Time flies by, and so do our memories
Daily life has us running around, sometimes hectic, sometimes exhausted, sometimes relaxed. Even when we pay special attention to ourselves and our children and the things we see and experience, a little while later, no more than a few memories remain. We hold on to those memories with a whole bunch of photos. When you take a look at your phone, you can go back in time and relive those days. But in order to really make the most of those wonderful pictures, it is best to take them out of their digital prison. Of course, there is Instagram and other social media platforms to share them through, but they are really meant for your family to enjoy, not the whole world. That’s where photo books come in. Just like a 365 day yearbook, they tell the story of the most wonderful times. They can be about our travels, celebrations, individual seasons, or simply about our families. Here are a few tips to get it right:
Start with a deal
There really isn’t any point in paying more than you have to for a photo book. Whether you have a specific brand or type in mind or are starting entirely from scratch, the first point of action should be to look for a good deal. There are plenty of sites like PhotoBook Deals around that give you a good overview of not only the deals available but also the different brands and their portfolio. This approach makes it easy to find the right photo book for your project as you won’t have to jump from website to website to get an impression.
Pick the right size
Of course, size isn’t all there is to a photo book; But it sure does make a difference. As a rule, smaller sizes are typically made for gifts while larger ones are popular for personal use. Family photo books show off those beautiful family portraits and travel adventures perfectly in A4 or A3 and there are also some larger square options such as 30x30cm that can really make an impression. With Christmas around the corner, 15x15cm or A5 photo books are the perfect options for gifts. Grandparents are typically the ideal target group for a photo book.
Lots of options…
There are quite a few decisions one needs to make when creating a photo book. For instance, there is matt and glossy paper finishing, the binding style, and the overall design of the book to be tackled before you can hit the “order” button. In terms of the paper, a rule of thumb is that a matt finishing brings across the texture while a glossy finishing is great for colourful images. Of course, glossy paper reflects more strongly while matt paper seems to swallow the external light. Binding styles are most typically hardcover or softcover, with ring and staple binding somewhere in between. This is purely a matter of taste, but when you do choose a hardcover photo book, you might want to opt for the layflat version as well, as it makes it possible to place a photo over two pages without losing any part of the photo in the centre. When it comes to designing the pages themselves, it’s definitely recommended to try out collages and create scrapbook designs as well as full-sized image placement as this gives a fresh and creative look. Also be sure to find a brand that offers design templates, as this makes work so much easier for you.
The stars of the show
That’s your photos of course. With almost all photo books, you can import photos from social media as well as your hard drive to make the work of finding all your photos that much easier. Of course, pretty much all of the photo book brands have an app so you can create your photo book wherever you are, whenever you like. Just make sure you pick photos with a good resolution, as they might otherwise end up pixelated or blurry. Usually, you also get a warning when you upload a picture that is not of a good resolution. If you’re working on a Christmas present, be sure to order at least a week or a week and a half in advance. This is the busiest time of year and photo books need to be printed, packed, and shipped, so plan for some time.
Conclusion
A photo book is not only a wonderful gift for grandparents or friends, but also a great way to remember wonderful times spent near or far from home. Making it has become incredibly easy thanks to our age of technology and there’s always a way to get the absolute best price for it as well. As an added bonus, while you design your photo book, you get an exclusive look back and enjoy putting it together.