Budget photo books review
I use the following vendors:
Mpix - decent quality, easy to use software provided free of charge, excellent turnaround time. Most books delivered within 3-4 days. I use these books for events such as birthdays, Christenings etc.
Digilabs - same software as Mpix, bettter quality; however can take up to a month for delivery. I use these books for similar events to Mpix, for those who are willing to pay a little more.
Smilebooks - new to the U.S, part of Cewe, huge photo processor in Germany. Excellent software, great quality, good selection of products. Decent turnaround time under 2 weeks usually. I utilize these books for baby's first year, budget wedding books, and all other events.
Tuscany Albums - reasonably priced, free software; easy to use. Good quality item with ever growing list of choices. I use their guestbook for all my events. Use for weddings and guestbooks, as well as parent albums.
So far I have decided on zookbinders. Their books shouldn't even be compared with the average press printed books like blurb, etc. All pages lay flat, no gutter, etc. Of course the cost is higher, but for wedding books, I would want something that is of quality.
I have used AsukaBook and the EX albums especially. They are awesome. They seem to be a hit with everyone. The #1 comment I get is: It is small enough to handle and lug around.
My .02 cents!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
WildViper
From Nikon D70s > Nikon D300s & D700
Nikon 50/1.8, Tamron 28-75/2.8 1st gen, Nikkor 12-24/4, Nikkor 70-200/2.8 ED VR, SB600, SB900, SB-26 and Gitzo 2 Series Carbon Fiber with Kirk Ballhead
Just wanted to update that I'm in LOVE with GraphiStudio's new FREE proprietary software interface. Their templates definitely lean toward the "big and airy" so if you need to pack a lot of photos in each page...it may not be for you. However, I showed an initial set of layouts to a very $$$ conservative bride of mine and she's already cut photos and added pages, and we're only 15 pages in!
The software has a little "slideshow" button that when you click it, automatically generates very low res JPGs and a slideshow "player" file. I just grabbed the JPGs and threw them up to smugmug and voila...easy peasy proofing!
You all know how slow I work, and I've done 15 pages and a round of edits in about 3 hours TOTAL....including learning curve.
Also wanted to mention that it looks like Graphi's prices have gone down Jan 1, not sure if it's the exchange rate or what, but their prices are very very competitive with Art Leather, Finao, et al.
I use Finao now. I was with Graphi for 5 years but they started getting sloppy and I had to change. I love Finao- besides the great product, they are made in the US so there is less of a global impact since they don't have to be shipped overseas and they use recycled products in their packaging.
Did you ever get your book? If so what did you think?
I've actually printed three Miller's flush mount books in the past month and am THRILLED with the quality and turnaround time (omg, 4 days from upload!!!) Their pricing on the big books is competitive, especially for samples.
The biggest selling point besides the timing for Millers is their LayFlat line, if you order duplicates of larger books they are super cheap. you can't believe how people salivate over the little 5x5s that feel like the quality of the flush mount, and cost very little.
Could not agree more with the Graphi Software comment. I am addicted. Their books are second to none.
You should check out Millers new little "Accordion" books. They come 2.5x3 or 3x3 and make for a great little giveaways at $5 per book. I have been giving them to prospective clients as portfolio samples. They also make a great little keepsake for the B&G to give to the bridal party.
I just ordered a small-sized photo book from Viovio. It's a good photo book, nice cover, but not the high quality photo printing that I was hoping for.
So now I'm looking at Graphistudio and AsukaBook as options as they seem to be higher quality and geared towards pro photographers. (and they come with high recommendations from this thread)
What I want to offer my clients is a smaller sized book (around 5x7 landscape) with either hard cover or leather cover that will take 15 or more photos. However, for this particular clientele, they likely won't be ordering it along with a larger book, it'll be a stand alone order.
Those of you who recommend Graphistudio and AsukaBook, is this something I could get through either of them? And what kind of base price would I be paying? I want to make sure I can have a decent mark up and make it worth my while before I sign up with either of them.
Has anyone tried Adorama albums?
Just noticed that Adorama now has books that appear to be lay-flat for less than $80 for fifty pages. Has anyone tried them yet?
I've used them, and like them but I don't consider them to be high-end wedding books.
I shot a kid's b-day party as a favor to the dad and stuck the photos in an adorama book. I consider the color better than blurb and would consider them to be in the same class, but without the storefront.
They are not the high end pro wedding albums, but I would use them again for gifts and as an easy (and cheap) way to display the photos.
In the end, it really depends on the what you're looking for...
I just ordered a book with Finao. It was very nice. Quality and workmanship was top notch. Just my 2 cents. I am going to have to try some of the SW for album design..
Anyone know how the premium books by new smugmug partner MyCanvas look?
The pages of the premium books look pretty thick, but not quite like some of the nicer ones I've seen (just from looking at the mycanvas website).
I really like the program to design the books with MyCanvas, but I'd really like to hear some people's feedback on their books before I drop the dime on a proof book to see it for myself. Even with 30% off for the premium quality proof book, it's still a pretty penny to invest to find out if I even like their print quality. I'm a little surprised no one here has any experience with them due to their smugmug integration. Anyone?
I've used them, and like them but I don't consider them to be high-end wedding books.
I shot a kid's b-day party as a favor to the dad and stuck the photos in an adorama book. I consider the color better than blurb and would consider them to be in the same class, but without the storefront.
They are not the high end pro wedding albums, but I would use them again for gifts and as an easy (and cheap) way to display the photos.
In the end, it really depends on the what you're looking for...
I came across a similar response on another website, and posted my response on my blog:
I really like the program to design the books with MyCanvas, but I'd really like to hear some people's feedback on their books before I drop the dime on a proof book to see it for myself. Even with 30% off for the premium quality proof book, it's still a pretty penny to invest to find out if I even like their print quality. I'm a little surprised no one here has any experience with them due to their smugmug integration. Anyone?
I bought one, and probably won't buy another one due to the quality versus price point.
I shot a private birthday party at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and wanted to present the book of photos as a gift. I never presented it to the guest of honor and wanted to make another book with a different company (never got around to doing it).
I cannot pin point one thing... The binding was fine, the colors were so-so, the cover was leather with gold print, but it felt cheap, etc. It wasn't a bad job, etc, but it wasn't great and didn't have the "wow" factor for me.
Just my opinion -- other people might like the books better than me...
I didn't feel excited when I got the book in my hands and my first thought -- I paid this much for this book? I also showed the book to a friend and that person had the same comments which is why i never gave the book away.
I hope this is useful, but please do contact me if I can help with anything else.
I have to agree --- colors were spot on, love the quality, binding, etc. Love Everyone that has received a book from me printed by Adorama has been thrilled. Their faces light up as they flip through the pages and a big smile is plastered on my face because the colors are where I want them to be. At the current moment, it's the best quality for the price point for me and I prefer their quality to blurb.
However, these books are not in the same class as those custom bound art books like LeatherCraftmen, Asuka, etc. with the packaging. It's like comparing a Honda Accord to a BMW M5 .... They shouldn't be compared to each other...
Also, your customer service is top notch --
Adorama has become my default book choice unless I need to do something *very special*
I have to agree --- colors were spot on, love the quality, binding, etc. Love Everyone that has received a book from me printed by Adorama has been thrilled. Their faces light up as they flip through the pages and a big smile is plastered on my face because the colors are where I want them to be. At the current moment, it's the best quality for the price point for me and I prefer their quality to blurb.
However, these books are not in the same class as those custom bound art books like LeatherCraftmen, Asuka, etc. with the packaging. It's like comparing a Honda Accord to a BMW M5 .... They shouldn't be compared to each other...
Also, your customer service is top notch --
Adorama has become my default book choice unless I need to do something *very special*
Thank you so much for the feedback; I've passed it on to the team at AdoramaPix, who I know will also be delighted.
I guess it's down to individual choice, circumstances and price; you may be interested in this survey, if you haven't seen it already:
Regarding Adorama, and My Canvas through Smugmug:
I've ordered several books though My Canvas. The design options are great, and it's so easy to use pics clients mark as favorites in Smugmug...move them to a separate gallery and create the album. It's about as versatile as the new Asuka bookmaker software, and WAY easier than creating each page in Photoshop.
However, the quality for the NON PREMUIM books is lousy and completely inconsistent, as though no one pays any attention to QC before they ship. Definitely not the way to go for any wedding books, lower end or not. They reprint for complaints, but send books out with the very same issue that caused the complaint in the first place.
That being said, the higher end premiums that start at $199 are quite different. Good quality, extremely thick, seemingly unbendable pages, and obviously checked for QC. Packaged and shipped with care, which I can't say for their other books. The problem is that they use several outside bookmakers for the non-premium, and only one apparently good bookmaker for the higher-end ones. The two clients who have received the premium books were extremely happy with them. One of those albums had branding left in the book when it was supposed to be removed, and they reprinted for free. So I do have one sample to show clients now, although with My Canvas' name in the back. To the best of my knowledge, a leather cover with gold lettering was not a premium book, but one of the low-end books done by the mediocre bookmakers they use. The premium books don't come with gold lettering on leather. The ones I've received have both been velvet with silver lettering. It looks like a plush suede, and quite elegant.
Thanks for answering me about Adorama. They, along with B&H, have been my go-to place for cameras, accessories, and everything else, since I'm a New Yorker...I'll give the books a try in the near future.
Since you Adorama album folks are checking this out, do you have samples in your store to see and touch? If so, I'll be in the city this weekend anyway and would like to check them out. (Not on Saturday, when you're closed, but Sunday aftenoon?...)
I bought one, and probably won't buy another one due to the quality versus price point.
I shot a private birthday party at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and wanted to present the book of photos as a gift. I never presented it to the guest of honor and wanted to make another book with a different company (never got around to doing it).
I cannot pin point one thing... The binding was fine, the colors were so-so, the cover was leather with gold print, but it felt cheap, etc. It wasn't a bad job, etc, but it wasn't great and didn't have the "wow" factor for me.
Just my opinion -- other people might like the books better than me...
I didn't feel excited when I got the book in my hands and my first thought -- I paid this much for this book? I also showed the book to a friend and that person had the same comments which is why i never gave the book away.
Good to know, thankfully we're meeting with a local album company at the Chicago SMUG tonight, so maybe I'll fall in love with their quality? Who knows. Meanwhile, I'm started to get really hooked on the fotofusion software......it's pretty sweet. Been messing around w/ the trial for a little while today now and I really like it.
Thanks for answering me about Adorama. They, along with B&H, have been my go-to place for cameras, accessories, and everything else, since I'm a New Yorker...I'll give the books a try in the near future.
Since you Adorama album folks are checking this out, do you have samples in your store to see and touch? If so, I'll be in the city this weekend anyway and would like to check them out. (Not on Saturday, when you're closed, but Sunday aftenoon?...)
We absolutely have samples in the store, in fact, if you stop by on Sunday - or any other day - you can get a coupon code for a free 4x6 book to try out with your own photos. Our PixPublisher is web-based and easy to use; we have templates and backgrounds for you to choose from, but it's equally easy to design your own layout, just drag and drop the images and resize.
We do not use outside vendors, all the printing and binding is done right here in the tradition of great AdoramaPix quality. If you love our prints, you'll love our books, it's as easy as that. We do NOT have any kind of a logo in the books at this time. Give it a try and please do let us know what you think. We are constantly trying to improve the book creation program and really do want to hear what features you like and features you would like to see.
Good to know, thankfully we're meeting with a local album company at the Chicago SMUG tonight, so maybe I'll fall in love with their quality? Who knows. Meanwhile, I'm started to get really hooked on the fotofusion software......it's pretty sweet. Been messing around w/ the trial for
a little while today now and I really like it.
I'm so mad I couldn't make that Chicago SMUG night last night, but it was my son's 18th birthday. I hope it's not long before they do it again.
On the subject of books......It's really confusing reading what everyone has to say because I think everyone is looking to do something different. One of my questions was how the quality of the Blurb product was compared to MPIX? The MPIX books I did turned out great quality wise, but cost over 69.00 to make and were limited to 50 pages (sides).
If you ordered more than 50 of any one book though in one order, they'll give you 25% off the order and if you pay to FEDEX 1 (ONE) book, they'll FEDEX the whole order for the cost of the one! Even at an end cost of $50.00/per, to make any kind of realistic profit you'd have to get $65-$70 each and people just aren't going to pay that for a photo book. I found that out the hard way....
Bill O'Neill - Media and Fire Photography
________________ www.elginet.com - www.elginet.smugmug.com Toys: Nikon D3x, D300s w/MD10 grip, D300, Fuji S3Pro &S2Pro,
Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikkor 80-200 2.8, Nikon 105mm 2.8
I'm so mad I couldn't make that Chicago SMUG night last night, but it was my son's 18th birthday. I hope it's not long before they do it again.
On the subject of books......It's really confusing reading what everyone has to say because I think everyone is looking to do something different. One of my questions was how the quality of the Blurb product was compared to MPIX? The MPIX books I did turned out great quality wise, but cost over 69.00 to make and were limited to 50 pages (sides).
If you ordered more than 50 of any one book though in one order, they'll give you 25% off the order and if you pay to FEDEX 1 (ONE) book, they'll FEDEX the whole order for the cost of the one! Even at an end cost of $50.00/per, to make any kind of realistic profit you'd have to get $65-$70 each and people just aren't going to pay that for a photo book. I found that out the hard way....
The SMUG was good last night, Dan hosts them every third Tuesday of the month at his studio, so mark that down on your calendar! Are you on facebook? He sends event invites out that I can copy you on there... or you can sign up for the mailing list and get emails to remind you about upcoming SMUG's.
It was a good meeting, though the sales rep was very "pitchy" so other than her presentation, the rest of it was really great. I saw a book that they had printed from Bay Photo (flush mount album) and was realllly impressed, gotta follow up and find out which flush mount Bay Photo album that was because I'm totally digging the quality on it and thinking I'll use them for my prints.
Meanwhile, I ended up settling on purchasing FotoFusion and have been loving it so far! I've made some really neat album spreads with it.
Blurb books
Blurb is fine for inexpensive books of personal vacation photos, etc, but they feel cheap to me and the color rendering is all over the map. Would never use them for clients, personally.
Just FYI, I like theweddinglab.com. They are a small family company with the lowest prices I have ever seen. They are local to me which is how I found out about them.
They will only sell to photogs, but publish their prices. It doesn't bother me though because I don't tell brides where the book comes from.
Canon Gear: 5D MkII, 30D, 85 1.2 L, 70-200 2.8 IS L, 17-40mm f4 L, 50 1.4, 580EX, 2x 580EXII, Canon 1.4x TC, 300 f4 IS L, 100mm 2.8 Macro, 100-400 IS L Other Gear: Olympus E-PL1, Pan 20 1.7, Fuji 3D Camera, Lensbaby 2.0, Tamron 28-75 2.8, Alien Bees lighting, CyberSyncs, Domke, HONL, FlipIt.
~ Gear Pictures
So as to expand the resources and tips links please post your wedding album vendor list and experiences with them.
Albums Inc www.albumsinc.com They have a large selection of brand and types. I have used some of the older traditional type albums with pages with predesigned layouts that you insert prints into. The ones I used were the Renessance Milano. I worked for another wedding photographer for a while and he used these for his medium format film weddings. There is some work to putting them together.
I haven't yet done a wedding book, but I have put together two books using Blurb. My first was a large format hardcover, with a glossy dust jacket. The result was as good, in terms of quality. As good as a quality coffee table book. My second was a soft cover 8X10 book of children's photos. It too was a high quality product. I am shooting a wedding tomorrow and the couple have asked for a Blurb wedding book, so I will let you know how it turns out.
Graphi Studios - A++++ Rating, have done several albums thru them including my studio samples which I use for advertising. As urbanaries said you can do the layout or let them do it for you. Their designers are wonderful. I have not had a bride yet who didnt love their work. They have a huge range of book sizes, paper types and covers. Their books are so good you can put a huge markup on them and the client will think they still got a great deal. Only downside is they are at a minimum 6 weeks lead time. As they are Italian based I would say they are the Ferrari of wedding albums. oh, their customer service is awsome also. I have a rep in So. Cal that has never taken more than 15 minutes to return my calls. They also have monthly conference calls for wedding photographers to discuss album styles and issues (very informative)
Asuka Books - probably my second faovirte, High quality, fast turnaround. You have to do the design or use a 3rd party so there is more time involved. Close to Graphi quality for much less $$ so great choice for the Brides on a budget. Just remember to factor in your time in designing the album in your final price.
Zookbooks - good book for the budget conscious. they have greatly improved their quality and have recently come out with a several new styles including print to bind. Fast turnaround time. I have used them with very good success for engagement books, wedding guest registries (stole that idea from Shay - and the brides love it) I also use them for my "babies first year" albums
I have not yet used Blurb but have heard good things and my try them for a few studio books I am designing to see how they look.
We love Graphi Studio books. They also have some Great deals for parent books etc...if you place your order before the cut off day. Which I believe is at the end of this month. We have a wedding today and plan to work through the rest of this weekend to edit and design our book for them. They have already requested a Graphi book. They will be getting 50 4x5 miniature books for free for placing this order before due date.What great gifts for the bride to give family and friends. I love that Graphi has specials like this. I really haven't noticed if other companies do this. We used to use BlackRiver Imaging but found the books to have some flaws. Its really hard to use anyone else aside from Graphi. They have spoiled us:)
They will be getting 50 4x5 miniature books for free for placing this order before due date.What great gifts for the bride to give family and friends. I love that Graphi has specials like this.
Wait whaaaat??? Am I missing something here? Why are they getting 50 mini albums? Is it, because it's one of your "planned books"? I don't use this option / never tell them when I'm planning to be done with a book, just upload it, and am done, so I'm all
I did the New Year's special, where they give you a free sample book, for every book you order by such and such date (was around NYE last year). Goshhhhh, loooove how they came out. I ordered different covers for all the books (1 metallic, 1 with the photo window & one with the plexiglass cover) .... have to say, love every single one, even the plexiglass cover (the sample that they sent me did not do justice to what I got). I love Graphi
As for the turn around time, they've been actually really good about all the orders ... I got my last 8 orders within 4 weeks (one even within 2 weeks!! )
Wait whaaaat??? Am I missing something here? Why are they getting 50 mini albums? Is it, because it's one of your "planned books"? I don't use this option / never tell them when I'm planning to be done with a book, just upload it, and am done, so I'm all
I did the New Year's special, where they give you a free sample book, for every book you order by such and such date (was around NYE last year). Goshhhhh, loooove how they came out. I ordered different covers for all the books (1 metallic, 1 with the photo window & one with the plexiglass cover) .... have to say, love every single one, even the plexiglass cover (the sample that they sent me did not do justice to what I got). I love Graphi
As for the turn around time, they've been actually really good about all the orders ... I got my last 8 orders within 4 weeks (one even within 2 weeks!! )
Hey A.
Yes we do use the feature for planned books. Graphi-Studio sent us a coupon for 50 free pocket books if we complete the order by March 31st. Soooo -- this gave the bride and groom a huge incentive. That's what Evelyn meant by the cut off date. I don't know if it is because we use the planned book feature. I just filled it out to be organized. We are gonna go with the Crystal Glance Cover and the metallic pages, although I am trying to lean the couple towards the photographic paper laminated Metallic is wonderful but I feel that it doesn't quite fit certain photographic styles.
Comments
I use the following vendors:
Mpix - decent quality, easy to use software provided free of charge, excellent turnaround time. Most books delivered within 3-4 days. I use these books for events such as birthdays, Christenings etc.
Digilabs - same software as Mpix, bettter quality; however can take up to a month for delivery. I use these books for similar events to Mpix, for those who are willing to pay a little more.
Smilebooks - new to the U.S, part of Cewe, huge photo processor in Germany. Excellent software, great quality, good selection of products. Decent turnaround time under 2 weeks usually. I utilize these books for baby's first year, budget wedding books, and all other events.
Tuscany Albums - reasonably priced, free software; easy to use. Good quality item with ever growing list of choices. I use their guestbook for all my events. Use for weddings and guestbooks, as well as parent albums.
So far I have decided on zookbinders. Their books shouldn't even be compared with the average press printed books like blurb, etc. All pages lay flat, no gutter, etc. Of course the cost is higher, but for wedding books, I would want something that is of quality.
Atlanta, GA USA
my smugmug
Atlanta Modern Wedding Photographer
SheriJohnsonPhotography.com
My .02 cents!
WildViper
From Nikon D70s > Nikon D300s & D700
Nikon 50/1.8, Tamron 28-75/2.8 1st gen, Nikkor 12-24/4, Nikkor 70-200/2.8 ED VR, SB600, SB900, SB-26 and Gitzo 2 Series Carbon Fiber with Kirk Ballhead
The software has a little "slideshow" button that when you click it, automatically generates very low res JPGs and a slideshow "player" file. I just grabbed the JPGs and threw them up to smugmug and voila...easy peasy proofing!
You all know how slow I work, and I've done 15 pages and a round of edits in about 3 hours TOTAL....including learning curve.
Also wanted to mention that it looks like Graphi's prices have gone down Jan 1, not sure if it's the exchange rate or what, but their prices are very very competitive with Art Leather, Finao, et al.
happy happy joy joy
50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8, 24-70 2.8L, 35mm 1.4L, 135mm f2L
ST-E2 Transmitter + (3) 580 EXII + radio poppers
Did you ever get your book? If so what did you think?
Medina Photography LLC
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I've actually printed three Miller's flush mount books in the past month and am THRILLED with the quality and turnaround time (omg, 4 days from upload!!!) Their pricing on the big books is competitive, especially for samples.
The biggest selling point besides the timing for Millers is their LayFlat line, if you order duplicates of larger books they are super cheap. you can't believe how people salivate over the little 5x5s that feel like the quality of the flush mount, and cost very little.
50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8, 24-70 2.8L, 35mm 1.4L, 135mm f2L
ST-E2 Transmitter + (3) 580 EXII + radio poppers
You should check out Millers new little "Accordion" books. They come 2.5x3 or 3x3 and make for a great little giveaways at $5 per book. I have been giving them to prospective clients as portfolio samples. They also make a great little keepsake for the B&G to give to the bridal party.
MILOStudios
www.milophotostudios.com
So now I'm looking at Graphistudio and AsukaBook as options as they seem to be higher quality and geared towards pro photographers. (and they come with high recommendations from this thread)
What I want to offer my clients is a smaller sized book (around 5x7 landscape) with either hard cover or leather cover that will take 15 or more photos. However, for this particular clientele, they likely won't be ordering it along with a larger book, it'll be a stand alone order.
Those of you who recommend Graphistudio and AsukaBook, is this something I could get through either of them? And what kind of base price would I be paying? I want to make sure I can have a decent mark up and make it worth my while before I sign up with either of them.
www.kdspencer.com
Just noticed that Adorama now has books that appear to be lay-flat for less than $80 for fifty pages. Has anyone tried them yet?
here's the link from their site: http://www.adoramapix.com/PhotoBooks.aspx
I shot a kid's b-day party as a favor to the dad and stuck the photos in an adorama book. I consider the color better than blurb and would consider them to be in the same class, but without the storefront.
They are not the high end pro wedding albums, but I would use them again for gifts and as an easy (and cheap) way to display the photos.
In the end, it really depends on the what you're looking for...
14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
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45 PC and sb910 x2
http://www.danielkimphotography.com
I really like the program to design the books with MyCanvas, but I'd really like to hear some people's feedback on their books before I drop the dime on a proof book to see it for myself. Even with 30% off for the premium quality proof book, it's still a pretty penny to invest to find out if I even like their print quality. I'm a little surprised no one here has any experience with them due to their smugmug integration. Anyone?
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I came across a similar response on another website, and posted my response on my blog:
http://helenoster.blogspot.com/2009/08/adoramapix-photo-books.html
I hope this is useful, but please do contact me if I can help with anything else.
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
http://twitter.com/HelenOster
Helen@adorama.com
www.adorama.com
I shot a private birthday party at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and wanted to present the book of photos as a gift. I never presented it to the guest of honor and wanted to make another book with a different company (never got around to doing it).
I cannot pin point one thing... The binding was fine, the colors were so-so, the cover was leather with gold print, but it felt cheap, etc. It wasn't a bad job, etc, but it wasn't great and didn't have the "wow" factor for me.
Just my opinion -- other people might like the books better than me...
I didn't feel excited when I got the book in my hands and my first thought -- I paid this much for this book? I also showed the book to a friend and that person had the same comments which is why i never gave the book away.
However, these books are not in the same class as those custom bound art books like LeatherCraftmen, Asuka, etc. with the packaging. It's like comparing a Honda Accord to a BMW M5 .... They shouldn't be compared to each other...
Also, your customer service is top notch --
Adorama has become my default book choice unless I need to do something *very special*
Thank you so much for the feedback; I've passed it on to the team at AdoramaPix, who I know will also be delighted.
I guess it's down to individual choice, circumstances and price; you may be interested in this survey, if you haven't seen it already:
http://sharpernewyork.blogspot.com/2009/07/print-on-demand-book-test-results.html
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
http://twitter.com/HelenOster
Helen@adorama.com
www.adorama.com
I've ordered several books though My Canvas. The design options are great, and it's so easy to use pics clients mark as favorites in Smugmug...move them to a separate gallery and create the album. It's about as versatile as the new Asuka bookmaker software, and WAY easier than creating each page in Photoshop.
However, the quality for the NON PREMUIM books is lousy and completely inconsistent, as though no one pays any attention to QC before they ship. Definitely not the way to go for any wedding books, lower end or not. They reprint for complaints, but send books out with the very same issue that caused the complaint in the first place.
That being said, the higher end premiums that start at $199 are quite different. Good quality, extremely thick, seemingly unbendable pages, and obviously checked for QC. Packaged and shipped with care, which I can't say for their other books. The problem is that they use several outside bookmakers for the non-premium, and only one apparently good bookmaker for the higher-end ones. The two clients who have received the premium books were extremely happy with them. One of those albums had branding left in the book when it was supposed to be removed, and they reprinted for free. So I do have one sample to show clients now, although with My Canvas' name in the back. To the best of my knowledge, a leather cover with gold lettering was not a premium book, but one of the low-end books done by the mediocre bookmakers they use. The premium books don't come with gold lettering on leather. The ones I've received have both been velvet with silver lettering. It looks like a plush suede, and quite elegant.
Thanks for answering me about Adorama. They, along with B&H, have been my go-to place for cameras, accessories, and everything else, since I'm a New Yorker...I'll give the books a try in the near future.
Since you Adorama album folks are checking this out, do you have samples in your store to see and touch? If so, I'll be in the city this weekend anyway and would like to check them out. (Not on Saturday, when you're closed, but Sunday aftenoon?...)
Good to know, thankfully we're meeting with a local album company at the Chicago SMUG tonight, so maybe I'll fall in love with their quality? Who knows. Meanwhile, I'm started to get really hooked on the fotofusion software......it's pretty sweet. Been messing around w/ the trial for a little while today now and I really like it.
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We absolutely have samples in the store, in fact, if you stop by on Sunday - or any other day - you can get a coupon code for a free 4x6 book to try out with your own photos. Our PixPublisher is web-based and easy to use; we have templates and backgrounds for you to choose from, but it's equally easy to design your own layout, just drag and drop the images and resize.
We do not use outside vendors, all the printing and binding is done right here in the tradition of great AdoramaPix quality. If you love our prints, you'll love our books, it's as easy as that. We do NOT have any kind of a logo in the books at this time. Give it a try and please do let us know what you think. We are constantly trying to improve the book creation program and really do want to hear what features you like and features you would like to see.
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
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www.adorama.com
On the subject of books......It's really confusing reading what everyone has to say because I think everyone is looking to do something different. One of my questions was how the quality of the Blurb product was compared to MPIX? The MPIX books I did turned out great quality wise, but cost over 69.00 to make and were limited to 50 pages (sides).
If you ordered more than 50 of any one book though in one order, they'll give you 25% off the order and if you pay to FEDEX 1 (ONE) book, they'll FEDEX the whole order for the cost of the one! Even at an end cost of $50.00/per, to make any kind of realistic profit you'd have to get $65-$70 each and people just aren't going to pay that for a photo book. I found that out the hard way....
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Toys: Nikon D3x, D300s w/MD10 grip, D300, Fuji S3Pro &S2Pro,
Nikon 18-200 VR, Nikkor 80-200 2.8, Nikon 105mm 2.8
The SMUG was good last night, Dan hosts them every third Tuesday of the month at his studio, so mark that down on your calendar! Are you on facebook? He sends event invites out that I can copy you on there... or you can sign up for the mailing list and get emails to remind you about upcoming SMUG's.
It was a good meeting, though the sales rep was very "pitchy" so other than her presentation, the rest of it was really great. I saw a book that they had printed from Bay Photo (flush mount album) and was realllly impressed, gotta follow up and find out which flush mount Bay Photo album that was because I'm totally digging the quality on it and thinking I'll use them for my prints.
Meanwhile, I ended up settling on purchasing FotoFusion and have been loving it so far! I've made some really neat album spreads with it.
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Blurb is fine for inexpensive books of personal vacation photos, etc, but they feel cheap to me and the color rendering is all over the map. Would never use them for clients, personally.
They will only sell to photogs, but publish their prices. It doesn't bother me though because I don't tell brides where the book comes from.
Other Gear: Olympus E-PL1, Pan 20 1.7, Fuji 3D Camera, Lensbaby 2.0, Tamron 28-75 2.8, Alien Bees lighting, CyberSyncs, Domke, HONL, FlipIt.
~ Gear Pictures
I haven't yet done a wedding book, but I have put together two books using Blurb. My first was a large format hardcover, with a glossy dust jacket. The result was as good, in terms of quality. As good as a quality coffee table book. My second was a soft cover 8X10 book of children's photos. It too was a high quality product. I am shooting a wedding tomorrow and the couple have asked for a Blurb wedding book, so I will let you know how it turns out.
Mumon is right! "Every day is a good day!"
http://www.keithbroadphotography.com/
Just to let everyone know out there that Graphi Studio just released a new software version 2.0
Klinh Evelyn Grace Photography
Fashion & Commercial
(2)Mamiya RZ67 IID, Mamiya 645 AFD II, Leaf Aptus 65, Profoto D1's, Capture One.
http://www.klinhevelyngracephotography.com
We love Graphi Studio books. They also have some Great deals for parent books etc...if you place your order before the cut off day. Which I believe is at the end of this month. We have a wedding today and plan to work through the rest of this weekend to edit and design our book for them. They have already requested a Graphi book. They will be getting 50 4x5 miniature books for free for placing this order before due date.What great gifts for the bride to give family and friends. I love that Graphi has specials like this. I really haven't noticed if other companies do this. We used to use BlackRiver Imaging but found the books to have some flaws. Its really hard to use anyone else aside from Graphi. They have spoiled us:)
http://www.klinhevelyngracephotography.com
Wait whaaaat???
I did the New Year's special, where they give you a free sample book, for every book you order by such and such date (was around NYE last year). Goshhhhh, loooove how they came out. I ordered different covers for all the books (1 metallic, 1 with the photo window & one with the plexiglass cover) .... have to say, love every single one, even the plexiglass cover (the sample that they sent me did not do justice to what I got). I love Graphi
As for the turn around time, they've been actually really good about all the orders ... I got my last 8 orders within 4 weeks (one even within 2 weeks!!
Hey A.
Yes we do use the feature for planned books. Graphi-Studio sent us a coupon for 50 free pocket books if we complete the order by March 31st. Soooo -- this gave the bride and groom a huge incentive. That's what Evelyn meant by the cut off date. I don't know if it is because we use the planned book feature. I just filled it out to be organized. We are gonna go with the Crystal Glance Cover and the metallic pages, although I am trying to lean the couple towards the photographic paper laminated Metallic is wonderful but I feel that it doesn't quite fit certain photographic styles.
Klinh Evelyn Grace Photography
Fashion & Commercial
(2)Mamiya RZ67 IID, Mamiya 645 AFD II, Leaf Aptus 65, Profoto D1's, Capture One.
http://www.klinhevelyngracephotography.com