An Introduction to Digital Photo Books
By Lydia Stucki
I love digital photo books! They take up less physical space than the traditional photo album and produce far less clutter than traditional paper scrapbooking.
Have you ever wondered which child will inherit that ONE copy of your prized family vacation scrapbook? Do you print multiple copies of your pictures to share with parents, grandparents or siblings? Are you struggling with how to keep all those digital photos organized? Are you looking for a fun family history project?
Professionally printed photo books are the perfect combination of printing digital photos and documenting family memories. They’re easy to share and make great gifts - just print more than one copy. Plus, personal publishing companies often make organizing your online photos a breeze.
Ready to jump on that learning curve?
Understanding the Basics
Standard digital photo books are usually…
* about 20 pages with the capacity to include 100-150 pages
* hard or soft cover
* sometime come with a dust cover, or the option of purchasing a dust cover for an additional fee
* vary in size - anything from 5×5 to 7×10 to 8×8 to 10.5×11 to 12×12
Every company I’ve worked with requires you to first create a free password-protected user account. From there, some companies ask you to download bookmaking software while others operate entirely online.
Photo Book Variables
Photo book options vary just as much as the companies that produce them. There are many features available, but no one company offers them all. Therefore, it’s best to decide what YOU consider to be the most important photo book elements before you begin your project. For example: if you want to spend the least amount of money possible, you will most likely be sacrificing quality and working assembling your book with somewhat confusing software. To get the best quality and most customer support, you will most likely need to spend more money.
Variables include:
* prices (base price quotes are usually just for the standard 20-pages; after that you pay per page)
* book quality
* customer service
* layout options
* the amount of text you can put on a page
* ability to alter and edit photos
* individual page layout options
* variety of backgrounds, templates and themes
* usability of photo book software; the time and work it takes to learn the program nuances
* process of uploading photos, storage and sharing options
* the ability to make other custom projects from digital images, such as a calendar, greeting cards, t-shirt, etc.
How to Choose a Personal Publishing Company
To find the company that will best suit your needs, consider the following:
1. Digital photo books vary, just like the companies who publish them. How much help will you need? Browse through the “about us” and customer service portions of the website to get a feel for how available they are to answer individual questions. Are there webinars or tutorials to get you started?
2. What size do you want for your personalized photo book? Different companies offer different options. If you want to create a photo book based on your 12×12 scrapbook pages, it’ll be easiest to print a 12×12 book.
3. What is your skill level? How easy does your project need to be? If you don’t want to spend a lot of time customizing pages, look for attractive templates and themed books. If the available backgrounds and designs seem limiting, make sure the company offers editing options and photo placement flexibility.
4. How much text are you planning to include? Some companies/templates offer little more word space than the ability to print photo captions. Make sure there is enough space to say what you want to say.
5. How many photos do you plan to include? Watch that “additional page” charge - it can add up quickly.
6. Is the cover important? Do you want to be able to print your book title on the spine? Do you need a dust jacket? Again, options vary considerably.
7. What do you plan to do with your book? Who will read it? If you’ll be handing your digital photo books over to young children, make sure the book and pages are of a higher quality so they will resist wrinkles and tears.
One thing is certain - a picture is worth a thousand words… but only if you look at them! Digital photo books are the perfect solution.