FAQs

  1. Why can't I see your pricing on this web site?
    IRISportfolios is part of the IRISgroup of companies that includes a wholesale professional wedding album division called IRISbook. IRISbook pricing is confidential and IRISportfolios uses similar materials thus we must respect our customers rights to confidential pricing. Simply sign up for an account and you will have access to all our pricing straight away. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
     
  2. Can I print my own pages for my portfolio?
    Yes, our screw and post portfolios are made to international specifications and will accept any commercially available papers for screw and post portfolios. Having said that, we really recommend that you give us a try.
     
  3. How do I upload my Files & Design my books/portfolios?
    Please upload your files via our online designer here Design your books and then go to IRIS cart our store to purchase your book. Please note IRIS studio is separate from our IRIS cart and you must create a separate store account.
     
  4. Can I use any 3rd party software to design?
    No, customers can only use IRIS studio to design their IRISportfolios products.
     
  5. Can I use my own material  to make a portfolio cover or photo book?
    Yes. However if sending your own material we will need to perform tests to ensure that it can be used. Non-refundable testing fees will apply and do not guarantee that the material can be used.
     
  6. Do you have other colours available or just what is listed?
    We only stock a limited selection of colours, however all our materials are available in a wider variety of colours and finishes. Please enquire about the colour you are interested in. Note, all non-stocked colours will incur a premium surcharge to bring them in.
     
  7. What font styles do you offer for your in house Metal Fonts?
        Can I stamp my name on two lines when using Metal Fonts?
    Please take a look at this interactive PDF to see what is available.
    Yes, you can stamp your name on 2 lines but no single line can exceed 8" in length.
     
  8. What are the min & max page counts in your photo books?
    The minimum page count is 20 pages and the maximum is 300 pages for standard and satin lay flat papers. The maximum page count for our 250 GSM luster is 150 pages.
     
  9. How many pages can your standard portfolios hold?
    Our portfolios can hold approximately 40 pages of 190GSM thick paper, which should be more than enough to present your work. We can supply spacers if you intend to show less than 40 pages. We can also make our portfolios wider to accommodate more pages.
     
  10. Just what do you mean by pages?
    One sheet of paper in a book is called a leaf. Each side of a leaf is called a page or a side. IRISportfolio photo books have a minimum of 10 leaves or 20 pages/sides.
     
  11. What photo book sizes do you currently offer?
    We currently offer the 11x11 & 8x8, 6x6 the 11x13 & 7.5x9, 6x7 in both the Portrait & Landscape formats.
     
  12. What portfolio sizes do you currently offer?
    Based upon International standards we offer: 11x11, 8x8, 14x11, 11x8.5, 11x14 & 8.5x11, 17x11
     
  13. Can you sell me your specially hinged lay flat paper?
    No, unfortunately our paper will not work with ink jet printers. The coatings are specially formulated for digital offset printing only.
     
  14. Can I get a custom photo book or portfolio size?
    While this is possible custom fees can be quite expensive. We recommend customizing the materials, and colours to differentiate your self as this is much easier to do. Changing the actual size of a portfolio even minimally requires large changes on our production side of things. If you are still interested please contact us for details.
     
  15. Can I get a leather box?
    No, boxes are only made in silk and buckram only.
     
  16. How can I keep up with the latest at IRISportfolios?
    Please stay tuned with our eZine!
     
  17. How can I see a sample book/paper?
    You can purchase a swatch kit of our materials. As well, using your images you can order a test sheet to see what our papers look and feel like as well as seeing our print quality. Unfortunately we do not ship out sample books, nor do we sell sample books with images provided.
     
  18. How are your books bound? Do they lay flat?
    Our books are side sewn. After your pages have been printed and stacked this is called the book block. The spine area of the pages is sewn through the entire block at the spine which is about 1/4 inch in from the left edge. It is suitable for digital press books that are printed on single sheets. It is extremely durable and archival. Books using our standard paper do lie open on their own from about first 10 pages until about the last 10 pages. They are not however true lay flat books in the traditional sense and have gutters. We do offer photo books and portfolios that lay flat using a proprietary built-in hinge that customers can order our products with lay flat papers.
     
  19. Do your books start on a single page or double page spread?
    Our books always start on a single right sided page. As our books must always end on an even number they always end on a single left sided page.
     
  20. What kind of press do you print on?
    The press we print on is an HP Indigo 7500 Digital press. It is a top of the line, state of the art press. It is unique in the industry as it lays down actual liquid inks similar to a traditional offset press. The quality is unmatched when compared to all other competing digital presses.
     
  21. What is your paper like?
    For our standard papers we use a 176GSM fine art paper. It has a true matte finish. It is the same thickness as the paper used in fine art books and feels thick and luxurious. We do not offer glossy or semi-matte paper options in the standard paper formats. In the lay flat papers we offer 2 options: A 176GSM Matte and a 250GSM photo luster. NOTE: in an effort to be environmentally conscious our paper contains 10% post-consumer waste and is FSC certified.
     
  22. Are the inside pages varnished?
    No, the inside pages are not varnished. This is not a service that we can offer. Due to the fact that normally a book is kept mostly closed and the pages not subjected to continuous direct sunlight, applying a UV coating will not significantly extend the life of your images.
     
  23. What are your image covers laminated with?
    Our quarter bound photo and full image wrap covers are finished with a satin laminate designed for this application. We do not offer any other laminate options (i.e. glossy , semi-matte, true matte) for our photo image covers. This is considered to be a matte laminate even though it has a very slight sheen to it. It is this slight sheen that affords added protection against scratches and damage.
     
  24. What file types can I use?
    Currently we accept RGB jpegs only. There is a common misconception that jpegs must be saved using 12 as the compression to ensure maximum quality. In the end even high end presses generally print using a 180 line screen so saving JPEGS using 12 retains a lot of unused information. Please save your jpegs using 10 as the compression which is still a maximum setting in PhotoShop. Do not use 11 or 12 for your JPEG compression setting as your files will be unnecessarily large and will most likely be rejected by IRIS studio. The maximum upload size of a closed jpeg is 5.0MB. If you use 10 as your compression setting your jpegs should be between 2.9MB to 4.8MB each.
     
  25. Can I order a custom die of my logo?
    You can order a custom die if you wish. Additional charges will apply for this service. Please contact us for pricing and artwork requirements for custom dies. Please note if you intend to have your logo printed in your photo book or portfolio your logo must be in vector format to render correctly in the final printed output. Uploading jpeg versions of your logo & text will print, but not as sharp as vector art.

  26. Can I remove the front/back fly leafs and can I print on them?
    No, we do not allow you to remove the fly leafs as they serve both an aesthetic and practical function to protect your images. Unfortunately we do not offer printing services onto these vellum pages as of yet. We may, however, offer this service in the future.
     
  27. Can I print any type of image using IRISportfolios?
    We reserve the right to refuse to print any image(s) at our sole discretion. We will not print materials that could give rise to any civil or criminal liability under applicable law. This includes and is not limited to imagery that promotes racism, hatred, child pornography or harm against any group or person.
     
  28. Does IRISportfolios ship internationally?
    What are shipping costs in Canada, USA, Internationally?
    Yes, we ship all over the world via UPS and Canada Post (when shipping overseas). This typically takes 2-7 days, comes with a tracking ID and will be delivered to the customers address. All parcels are always insured for the full value paid by the customer. Typical Canada Post shipping costs $25~$35 CAD for domestic parcels, $30~$45 CAD to the USA and takes 5~7 business days. International shipping is approximately $100 CAD and takes 7~10 days. All shipping prices listed here are in Canadian Dollars and are rough estimates only.
     
  29. What are the turnaround times for IRISportfolios?
    Current turnaround times are 3-4 weeks NOT including shipping. These are rough guides only, as depending on the season and how busy our bindery department is at the time we can often be faster than these quoted lead times.