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# 053 - Printing my first photobook: print day at the press
- URL: https://www.luisnatera.photo/053-printing-my-first-photobook-print-day/
- Published: 2026-11-02T16:05:17.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-02T16:05:17.000Z
- Description: A morning at the printer, watching Regulated Wild, my first photobook, come off the offset press. The presale is open until 15 November.
- Author: Luis Natera
- Tags: newsletter, photography projects, side projects, amsterdam, creativity

I got a call from the printer: "Come at 11, we will start printing the book." The bike ride is a short one, around ten minutes from my house to the printer, but half an hour before 11 I was ready to go, excited to see the first pages of the book coming to life.

This is my first photobook, [Regulated Wild](https://www.luisnatera.photo/052-regulated-wild-fifteen-walks-became-a-photobook/), and I wanted to do it in the most professional way, while learning along the way. I got to learn about papers, binding options, colour corrections, and more. Is there a better way to learn than doing? I don't think so. Or at least not for me. I like a hands-on approach.

![Cover and page spreads of Regulated Wild, a photobook of walks through an Amsterdam allotment park by Luis Natera](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/11/00-overview.jpg) 

#### Regulated Wild

My first photobook. Limited edition of 250 copies, 56 pages on Munken Pure Rough. 10% off during the presale until 15 November.

[Pre-order the book](https://shop.luisnatera.photo/regulated-wild/?ref=luisnatera.photo) 

The printing started with a first run to match colours, checking that they matched the test print from a couple of weeks ago. Are the brown tones the same? Are the greens good? Do we need a little more or less ink on a certain page? All those decisions were made standing by the printing press. I checked the prints, the details of how the ink dots land on the paper, and the decisions on the inks. If we added more yellow, some colours would be off. The paper already has a tone to it that worked for the browns, and more yellow would make the colours feel wrong.

Minor adjustments, final checks, and it's printing time.

![A freshly printed sheet of Regulated Wild pages under the inspection light at the offset press, with colour bars along the edge](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/11/DSCF1100.jpg)

In a matter of seconds, a bulk load of paper starts flowing through the offset press, going from blank pages to colour. Cyan, magenta, yellow, black, combining to match the reality that I captured with the camera. The pages pile up at the end of the press. The noise is rhythmic as the pages move, pum, pum, pum, one after another. And the smell of ink is unique. It gets into your nose in a good way, as if all the senses are engaged in the book, similar to opening a new book and smelling it for the first time.

Change of plates. A new collection of pages to be printed. And repeat.

![Magenta and cyan offset printing plates for Regulated Wild leaning against the press](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/ae/19ae7b7e-3267-4ec9-a3d4-d56fe8dd66fb/content/images/2026/11/DSCF1125.jpg)

The process went on for a couple of hours. The birth of the book into the physical space. The moment when the bits become atoms.

I left the printer with a feeling of satisfaction, knowing that the book was officially getting out into the wild. What started as [breaks from work](https://www.luisnatera.photo/039-pockets-of-creativity-photography-on-work-breaks/) was now becoming a proper printed book, with a carefully curated selection of photos that are a reminder to take a break, enjoy the time, and be present.

[Regulated Wild](https://shop.luisnatera.photo/regulated-wild/?ref=luisnatera.photo) is now on presale until 15 November, which means you can get it with 10% off its regular €35 price (+ shipping). It's a limited edition of 250 copies, 56 pages printed on Munken Pure Rough, and you can add a fine art print as a bundle. Books ship from 15 November. And if you are a subscriber of this newsletter, you get an extra 10% off by using your email at checkout, on the book and on [everything in my shop](https://shop.luisnatera.photo/?ref=luisnatera.photo).

I hope you like the book as much as I've enjoyed the process of making it. [You can order your copy here](https://shop.luisnatera.photo/regulated-wild/?ref=luisnatera.photo).