Tell me about photo books...

[Fyrefly]

I figure I can count on the fine people at DIS to help me out with this.

I'm a grad student and was in the middle of exams when that fantastic free photobook offer came out. I think it was Picaboo or something? So I didn't have the time to put together a nice one.

I'm the major photographer for my family's vacations, and my mom hates digital photos, because now she never seems to be able to get prints of anything. I would like to surprise her with a photobook of the most recent trip we took.

I'd like it to not cost a fortune, ideally. I would like to know what is everyone's recommendations for services that do a nice quality book (a full picture on the cover, as well as hardcover are plusses), and let me have lots of customization as to where to put the pictures on the pages, adding text, etc.

I've never done this before, so I don't know who is good and who not so much, or if there are deals floating around. I'd like to keep the price point with shipping and all in the neighborhood of $50 or below. If it's a really awesome book I might be willing to do $60, but that's pushing it since I want to get both my parents other gifts too.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mom0299]

I use Shutterfly. You can create your own photobook, or you can let them create one for you. You could get a very nice one for under $50. If you use ebates you'll get cash back too!

 

[JaymeC]

The only time I've made a photobook I did it with winkflash. I never got to see it because it was a gift for my grandfather and I sent it right to him and now he can't find it. But everyone who got to see it said it was just great, the quality was great as well. In his defense he did have two years to lose it in I got it on one of the winkflash deals of $20 for any size photo book.

The thing you need to keep in mind with photobooks (that I observed at least) is how many pages you want. When I made that photobook for my grandfather for example it was nearly 100 pages, which was great that I had so many good photos (he came to visit for almost a month and we went to every tourist attraction available!). Most photobooks I've seen include 20 pages, and then it's an additional charge per page. Picaboo is $1.99/page, winkflash is 99c, other places are varying but somewhere in that neighborhood. The free photobooks are usually only 20 page ones, but you can pay to add on more pages. I ended up going with winkflash because they either offer the $20 for any size or 50% off of it all, so it's cheaper to go that route than a free 20 pages, but paying for the other 80

Just my thoughts on the whole thing. Whichever you go with good luck!

 

[3boymthr]

Picaboo is really nice quality, but to my mind not that intuitive and very expensive for what you get. I've also gotten books from Shutterfly, Snapfish, Kodak Gallery, Photoworks and a few others.

Photoworks also had really nice quality, but the upload was a pain.

A lot of people like Artscow but I've never tried them.

Shutterfly, snapfish and Kodak all have about the same quality books and have a bit of flexibility in layout and text. Kodak is not as easy to use as Snapfish or Shutterfly. They have all the features you are looking for and you can get a nice book with the custom printed hard cover and lots and lots of pages for much less than $50 for an 8x11 or 8x8 book. A 12x12 book will run you about $50 for 20 pages, but you can fit more on the pages.

However; if you want total flexibility in your layout I'd suggest downloading a photoshop trial offer from Adobe, putting together your pages as you want them and then uploading the pages as a full page photo to the printer where you can get the best price. I can send you a link with the pages I put together with photoshop if you want to see them.


Snapfish is running a special of 25% off when you enter MERRY2010 at checkout.

Shutterfly is offering 30% off on photobooks.

Kodakgallery is offering 75 free prints when you buy a medium photobook and 100 free prints when you buy a large photobook, which if your mom is missing prints is a great deal.

ETA - I also used winkflash as recommended by PP and I was really unhappy. While the print quality was okay they put several of the pages in the binding upsidedown and I was unable to get it fixed/replaced (took them a week to respond to my e-mail and then they wanted me to mail the book back to them and then they'd think about replacing it). Not worth the price IMO. I've never had that kind of problem with any of the other printers I've used.

 

[swilshire]

Sign up for emails from all the places mentioned. I get more free book offers than I have time to make. My whole family loves them, even my husband who is always hard to buy gifts for.

You always pay shipping on the free offers, but it still makes a great gift for around $10.

I just tried Picaboo recently and I think they are the easiest to use, but I've enjoyed books from most of the others mentioned also.

Sheila

 

[tink&stitchmom]

My suggestion is to go ahead and upload the pictures and create the books now so when those great deals appear, you're not rushing trying to create the photobook.
Most of those sites have a project area that your book can wait in until you purchase.

 

[Mom2Ben02]

My suggestion is to go ahead and upload the pictures and create the books now so when those great deals appear, you're not rushing trying to create the photobook.
Most of those sites have a project area that your book can wait in until you purchase.

Always SAY I am going to do this...

I just got a free photobook from Shutterfly via Similac Formula (and I breastfeed - LOL), and also just won a free $50 Picaboo gift card on Facebook! I am excited - several more gifts down!

 

[blackforest]

Wal-Mart has these too.

 

[Mrs D]

I have made several My Publisher books which I purchase for a discount through Costco.com. I am always pleased with the quality and the price.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

if you go to trip advisor and do a review shutterfly will give you a FREE code for a photo book!

 

[mommapoppins]

if you go to trip advisor and do a review shutterfly will give you a FREE code for a photo book!

I was just getting ready to say this and then I looked up and saw your post... I guess I missed it the first time! But definitely try it, cause the shipping isn't bad at all! I'm working on one from our Anniversary trip!

 

[Cindyrellablue]

I use artscow.com for all of my photo books. I love them, they are hard cover, full color and come in different sizes. If you sign up with their website, you get automatic 'credits' in your account that heavily discount anything you want to make (calendars, jewelry, clothing, bags, etc.) They are located in China, so it might take a bit to get the item, but well worth it if you use the discounts...just finished a 39 page book from my last WDW trip and the discounts came up with a 0.00 balance and 14.00 shipping. Well worth it for a hard cover book imo.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

I was just getting ready to say this and then I looked up and saw your post... I guess I missed it the first time! But definitely try it, cause the shipping isn't bad at all! I'm working on one from our Anniversary trip!

I did a vacation one for my mom. Just waiting for my code and paycheck.

 

[pamrob]

I recently made a hardcover book on Picaboo as well as a couple of other sites. The book turned out very nicely. I loved the flexibility when making the book on their site. Plenty of different templates to get the photos in I wanted. Another site was very limited in templates which didn't give me the flexibility I wanted. I got a free book and paid only the shipping (8.99).

I also made a smaller soft cover book recently on Kodak's site. It was a nice book for the cost.

 

[ZuZugal]

Here is a good shutterfly deal right now. Hope this link works properly: http://www.tellafriend.shutterfly.com/spreadholidayspirit

SHUTTERFLY * Send 5 friends a gift worth "up to" $29.99 * (You get free shipping) * See posting for details * ends 11/15/2010 *
(send to your friends who use shutterfly, mom, DH, etc. If you send to 5 then you get free shipping!) Book must be created/code used by 11/22 though so you have to be able to work fast.

"We’re feeling generous today… Pick five of your friends you’d like to introduce to Shutterfly. You can send each of them a free gift worth up to $29.99. They’ll each randomly be sent a free 8x8 hardcover photo book, 10 free holiday cards, 101 prints OR incremental 10% off. And as a thank you for spreading holiday spirit, you’ll get free shipping! Tell your friends at www.tellafriend.shutterfly.com (Referral period ends November 15, 2010)."

 

[3boymthr]

if you go to trip advisor and do a review shutterfly will give you a FREE code for a photo book!

I was just getting ready to say this and then I looked up and saw your post... I guess I missed it the first time! But definitely try it, cause the shipping isn't bad at all! I'm working on one from our Anniversary trip!

Here is a good shutterfly deal right now. Hope this link works properly: http://www.tellafriend.shutterfly.com/spreadholidayspirit

SHUTTERFLY * Send 5 friends a gift worth "up to" $29.99 * (You get free shipping) * See posting for details * ends 11/15/2010 *
(send to your friends who use shutterfly, mom, DH, etc. If you send to 5 then you get free shipping!) Book must be created/code used by 11/22 though so you have to be able to work fast.

"We’re feeling generous today… Pick five of your friends you’d like to introduce to Shutterfly. You can send each of them a free gift worth up to $29.99. They’ll each randomly be sent a free 8x8 hardcover photo book, 10 free holiday cards, 101 prints OR incremental 10% off. And as a thank you for spreading holiday spirit, you’ll get free shipping! Tell your friends at www.tellafriend.shutterfly.com (Referral period ends November 15, 2010)."

Thanks for these. I've made a book for my mom for christmas already and went and posted a review this AM now I just need that code which they said I'd have within 48 hours and refer 5 "friends", which is easy because I'll just send it to myself at work and my DH and my 3 kids. Cheating a little I know but I hate to sign people up for stuff that they'll get e-mail from and I then can use the codes.

 

[ZuZugal]

Thanks for these. I've made a book for my mom for christmas already and went and posted a review this AM now I just need that code which they said I'd have within 48 hours and refer 5 "friends", which is easy because I'll just send it to myself at work and my DH and my 3 kids. Cheating a little I know but I hate to sign people up for stuff that they'll get e-mail from and I then can use the codes.

You might not get all of the codes that way. It was posted on another board that email addresses to the same ISP will probably not go through; has to be to a different ISP...so sending one to your work/your DH's work is a good idea (don't send all 5 emails to accounts you access from home)