“Dear Blurb” is a test book researched and produced by graphic design students and Prof. Frank Philippin at Hochschule Darmstadt, Germany, during an intensive two-day workshop with London-based designer James Goggin (Practise).



First made to test the print-on-demand capabilities of lulu.com and bod.de, the book's intention is to act as a calibration document for testing colour, pattern, format, texture and typography. Exercises in colour profile (Adobe RGB/sRGB/CMYK/Greyscale), halftoning, point size, line, geometry, skin tone, colour texture, cropping and print finishing provide useful data for other designers and self-publishers to judge the possibilities and quality of online print-on-demand — specifically Blurb, with this edition.



The original A5 book size made for Lulu and BoD has been scaled up to Blurb’s 200×250mm ‘Standard Portrait’ format. The book’s price is set at Blurb’s exact base price for a 96pp full colour softcover, with no profit.