Having also written two traditional photo books (1983 and 1999), I think the future of digital photobooks is tremendous, and I would expect to become simpler and the quality to improve continuously.

To be sure, digital photo books do have limitations. For black and white photos, there is no true duotone or tri-tone capability. The coating options are somewhat limited. You can’t stand out at the press and implore a talented pressman to pull out the stops, remake a plate, repack a blanket, etc.

The environmental implications of doing one-off digital books are tremendous. As an offset printer, I know from direct experience that the cost to produce a single, offset-printed, 11×13″ oblong case-bound and sewn book with dustjacket on good 100# silk stock is–about $12,000 in the US, or perhaps $6,000-$7,000 overseas. The same specs, printed on an Indigo (though not Smythe-sewn of course), is roughly $80 to $90. That says it all.

If the digital photo book print world is going to grow and satisfy more sophisticated consumers, it will have to: over far better design software comparable to InDesign, but far easier for a typical user to employ. In-line case binding is coming on line, which is great, but it will need to incorporate true Smythe-sewing and much better paper choices, fabric options, and endsheets. Sites like blurb.com are great in many ways, but their design and spellcheck software is mediocre, to put it nicely.

Much simpler, cost-effective color calibration tools and techniques are needed to satisfy consumers. Unless you are up to speed in this area, you are going to be disappointed by the difference between what your monitor displays, and what arrives in a printed book in your mailbox. Presses need to deliver much better results–more ink, more saturation, more depth as well as spot coatings. And they need to deliver it consistently. I get tired of hearing about different sites that supposedly offer great color consistency across multi-plant manufacturing platforms. I have received too many lousy digital print jobs–blotchy black backgrounds, poor gradations, mostly because no one is watching, it’s mass manufacturing, and the standards aren’t what they should be.

I could go on, but I do think the future is bright, and I hope quality will improve substantially along with the range of services and materials being offered. It’s all changing quickly. And last but not least, as good as digital may become, I wonder whether it will ever equal the finest offset and gravure print quality in photo books back in the day–Max Yavno’s book for U. California press, from the mid-70’s, printed by Gardner Fulmer in LA. Or some of the best work printed by Meriden Gravure in the 70’s and a handful of others who really bridged the technical side of offset printing with real artistry.

Remember how long there have been credit cards? 54 years internationally.
Credit default swaps? Really just 23 years.
The internet? Effectively 10-15 years.

After we past y2k before 911 would you think we'd end up here?
That is 10 years.

So photos which photographers shoot thousands tens of thousands a year will depend of relevancy. Will here be one world market, niche markets inside that, local markets?

How will the time of the photographer be valued? By capturing the fleeting moment that encapsulates the time? By coming up with some dreamy pitch? Will there be other revenue streams? Will the backlog and availability of photos of all sort, at high quality, be so overwhelming that Corbis holding the past, will hold the bag? Or will history be eradicated because of our lust for mindless momentarism, technology and involvement in learning to use the new features of technology such as rules of routine sequenced hand gestures on interface planes for IPad type camera exposure and menu? The iphone except for its portability and hence easier evasion from theft has been replaced in 3 years. With the deal they made with att I give it 6 months before it is ubiquitous as iphone and essential as a photobook. Carry aways you never know when you'll need how many. You have to carry camera, no? That is the short run.