Create Your Own Wedding Album

Hi Ladies,

I wanted to share this website I found. You can create your own wedding album or other photo book? It looks like you can order bigger sizes than what SharedInk offers. I'm going to do a little more research on quality. Anyone heard of these guys?

 

Picaboo

hi rebecca,

 

when i was first researching photobooks, i found them but read reveiws and the quality wasnt great.

 

shutterfly is better than picaboo.

This sucks. SharedInk seems great, but why is 11"x8" the biggest size they offer??

 

I may take the photos Juan is sending me and just put them in a nice album and be done with it.

 

I'm surprised there aren't more companies like this out there

I've heard bad things about Picaboo too. Shutterfly is a little better.

 

But... I would HIGHLY discourage making one of these books as your primary wedding album. They are great for fun or for gifts to give out but they will not last a lifetime.

 

The companies that photographers use for album companies will be a much better product and will last. They are more expensive of course but it will be worth it in the long run because they will hold up to years of wear and tear.

 

The shutterfly books are great though for secondary albums or gifts for friends and family.

Jonathan,

What do you mean by "they won't hold up?" Meaning the colors will fade? Pages will tear??

there are more companies out there, but they cater to photographers who are making albums for their clients. Consumers don't have access to order albums from these companies but you can still check out their websites to see the products they offer.

Here is a list of some of the best and most popular album companies. These are not companies you'll be able to order from yourself but your photographer can. Again, I would highly recommend getting an album like these as your primary album.

I use these:

GraphiStudio http://www.graphistudio.com/usa/index.html

Asukabook - http://asukabook.com/

Others

Leather Craftsmen - http://www.leathercraftsmen.com/

Queensbury - http://www.queensberry.com/

Picto books - http://www.pictobooks.com/html/index.php

Renaissance - http://www.thebookalbum.com/main/main.htm

Albums Australia - http://www.albumsaustralia.com.au/index2.html

Zookbinders - http://www.zookbinders.com/

Albums Unlimited - http://www.albumsunlimited.com/

I mean the bindings won't hold up. The pages might tear, or fall out because the bindings aren't as good.

The covers might fade too. Not sure though as I've never used either of those companies. The Asukabook albums I make have regular book paper so it is possible to tear them, BUT, you can also get the pages with a protective coating on them to prevent tears and protect from spills. Plus, the bindings are much better. The Asukabook, which I use, along with the companies you listed in the first post, are more books than albums. Albums will have a much more substantial feel to them and most of them will have thicker pages that won't bend or only bend a little. Most will have protective coatings over the pages and will be bound very well.

Hmmmm. I am interested in the digital albums (is that what it is called? Where the images are printed direstly on the page?

 

I understand what you mean. Unfortunatley I don't have a ton of money to spend. Can I get one of these done for around $200 - $250? I have a feeling thay are probably double or triple that.

 

Tammy, how is the quality of your album from SharedInk?

sharedink is actually moving away from selling retail to non proffesionals. 90% of their business is pro photogs. my book is fantastic. i have taken it to work and it was passed around for days before i got it back...who knows how many people looked at it. the binding is neat and clean. when i went searching for reviews, theu continued to come on top.

 

i think some of jonathan's books are probably amazing as well but, like he said, probably not available retail.

All the album companies I listed have albums where the photos are printed directly on the pages. Not slip in matted albums. Those are old school and I don't do them.

I'm not sure about the prices of Shutterfly or Picaboo, but my prices for my Asukabook start at $345 for a 30 page 10x10 book. I can do 8z8, 7x7, or 5x5 for less.

Keep in mind though that many photographers, like myself, have these albums built into the their package prices so you don't have to pay anything else because it's included in your price. Of course there are add ons you can order like parent albums and bridesmaid books.