Asuka books??? vs Collages.net?

JayClark79

Im considering going with Asuka books for my album and book maker.... I was however reffered to collages.net for their books?? Has anyone ever used collages.net in the past?

Anyone who uses Asuka have any good or bad things to say about them?? It had come down to Asuka or Black River but Asuka was available in Photojunction so it seemed alittle easier to use.

kristenweaver

Love Collages
Hey Jay -
When I first got started, I used AsukaBook and didn't have any issues with them. However, I've been using Collages.net for awhile now and have only great things to say about them! When it comes to albums, they have some amazing benefits - like their design team. They put albums together for $1 an image (which is sooooo much less expensive than AsukaBook). Their customer service is amazing, and their turnaround time is the fastest in the industry. They blew me away with how quickly they designed and printed my album. I have gotten both flush-mount albums and magazine-style albums (soft pages, hard cover - similar to AsukaBook).

I would say they are both great companies, but you'll be very satisfied to use Collages.net and their team. I am always impressed with what they send me! Good luck!

smurfy

I've only used Asuka twice, and had no complaints. But the press printed books are about the same price or more as a Forbeyon flush mount album, and they just seem too expensive for a press printed book, no matter how perfect the color or nice the packaging.

Photojunction says they will accept requests to work with your chosen album company. Maybe you could ask them to add the one you want to use?

mercphoto

As with Smurfy I think Asuka is a great product but over-priced. Have you considered Pounds Photo Labs? www.poundslabs.com They have a very nice Press Book at a much more reasonable price. They also partner with Forbeyon, so you can get a Forbeyon book through them. Lastly, their "Superior Album" is a very nice bordered album, very similar to a flush mount, but at a very attractive price.

I don't know anything about collages.net to give you a comparison there.

OttoRascon

Collages rocks
Hi Jay,

I have used both Asuka and Collages and they both offer great products. I now only use Collages for a few reasons:

- Customer service! They just rock.
- The albums are beautiful: they feel solid, the printing is great, and the seam in the middle is tiny.
- Ordering is easy
- My brides love the albums

Asuka's ordering system is a little frustrating and confusing. The headache of ordering was a major turn off and that was the reason that I started looking for other solutions.

Feel free to contact me if you have more specific questions. Rock on dude!

//Otto Rascon
http://ottorascon.com/blog/

JayClark79 wrote: »

Im considering going with Asuka books for my album and book maker.... I was however reffered to collages.net for their books?? Has anyone ever used collages.net in the past?

Anyone who uses Asuka have any good or bad things to say about them?? It had come down to Asuka or Black River but Asuka was available in Photojunction so it seemed alittle easier to use.

dustinmeyer

LOVE Collages.net
I would have to say that the customer service along with the product quality of Collages.net has allowed me to increase my sales and profits tremendously over the years. They're really great at getting back to you right away, and they're always willing to work with you on any issue

Dustin Meyer

MpactPhoto.com
Twitter: dustinmeyer
Facebook

TheRedGecko

Hi Jay!

Picking an album company is definitely not easy. This past year at WPPI, I was able to compare companies and I checked out Asuka books in person for the first time. I think they look like a quality product for sure, but I'm sticking with Collages.net for my albums. They really stand out and they impressed me more than the Asuka books for a number of reasons.

First of all, I've gotten rave reviews on my Collages.net samples. The pages are thick and sturdy, the printing (I use color correction which puts my mind at ease!) is gorgeous and vibrant, and the covers on the Brilliant album collection are stunning. I love both the regular Brilliant cover and the matte. The regular Brilliant cover looks almost like it has a touch of metallic sheen to it in person and that makes colors an skin tones really pop and glow. The matte brilliant cover is also really beautiful and resists finger prints. It looks more velvety than metallic. You must see these in person if you can! As mentioned above, their lay-flat seam is one of the smallest in the industry and I don't mind it at all. I had avoided books with seams in the past because I don't like the interruption of the design, but on the Collages books it is barely noticeable.

I'm placing new photographs of my favorite sample album on my blog soon, and I'll try and remember to update here when I do.

Finally, I must echo everyone else's satisfaction with the customer service at Collages.net. Everyone I have worked with has been wonderful! They are timely and you can tell the really care about their clients individually.

Best of luck! Would love to know what you decide.

Richard

So, that makes 4 (count 'em) brand new members extolling the virtues of collages.net. It may be a very good service for all I know, but I tend to react negatively to obvious marketing campaigns. YMMV, of course.

JayClark79

lol ya that is a weird coincedince lol

dahn8

huh Um yeah. Four times is a bit excessive. Do they think we're oblivious enough not to notice? dunno

Colleges.net may be the best thing around, but I'm not a fan of what appears to be obvious marketing ploy/spamming. I'm actually less inclined to use them now

marikris

It just means they need to post more
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