Experience printing photo books? Does anyone have any experience with printing photo books, either through on-line services or with computer programs? I just read a summary of various...

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Does anyone have any experience with printing photo books, either through on-line services or with computer programs? I just read a summary of various on-line services in a photo mag, they all did pretty much the same thing but there were no user reviews. Looking forward to your input.

verichrome Loc: California

I have used ShutterFly to make books for several years. I have had no problems with quality or production time. I recommend using the Custom Page function when creating a book. Also, it is very helpful to create a text file in a separate app for spelling and grammar checking.

rdgreenwood Loc: Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

When my son passed away, I created a memory book that I'll give to his children when they are old enough to deal with its contents. I used Blurb and was completely satisfied with its ease of use, flexibility, and clear instructions. If you would like to see a pdf of the product, PM me and I'll supply the address. (Yes, Blurb also provided me with a pdf version of the book.)

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I've used Costco, (online - Costophotocenter) for several books and was happy with the quality.

Mark

dkguill Loc: Elkhart, IN

gvarner wrote:

Does anyone have any experience with printing photo books, either through on-line services or with computer programs? I just read a summary of various on-line services in a photo mag, they all did pretty much the same thing but there were no user reviews. Looking forward to your input.

I have tried a couple of different book sources and I've pretty much landed on Adoramapix as among the best. One of the products I offer to high school Seniors is a 14 - 28 page book of their photos. I particularly like the choices of paper quality, and their binding method that allows you to spread images across two full pages with an almost undetectable seam in the middle. The most popular size for seniors is the 8"X 8" format. I have also printed a smaller 6"x 6" version and have had requests for that size as gifts for relatives. The layout process is fairly simple once you get the hang of what they are doing. The decorative options are plentiful, however, I usually elect to avoid a lot of background activity and prefer to fill pages with the images...just my personal preference. Overall, I find Adoramapix to be efficient, with a helpful support staff, and excellent delivery times. Have a look at www.adoramapix.com

Gitchigumi Loc: Wake Forest, NC

I've used Blurb and am very pleased with the results. Built the book in LR and exported directly to Blurb. Couldn't be easier!

kcimato

I also use Adoramapix for my photo books. They also offer a class/tutorial every now and again for making books. There are 2 different classes.

Somerset Lynn Loc: Somerset, NJ

I have been using My Publisher and the quality of their books surpasses anything I have seen.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Somerset Lynn wrote:

I have been using My Publisher and the quality of their books surpasses anything I have seen.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

LindaChaplin Loc: South Dakota

I've made many photo books through Shutterfly. I find it a very user friendly site...lots of fun to do. I've also made 3 beautiful books through Blurb. The Blurb books are, in my opinion, higher quality, but require a bit more time and effort. There are many tutorials to help you with whichever book you choose to do. (Julianne Kost has several great tutorials to help with every phase of a Blurb book.) Good luck. Whichever book you choose, you'll have fun reliving your memories!

Papa j Loc: Cary NC

gvarner wrote:

Does anyone have any experience with printing photo books, either through on-line services or with computer programs? I just read a summary of various on-line services in a photo mag, they all did pretty much the same thing but there were no user reviews. Looking forward to your input.

I'm a newbie to LR and I just created 2 books through blurb relitively easy to follow the set up, reasonable cost and the recipients raved about the books. I have not seen the books yet but so far very pleased with the process

Joe

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

rdgreenwood wrote:

When my son passed away, I created a memory book that I'll give to his children when they are old enough to deal with its contents. I used Blurb and was completely satisfied with its ease of use, flexibility, and clear instructions. If you would like to see a pdf of the product, PM me and I'll supply the address. (Yes, Blurb also provided me with a pdf version of the book.)

I too, had Blurb print and make a pdf of the weddingbook for our great-granddaughter. I used the full-bleed pages, easily made in PSE and then uploaded.

Right now I am taking a course about making gift books from Digital Scrapper. The focus is on gift books, but a lot of it applies to many types of photobooks, scrapbooks, etc. The course is supported by video and printed text.
http://digitalscrapper.com/classes/
The classes are all geared to both PSE and PS (separate files).

btbg

dkguill wrote:

I have tried a couple of different book sources an... (show quote)

Agree. I think Adoramapix is really good. It has thicker paper than everyone else and excellent quality.

It also has a ton of templates to chose from or you can do your own design from scratch.

Quick and easy to do a book and the turnaround time is good. Might cost a little more, but it's worth it.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I have made a few books using a local camera store and am very pleased. I do plan to try Shutterfly, Blurb and Adorama in the near future for comparison. I have seen actual copies of all but the Blurb at various photo shows. I would expect that if Adobe chose to partner with them, they will also be good.

Kitchen Guy

I use Mixbook at mixbook.com. Have done six books over the past four years and love it. After editing my photos and placing the ones that I am going to use in a separate file, I get Mixbook on line, select the style and size of book that I like, download the photos into Mixbook then begin the book. You can drag and drop backgrounds, picture frames and decorations. You can also insert text boxes and select your own fonts. You can do front covers and back covers. It is literally a digital scrapbook that you can use to show off you photos without dragging everyone into the den to see them on your computer. It's only limited to your own creativity. The best thing is that once you do your first book, the company frequently sends you emails with big discounts, so it pays to wait for the next book after your next vacation, graduation etc.