I always get a 12×12 book these days (and never flat lay, although they offer that option). I almost always go through Shutterfly now, but I’ve used Mixbook, MPix, Blurb, MyPublisher (now closed), Snapfish, and Vistaprint (though just for digital photo calendars). The third reason: if you’re building a library of digital photo books it’s nice to have them all the same size. (This is why we have a different photobook for months 0-3, then 3-6, then 6-9, then 9-12 from my first son’s first year.) A second reason for not doing it: there’s a learning curve, and every company has its pros and cons. Here’s why: a) they’re never THAT great of a deal, and they almost all expire at a certain point, which always feels like it’s just a bit too soon, and then your “hobby” is no fun because you’re rushing through things and feel obligated to get it done. I’ve tried a LOT of companies because for a while I kept buying Groupons. There’s just so many things you can do with digital photos these days! I thought I’d give some quick and dirty tips on how to get started with digital photo books, based on the the hours (and hours, and hours) I’ve spent making digital photo albums and other photo products… How to Choose a Company for Your Digital Photo Book I made some great ones when I was younger with physical photos and mementos (my teenaged summer at Harvard Summer School is TOTALLY well documented, as is my first year at Northwestern - I guess that’s as close as I’ve gotten to real scrapbooking), but I really got into digital photo albums when I was preparing for my wedding. He didn't say, but I'm guessing that MyPublisher's own software would be only for Windows.Īnyway, he rated iPhoto and MyPublisher best - he said the iPhoto software was better but ordering directly from MyPublisher gave you somewhat more options, such as leather covers (more expensive), which Apple doesn't offer.On one of our older Hobby Wednesday posts, a reader noted that making digital photo albums were her jam - and I thought OH YES, me too. Apple actually uses MyPublisher as a supplier, but puts their own interface on the software (Mac only of course). Regarding the photobooks: Walt Mossberg's column today compared four online services: Apple's iPhoto, MyPublisher, Shutterfly, and EasyShare from Kodak. Any version of OS X will run iPhoto, although I'm not sure whether the latest iPhoto (version 5) requires Tiger. If you didn't want to spring for Tiger, you could probably find a cheaper, earlier version of OS X for sale online. Here is a page from Apple's web site that shows the requirements for Tiger, the latest OS: Depending on your hardware, you might be able to upgrade to OS X. ![]() I think iPhoto was introduced with OS X, so I'm afraid there isn't a version available for OS 9. I also like the ability to put legends with the pictures it makes it easier for people to view them without you having to give a running narration. ![]() I think going to one of the on-line sites is a far better deal, in that one can share one's pictures with anyone who can get online, and still get high quality prints for your home. There are a large number of online services that seem to me to offer comparable quality, so I would try to find one that has decent prices, and an easy-to-use web site.Įven though color printers are relatively cheap, I understand they charge quite a bit for ink cartridges. I did observe some months ago that Shutterfly does now offer hardbound photobooks, but I haven't had one made yet so I can't vouch for the quality their price seems much more reasonable, if I recall it is about $35 for a 20 page book, with additional pages at about $1. The pictures are just as good, but the binding looks like something from a catalogue. Alas, I think the people who did that have folded, or possibly sold their line to someone else.įrom our later trips, we made what are called snap-books at Shutterfly. It was not inexpensive (I'm thinking $90), but I thought worth it for our select pictures. Two or three pictures, with legends, on a page of high quality paper. The very best product I ever got was a hardbound book of pictures from our first trip to Switzerland. (with out-of-town grandchildren, one does a lot of photo sharing). ![]() My family and I have had good results with
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |