Photo Book: is one brand better than another: Looking to put together a photo book and noticed there are many companies to choose from. Should I just go with whoever has the best deal...

fawlty128 Loc: LI, NY now in Allentown, PA

Looking to put together a photo book and noticed there are many companies to choose from. Should I just go with whoever has the best deal or are some actually better than others.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

bobmielke Loc: Portland, OR

fawlty128 wrote:

Looking to put together a photo book and noticed there are many companies to choose from. Should I just go with whoever has the best deal or are some actually better than others.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

I use photobooks made by my local Costco photo center. They're beautiful, easy to put together online & cheap.

tsamori

It's funny that you are looking into photo books as I am in the process of putting one together at this time. I am us to 50 somepages and being that you pay by the page, I found shutterfly to be pretty good priced and competitive in quality to some of the big companies. I think it all depends on what you want the book to show. Is it for your personal pleasure or are you going to use it to show potential clients what you can do and how you can put their images into a book for them. too many things to get a quick and easy answer. If the book I am doing wasn't just for me and family members, I may choose to go with a different company, especially for using it as a portfolio.

dblackard Loc: Rockport Texas

i have used just about every one out there and i have to say i like Artscow.com the best. they do run awesome specials , have about every size you would want and just came out with a " board" book too. which was perfect for my grandbaby. the colors are wonderful, pages are sturdy, you can get from a 3 by 3 to a 12 by 12. they do ship out of hong kong so takes a little longer but with their specials they have free shipping. you can pic different themes and save them, some of them cost a little extra to use the first time and then free after that.

gtsouth

I have made well over 50 Shutterfly books and find them the best as far as flexibility and quality are concerned. They are also available to answer questions

lindysuewho

If you are on Facebook check out Photo Book Girl http://www.facebook.com/#!/photobookgirlShe lists Groupons and daily deals.

I have found them all to be comparable in quality and often offer a free 8.5 x 11 size to my brides as an incentive. I generally go with whomever has the best deal for these. I have a whole other list for higher end books.

You have to watch the shipping prices. I love the templates of Mixbook but their shipping is high. If you like to be creative then I suggest Smile Books. Decent prices on shipping. I like using a large photo for my background and SmileBook is easiest to work with in my opinion.

I have also used Shutterfly but couldn't place things where I wanted as easily.

Check out Photo Book Girl... she even compares and rates the different companies. Have fun!

fawlty128 wrote:

Looking to put together a photo book and noticed there are many companies to choose from. Should I just go with whoever has the best deal or are some actually better than others.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

gtsouth

Shutterfly now has Custom Path where you can put photos, text boxes, doo-dads, etc. wherever you want. It is the most flexible of all I have tried

gtsouth

Shutterfly now has Custom Path where you can put photos, text boxes, doo-dads, etc. wherever you want. It is the most flexible of all I have tried

ShakyShutter Loc: Arizona

If quality is important Adorama books now prints books with two distinct advantages for photographers.

The photos are printed on photo paper.
And the binding is a "lay flat" binding. This means, other than the name implies, you can run large photos across the gutter with little (read amazingly little) disruption of the image. Perfect for portfolios and catalog shots. http://www.adoramapix.com/app/products/books

Another site I've used is Blurb. http://www.blurb.com. Lots of examples and inspiration.

lindysuewho

Many of the less expensive books offer these options. I have used SmileBooks and had the choices.

Just takes awhile to read through all the different sites LOL

ShakyShutter wrote:

If quality is important Adorama books now prints b... (show quote)

fawlty128 Loc: LI, NY now in Allentown, PA

Wow, thanks everyone for your input. Didn't realize how many companies there are that do photo books. Looks like I have a little homework to do. This 1st photo book is for my wife, she wants to be able to view our vacation photo's from Maine in book form instead of on computer monitor. If I like the way it comes out, will probably put other photos I've taken into books, and most likely give photo books as gifts to family.

littlebiddle Loc: Yakima Wa USA

I use "My Publisher" But only when they have 50% off specials! Its my money and I like in in my pocket not theirs!

mattiemoose

I needed a book that would hold 365 pictures...a Picture a Day. Found just what I wanted at blurb.com. Pages could be added, room for text, lots of choices for layouts...I was very pleased with how my book turned out...and the price was reasonable...