Company Timeline

2005

Blurb, Inc. is founded by Eileen Gittins to address a need for a simple, affordable way for individuals to publish their own books.

2006

First release of Blurb’s free BookSmart® software, allowing anyone to turn their pictures and text into a bookstore-quality book.

Blurb’s print-on-demand solution supports print runs as low as a single copy, laying the groundwork for a self-publishing revolution.

2007

Blurb’s Set Your Price program lets customers sell their books in the Blurb Bookstore at a price they choose and keep 100% of the markup.

Blurb expands into the international market, printing and shipping books from the Netherlands.

BookSmart is updated to support new book sizes, hundreds of page layouts, and author collaboration. BookSmart can also import Flickr-hosted photos and blog content into books automatically.

2008

Blurb wins a Webby Award for Best Services website and is named to the OnMedia 100 list of Top Private Companies.

Photography Book Now, presented by Blurb, raises the profile of self-published photo books with an annual international juried competition and traveling salon.

Blurb’s print offerings expand to include premium paper and ImageWrap hardcover binding.

2009

Blurb’s PDF-to-Book workflow opens up new levels of creative control, allowing professional designers using Adobe InDesign to leverage the Blurb platform.

BookSmart 2.0 is released, supporting 12x12 coffee table books, customizable page layouts with flexible containers, and the ability to export reusable book templates.

Blurb’s explosive growth continues as the company ships more than 1.2 million books in 2009 alone.

2010

Blurb is ranked #47 on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing U.S. companies. Blurb is ranked #1 in the media category and among the top five fastest-growing companies led by women.

The Blurb platform expands with the introduction of Bookify, an online book making tool offering a streamlined experience.

BookShow, a shareable widget, allows Blurb books to be previewed on Facebook, blogs, and other websites.

2011

Blurb’s line of print products grows to include Instagram and Facebook books, customizable notebooks, and weekly planners.

Blurb introduces ProLine, a set of premium print options including deluxe new papers, hardcover linens, and end sheets.

Blurb begins to expand beyond print, introducing ebook conversion of Blurb books for the iPad.

Blurb Mobile 1.0 enables fast and easy story creation on the iPhone, combining photos, videos, and audio in a unique, shareable format.

2012

Adobe Lightroom 4 users can make professional-quality books directly from Lightroom using the new Book module, creating their books within the application and uploading them straight to Blurb.

Blurb’s print-on-demand magazines and brochures offer a new, affordable format for customers and businesses to reach their audiences.

2013

Blurb Mobile 2.0 allows users to create printed books directly from the iPhone or iPad. The Blurb-powered Story Album software brings book making capability to the Samsung Galaxy S4.

More than 8 million books have been printed and shipped using the Blurb platform.

2014

Blurb BookWright™ debuts, allowing self-publishers to produce hardcover, softcover, and ebook editions of a book from a single master file. BookWright's professionally designed templates, flexible layouts, flowing text containers, and color fidelity make it easy for authors to take full control of their books without hiring a developer or designer.

Distribution for Blurb books goes global: The Blurb to Amazon program makes it easier than ever for self-publishers to sell their photo paper books on Amazon.com, and the Global Retail Network makes trade books available to retailers worldwide through the Ingram Content Group. Blurb's Direct Sell option helps self-publishers sell directly to fans through their own Personal Storefronts.

2015

Blurb partners with Design Observer and launches the Thesis Book Project, a platform and public forum for community engagement for design students.

Blurb Presents Gay Food 101: An Oral History in Brooklyn, New York. The event explores the intersection of gay and food culture with celebrated writers John Birdsall and Sarah Keough.

Ron Haviv, Award-Winning Photojournalist, documents his Lost Rolls in a new book published by Blurb.

2016

Todd Larsen is appointed Chief Executive Officer, bringing almost 20 years of operations and digital marketing experience to Blurb from his tenure at Time, Inc. and Dow Jones & Co. Todd succeeds Founder and CEO Eileen Gittins, who becomes Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors and advisor to the company.

Blurb launches a new mobile app for iPhone and iPad, rounding out the current creation tool portfolio.

2017

Blurb expands its line of photo books and introduces Layflat Paper, allowing customers to seamlessly showcase their creativity across a two-page spread without losing any part of their image to the gutter.

Blurb surpasses the milestone of 20 million books printed and shipped using the Blurb platform.