OK, I realised my last post wasn’t much use without a list of companies to evaluate your options against. I was hesitant about writing about this so early in my venture into photobook printing; surely it would be better if I could give you a complete list with recommendations against each of them? Then I realised that for most people a starting point is better than nothing, so here goes!
UK Companies I’ve Ordered From
Albelli – Great quality printing. Customisable layouts. Decent backgrounds and clip art if you want to add that sort of thing, although drop shadows are a bit over the top.
Bonusprint – Bonusprint has a soft spot in my heart as that’s where I ordered my first ever photobook. At the time it was one of the few sites I found that let you customise the layout of the page, although backgrounds were ‘loud’ and I never found a way to fade them so that they didn’t overwhelm the photos. I haven’t ordered from Bonusprint since they were acquired by Albelli, so I’m looking forward to seeing how their software measures up now.
MyPhotobook – Again, I haven’t used myPhotobook in a while but one of my favourite books (pocket spiral bound) was ordered from this site.
Photobox – Excellent customer service, including a Live Chat feature which has successfully solved issues for me on a number of occasions. Photobox is my go-to site each year for desk calendars as they’re just the right size and design. I wouldn’t generally recommend Photobox for photobooks though as their tool to create books is really small and fiddly. (When I provided feedback on this I was told that they are in the process of updating it – so one to watch!)
Snapfish – Snapfish was another of my early choices. I loved the interesting and beautiful backgrounds they offered but found it frustrating that I couldn’t customise the layout to make the photos the exact size and position I wanted (again, I’m looking forward to discovering if this has changed). I really like Snapfish’s choice of non-book photo products and intend to share some of these with you soon.
UK Companies I’ve Yet to Order From
Non UK Companies
I wouldn’t normally consider ordering from companies outside the UK, I mean why pay the extra postage? But these few merit a mention.
Adorama Pix – I have heard (and read) rave reviews of this company. As they’re offering a great discount until November I’m considering giving them a try.
Kikki.K – I don’t even know
whether this Swedish company based in Australia(!) ships to the UK, but I’m
captivated by their designs – particularly the word art.
Shutterfly – This company makes my kind of photobook. Well-designed layouts with interesting, on-trend designs that don’t take away from the photos. Journalling space is a feature, not an afterthought. Shipping is obviously pricey, but tempting, tempting!
I’m looking forward to filling in some of the gaps and updating the list as I work on new projects. Have you got a recommendation for a company I've not yet discovered? So many photobooks, so little time!
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