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Photobooks - are there vendors you like?

Regular Guy

Regular Guy

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 6, 2004
Messages
5,963
My younger son just recognized his Bar Mitzvah, and we'd like to put together a photo book, as we did for our now older son.

For the older son, we used Snapfish, and I liked the ease for building the book. But, I worry that over time, the pictures have become fuzzy.

One photographer warned that all these companies use inkjet for the photo creation process, and suggested something like offset might be needed for a different level of quality.

But, googling photobook, I'm not seeing any variation like that described.

I am getting a recommendation to other options, with Shutterfly leading the pack, also for mention of picture quality. But I worry that the difference in picture quality is not of the same degree that would make the kind of difference I might really want.

Anyone out there fussy about picture quality, and maybe also sympathetic for ease of design, with photo book recommendations?


Ira Z.
 
I printed about 400 pics to make an album as a Christmas present for my mom. I printed the bulk of my pics through ArtsCow, which is based in Hong Kong. Pics were cheap to print and there were a bunch of freebies (like tree ornaments which you could personalize with your pics, or coasters with your pics), but shipping can get steep. (Although you can keep a look out for free shipping promos, those happen sometimes).

Then I decided to needed some additional pics, but holidays were around the corner so I ordered through Shutterfly. In my experience, Shutterfly regular pix (4x6) are much, much, MUCH worse than ArtsCow. Again, this is just in my view, but Shutterfly 4x6 pic quality was similar to instant prints from a machine in Target--washed out colors, wrong shades (like over pink, or over orange), thinner paper.

So I would definitely recommend ArtsCow. The ceramic ornaments and rubber coasters looked great, too ;-) And if you look out for promos on stretched canvas prints (and free shipping), you can really get an amazing deal.

Good luck with the pics!
 
I've never used it, but Mpix comes highly recommended by wedding album gurus, and it's often used by professional photographers.
 
MyPublisher is amazing!!!! Seriously the quality is amaIng and there are a lot of upgrade options :)
 
I love MPix for prints and canvases, but have never made an album with them. The other items, however, have been extraordinarily high quality and I'm sure their albums are also fabulous. The only caveat with them is, last I checked, you had to download their photobook software and I just don't have the harddrive space for that on my little netbook.

I enjoy Shutterfly's album program and have made 4 albums (3 of my own and one as a gift) in the past year, one of which was our wedding guestbook. The print quality appeared wonderful and I'm hoping it stands the test of time.

My best recommendation, however, if you want a really great, professional job, is to check out Adoramapix.com. These are the only people I will trust with my wedding album, and because each spread is made from a single, specially creased page, you can create photo spreads that cross the middle of the binding without losing some of the picture(s) to the center bound area of the page. We used it for my mother's album and she loves it, and I can't wait to receive ours (after I finish it, that is! :errrr: )...

Hope that helps!
 
MyPublisher is good. I haven't used any other consumer album companies that were worth recommending. Picaboo was crap.

MPix is the same company as Millers Lab which is what I use for my photography business. I can recommend them highly.
 
Ok, so I am using Shutterfly right now because I have 3 free 8x8 books from Best Buy purchases. I got one back so far and I like the quality. BUt my nephew who is into photography/publishing would say that as a "free item" it was worth it, but if you pay for a photobook pay for quality.

The paper that the site uses is what makes a durable long lasting photobook.


I would recommend either MyPublisher or Photobook America for the thickest feeling paper.

MyPublisher http://www.mypublisher.com/affiliate/afdynamic2550?si=RBd2Sc.4CzI-4ov9afSheEOG6uRLMVNmJw
has the best print quality, but it's software for customizing layouts is not as flexible as Photobook America http://www.. photobookamerica.com , unless it has changed lately. Most companies offer 100 lb paper and these 2 companies standard weight papers are higher. Not sure but I think you can even upgrade the paper weight with Photobook America.

Ok, so the cost of these books is not cheap, but well worth the money for great construction, durability, and great photo quality.

My nephew has done photobooks with both companies and I think that Photobook America was the best hands down - it looked like a really expensive high quality photobook. You could check for coupon codes online or groupon codes for discounts.
 
I've used Snapfish and My Publisher for photobooks and MPix for prints. I though the Snapfish was Ok. I wouldn't use them again with other options out there. My Publisher often has great coupons floating around to bring down the cost. I used them to make an album for my grandfather featuring my wedding and my cousin's wedding (we both had small weddings on islands... one on New England, one in the Cooks) and then I made parent albums for my mom and dad and my ILs. I was happy with the quality I received for the price I paid (buy one, get one for both album printings).

MPix has been awesome for print quality. Now that I am more into photography I have been using them to make larger prints. I printed 3 11x14s to give as gifts this Christmas and they quality was fantastic. I can imagine their albums are great, too.

When I finally make myself a wedding album I think I'll give Adoramapix a try for the reasons vc10um stated.
 
I used Costco and was very happy! But you do have to be a member and I did things a little differently- I designed each page, with text, photos, and graphics, exactly the way I wanted it in Photoshop, saved it as a jpeg and uploaded it onto a full picture page in the Costco software. So I had much more flexibility with fonts, layouts, ect. It did take some fiddling to get the jpeg exactly the proper size for the page. I found the software easy to use, if somewhat basic, the price excellent, the quality was great and it shipped really fast.
 
I've used Sutterfly and Picaboo because I had free coupons. The quality of the paper is pretty thin...I didnt see a way
to upgrade and the picture quality was only so-so. I'd like to make a book for my son that is graduating soon so I am
also interested in your post!
 
aviastar|1327509594|3111386 said:
I used Costco and was very happy! But you do have to be a member and I did things a little differently- I designed each page, with text, photos, and graphics, exactly the way I wanted it in Photoshop, saved it as a jpeg and uploaded it onto a full picture page in the Costco software. So I had much more flexibility with fonts, layouts, ect. It did take some fiddling to get the jpeg exactly the proper size for the page. I found the software easy to use, if somewhat basic, the price excellent, the quality was great and it shipped really fast.
Click to expand...

Costco was recommended to me by a creative memories consultant. I don't have a membership right now so I've used a lot of various local stores but not been very happy. Some online sites, like Snapfish, have sent me okay photos, but not really that impressive. I think the ones I got from Kodak.com were the most acceptable for daily photos, but NOT for a keepsake photobook. One of my friends did order a book from them and loved it, though the photos looked a bit dark to me. I'll have to ask another scrapbooking friend of mine as her photos always turn out fabulous...actually I don't look at the photos too closely b/c I'm lusting over her amazing creations! She's made me three lovely albums that are all set for me to add photos into...
 
soocool|1327504555|3111342 said:
Ok, so I am using Shutterfly right now because I have 3 free 8x8 books from Best Buy purchases. I got one back so far and I like the quality. BUt my nephew who is into photography/publishing would say that as a "free item" it was worth it, but if you pay for a photobook pay for quality.

The paper that the site uses is what makes a durable long lasting photobook.


I would recommend either MyPublisher or Photobook America for the thickest feeling paper.

MyPublisher http://www.mypublisher.com/affiliate/afdynamic2550?si=RBd2Sc.4CzI-4ov9afSheEOG6uRLMVNmJw
has the best print quality, but it's software for customizing layouts is not as flexible as Photobook America http://www... photobookamerica.com , unless it has changed lately. Most companies offer 100 lb paper and these 2 companies standard weight papers are higher. Not sure but I think you can even upgrade the paper weight with Photobook America.

Ok, so the cost of these books is not cheap, but well worth the money for great construction, durability, and great photo quality.

My nephew has done photobooks with both companies and I think that Photobook America was the best hands down - it looked like a really expensive high quality photobook. You could check for coupon codes online or groupon codes for discounts.
Click to expand...

Oops, typed the link incorrectly, this is what it should be: http://photobookamerica.com/
 
Thanks everybody.

Keep your thoughts coming on alternatives, if you have them

Photobook America's sight was down earlier today, but is up, now, and does look pretty cool.

Anyone ELSE have knowledge or experience with them? Reasons for or against them in favor of...


Ira Z.
 
Hi :wavey:
I made a few albums at Christmas time and ordered via iPhoto on my computer. I created a 'book' folder - you can choose hard/soft cover; size of pages; layout options and add more pages or change the layout in the page as you proceed. It was SUPER easy once you got the hang of it and the amazing part, once I ordered it, the confirmation said approx 2 - 3 weeks and it was here in 3 days! I was very impressed with the apple product ... as I am with every single thing "APPLE"!!

I'd definitely recommend this option - if you have iphoto, just click thru and create one for ease of use. You don't need to order it, you can delete it if it doesn't meet your needs, but totally worth looking into.
 
oooh, just saw AdoramaPix and I am interested to see their books. I think I will use them for the next book I make- thanks for that reccommendation :)
 
MPix is excellent in my experience, and I also like Blurb, if your photos are high resolution that's done well for me, esp for speedy turnaround.
 
Shutterfly has very good quality for their photos. I have made 2 photo books as gifts, and they have held up for 2 years so a far. I also have a book from Blurb. For a photo book, I think Shutterfly is good quality, and they have great templates for making your books. Blurb is more for publishing books, and you can do your own layout, but it can be much more time consuming.

For Shutterfly, I always use a coupon. You can do a search for coupon codes through Google.

Snapfish has inexpensive photos, but you can match the price by "prebuying" photos through Shutterfly. Just go to their website, and you'll see that you can buy bulk quantities of photos ahead of time and use that credit to order photos later. The credits are tracked on your Shutterfly account automatically, and the default when you check out is to apply the credit to photos (not photobooks).
 
I love mypublisher. :cheeky:
 
I second MyPublisher! I've used it fr a photobook and thought the quality was really great!
 
Just wanted to update this thread with a quick update on Shutterfly:

When Shutterfly says they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, they MEAN it. We received our Honeymoon photobook in the mail yesterday. Looked GREAT out of the box. But the first and second pages of the book had these weird pixelation/coloration issues, including a green blob right below DH's nose on page 1 and half of my cheek being green on page 2. I sent them an email yesterday and attached pictures of the problems, and within about 3 hours had an apology and notice of new order for a fully reprinted album in my inbox. Should be here by the end of the week! So big thumbs up to them for customer service, too!
 
Regarding Shutterfly...I see they have some sort of utility for web sharing of pictures. Is anyone aware of a way to enable a combined resource...photobook creation (i.e. a physical product we'd keep), and then also and simultaneously, share the same pictures with others?

Ira z.
 
I just hit the order button on a photobook from Mixbook.com. I purchased a Groupon second hand from someone. They couldn't use it because it was expiring today and they didn't have time to make an album. I checked out the site and saw that they had a lot of freedom in the lay out and editing. So I paid the $10 (for a $50 off my order Groupon) and got to work last night. They have countless options for lay outs (many preset options but you can also just drag and drop photos in and size them however you want), backgrounds (198), themes, size of book, etc. I've never used such an easy software with sooooo many options. I really liked how they would let a photo overlap the binding in the middle. This was perfect for me since I was making a travel photobook with a lot of super wide angle landscapes.

I'll have to update another time about print quality, but as far as their user interface and editing goes, I am very pleased. They appeared to be about the same price as My Publisher.

FYI- Those interested in MyPublisher, they're having a free page promotion right now. A great way to save some money if you have a large book to make.
 
Another vote for MyPublisher
 
sna77|1328150062|3116919 said:
Another vote for MyPublisher
Click to expand...

Hey, Steve, welcome. That's a long thread up in RT you've got cooking; hope that's gotten resolved, and that I didn't steer you wrong to begin with.

Re my more recent query above, looks like Shutterfly doesn't provide any integration between book creation and sharing.

Looks like Inkubook...only possibly among others...does.

Any comments about them, or .... has anyone else explored what does seem to be a natural combo between a book to share with family and physically close friends, and virtual sharing via web, blog or such?


Ira Z.
 
Regular Guy|1328193267|3117240 said:
sna77|1328150062|3116919 said:
Another vote for MyPublisher
Click to expand...

Hey, Steve, welcome. That's a long thread up in RT you've got cooking; hope that's gotten resolved, and that I didn't steer you wrong to begin with.

Re my more recent query above, looks like Shutterfly doesn't provide any integration between book creation and sharing.

Looks like Inkubook...only possibly among others...does.

Any comments about them, or .... has anyone else explored what does seem to be a natural combo between a book to share with family and physically close friends, and virtual sharing via web, blog or such?


Ira Z.
Click to expand...

I have never used Inkubook so I can't comment on them. I do know that (in addition to their share sites) Shutterfly allows you to share your photobook with people via email, and they can view it electronically. Is that what you're looking for? Adoramapix does as well...with them you get kind of your own sub-site and you can choose which photos and/or albums the public can view. C-tek also just shared her Mixbook with me yesterday, so it looks like they have that option too.
 
Shutterfly was pretty good.
 
I've used Shutterfly and MyPublisher and MyPublisher was the best by far. We used them for our wedding albums and were super happy with them. We used a 2 for 1 coupon which was nice because one is packed away nicely in case the other ever gets damaged (which to be fair, is more likely with these types of books).
 
i've personally used shutterfly, snapfish, and blurb. and now exclusively use blurb. i don't know if it's exactly what you are looking for quality-wise. but imo between the three they have the best quality. i also like their bookmaking software--it has templates but you can tweak them or make your own. i also like that i can use any font that i have on my computer. and their pricing won me over. they price with a range of pages. so, for a book up to 45 pages is X price then 46-75 is X price and so on. where as with the other two you get up to 20 pages (or something) at X price then X more for each additional page. that annoys me.
 
Clairitek|1328133325|3116713 said:
I just hit the order button on a photobook from Mixbook.com. I purchased a Groupon second hand from someone. They couldn't use it because it was expiring today and they didn't have time to make an album. I checked out the site and saw that they had a lot of freedom in the lay out and editing. So I paid the $10 (for a $50 off my order Groupon) and got to work last night. They have countless options for lay outs (many preset options but you can also just drag and drop photos in and size them however you want), backgrounds (198), themes, size of book, etc. I've never used such an easy software with sooooo many options. I really liked how they would let a photo overlap the binding in the middle. This was perfect for me since I was making a travel photobook with a lot of super wide angle landscapes.

I'll have to update another time about print quality, but as far as their user interface and editing goes, I am very pleased. They appeared to be about the same price as My Publisher.

FYI- Those interested in MyPublisher, they're having a free page promotion right now. A great way to save some money if you have a large book to make.
Click to expand...

So I searched this thread out again since I was hoping to make a simple but attractive photobook for work and the Costco layouts just weren't doing it for me and I didn't really want to go the labor intensive design each page route again...AND I LOVE MIXBOOK! It's so easy to use, has excellent features like indicating when the picture is centered and lined up with other pictures (big bonus points for this one!), and so many options.

I am hoping, Claritek, that you got your book back and the quality was good, because I will be very sad if it's not. Any updates? THANKS!
 
My daughter just made a gorgeous book of her wedding on Shutterfly. It was amazing.
 
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