perfect Pinchbook.
1. Tissue. This interleaving tissue is vital for separating your individual photographs into noteworthy, standalone masterpieces that will command extra attention. $13
2. Colored Backing Paper. A contrasting mounting media for ensuring that smaller photographs receive as much attention as your enlargements. $4.09
3. Fabric Hinges. This small addition helps to enable each photograph to lay flat within the open Pinchbook. $11.99
[Please note: the adhesive on these hinges can become permanent. Therefore, test a sample photograph with a hinge prior to using this product on your finished artwork.]
4. Lightweight, Easy Tear Masking Paper. $4.48 While this product might seem like an oddball suggestion, it is a worthy option for making a reusable Pinchbook dust jacket for all of your varied portfolios. Here’s how it works:
Preparing to make a dust jacket for a window-less Pinchbook.
Using a simple folding technique, a sheet of this masking paper can be transformed into a removable dust jacket for a Pinchbook portfolio. Once folded into the proper shape, the dust jacket can be slipped onto the Pinchbook and provide the inventive photographer with three incredible benefits:
1. Protection. It’s much better to spill your coffee on a replaceable dust jacket, than on a priceless portfolio.
2. Unique Cover Design. An attractive book cover can help to add some marketing punch to your portfolio presentation. Just beware of the adage: don’t judge a book by its cover; and integrate your photographs into the cover design for selling the book via the cover.
3. Informative Inner Flap. Each dust jacket has two inner flaps that are ideal for recording thoughts about your photographs, as well as a brief biographical sketch about yourself. Don’t sell this valuable textual real estate short, however. If you’re not an avid writer, hire someone to tell your story for you. While one picture is worth one thousand words, editors love to read thousands of words about your pictures.
The steps needed for creating a Pinchbook dust jacket.
Sometimes a DIY effort can look kinda…cheesy. Thankfully, a DIY Pinchbook portfolio can rival a printed book and even deliver a visual presentation that can’t be duplicated any other way. The tactile linen hardbound cover featuring an inviting exterior window is tough to beat at any price.
Furthermore, a Pinchbook can be edited “on-the-go” while riding mass transit traveling to meet a gallery owner. In contrast to ripping out pages from a printed portfolio, a Pinchbook adds a “living” quality to your photographs where you can remove a single image and leave it behind with that prospective client knowing confidently that your portfolio is still seeing its best presentation.
Enjoy.
Comments (0)