Where to make a photo book?

[KungFuPanda]

If I want to make a hardcover photo book for a gift, what is a good website to use for that? Snapfish?  Shutterfly?  Local Drug Store?

[itsheresomewhere]

I use Shutterfly.  I like it and the coupons are usually pretty good.  

[Brittany1116]

Shutterfly is good. I usually have one in the works and they send me a coupon for a freebie when I haven't worked on it in a while. 

[katilac]

I've been happy with all of the various places; it's more about what book you pick (Shutterfly will basic vs nicer, Walgreens will have basic vs nicer, etc). 

My Walgreens can make them in like a day, lol. 

Do you have any that are nearly done, or that can be done quickly? 70% off photo books at Walgreens, but just through the 18th. 

They do good sales fairly often, and I like that immediate gratification. Next day does limit your choices more.

I'm mad at myself, because I was supposed to create a few books and then just wait for the sale, but I did not 😭

Eh, I can get at least two done in two days! 

[matrips]

I used to use Shutterfly and this past time used Mixbook. I like the Mixbook software a bit better to use, but my Shutterfly books always came out fine. I do think Shutterfly is less expensive.

[athena1277]

I use Snapfish.  I make one every year for the grandparents with pictures of my kids throughout the year.

[prairiewindmomma]

I have had bad experiences with Walgreens, and Snapfish has me less than impressed. Shutterfly is passable. If you want high quality, look at mpix. https://www.mpix.com/photo-books. 
 

Adorama is now Printique, and I haven’t used them since the change, but they are also in the professional quality level of photo album. https://www.printique.com/photo-books-and-albums/?gad_source=1
 

[Zoo Keeper]

We've been happy with Blurb photo books.  https://www.blurb.com/

[TheReader]

I like Picaboo best, but haven't tried all of those mentioned.

[KungFuPanda]

On 11/16/2023 at 11:46 PM, prairiewindmomma said:

I have had bad experiences with Walgreens, and Snapfish has me less than impressed. Shutterfly is passable. If you want high quality, look at mpix. https://www.mpix.com/photo-books. 
 

Adorama is now Printique, and I haven’t used them since the change, but they are also in the professional quality level of photo album. https://www.printique.com/photo-books-and-albums/?gad_source=1
 

Thank you all for your suggestions.  I went with Mpix because I wanted a nicer keepsake book with a hard cover for my daughter.  She and her brother listened to a podcast called My Brother My Brother and Me.  I made a hardcover photo book for her titled My Brother and Me with loads of photos of her and her brother together.  So many of them were on my computer/phone or in our family albums.  I've been scanning, copying, and organizing for a few days so that she could have these photos altogether and at her house. I had to stop myself from trying to track down every good photo we had.  I was neve going to finish that way.  It dawned on me that I could always make another book.  I ordered a duplicate for myself.  It's just nicer to flip through a book than it is to go through digital photos.

[KungFuPanda]

My book arrived and it is really nice.  I'm bawling.  She's going to love it.  I'm glad I ordered a duplicate so that I don't have to let it go.

[prairiewindmomma]

I am so glad. I made photobooks for my surviving children when our daughter died—and kept a copy for myself also.

Continuing to think of you often, especially through the holidays. ❤️

[Drama Llama]

3 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I am so glad. I made photobooks for my surviving children when our daughter died—and kept a copy for myself also.

Continuing to think of you often, especially through the holidays. ❤️

We also have books that we treasure. 

I also think of you often.  Those first holidays are so hard.  

[KungFuPanda]

Yes. Holidays. I’m trying to keep my head down until it’s all over. Every holiday has been harder than I thought. If I can get through Christmas and New Year I may be able to coast til spring. I don’t know how people DO this. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Mostly the world keeps spinning and you get through it because you have no other choice. It epically sucks. It eases with time, but with the bitter cost of memories fading to ease the pain. My best advice? Journal all of the memories that come. Write the silly details that you think there is no way you could ever forget. 

Edited December 9, 2023 by prairiewindmomma

[KungFuPanda]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Mostly the world keeps spinning and you get through it because you have no other choice. It epically sucks. It eases with time, but with the bitter cost of memories fading to ease the pain. My best advice? Journal all of the memories that come. Write the silly details that you think there is no way you could ever forget. 

Omg. I’m doing this like a crazy person but in diary form like letters addressed to my son. I’m compelled to tell him what he’s missing and what I remember before I forget. It’s awful but I need the record. My grandson having no memories of his uncle is so sad every day. I’ve gone through more tissues in the last six months than I have my whole life. 

[Drama Llama]

19 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

. My grandson having no memories of his uncle is so sad every day. I’ve gone through more tissues in the last six months than I have my whole life. 

Your journal idea is a wonderful one, although it’s got to be incredibly hard.

One thing we did for the 3 kids who have been born in our family since our loss was to make photo board books.  My nephew’s had one that said “God Bless . . .” With each person in the family’s name and by the time he was 18 months he would smack his little hand on DS2’s picture and say “Doh Beh DS2” like he was an evangelical preacher healing someone.  For some reason this makes me ridiculously happy for a moment that my sweet boy is remembered.

I didn’t do a book of just him for the babies, just put him in the context where he belongs with the rest of his family.  

 

[KungFuPanda]

1 hour ago, Drama Llama said:

Your journal idea is a wonderful one, although it’s got to be incredibly hard.

One thing we did for the 3 kids who have been born in our family since our loss was to make photo board books.  My nephew’s had one that said “God Bless . . .” With each person in the family’s name and by the time he was 18 months he would smack his little hand on DS2’s picture and say “Doh Beh DS2” like he was an evangelical preacher healing someone.  For some reason this makes me ridiculously happy for a moment that my sweet boy is remembered.

I didn’t do a book of just him for the babies, just put him in the context where he belongs with the rest of his family.  

 

I actually thought of doing a family board book but I didn’t find a place that printed one. Where did you have it done? That’s exactly what I want; for him to go through ‘reading’ Grandma, grandpa, momma, papa, uncle DS . . . 

[Drama Llama]

We did Shutterfly. 
 

https://www.shutterfly.com/p/photo-books/childrens-board-books/custom-children-board-book?interceptSource=mweb/dyn_personalization/names-and-faces-children-board-book_apc-pip-1/carousel/internal_next_best_action/non-personalized

[KungFuPanda]

16 minutes ago, Drama Llama said:

We did Shutterfly. 
 

https://www.shutterfly.com/p/photo-books/childrens-board-books/custom-children-board-book?interceptSource=mweb/dyn_personalization/names-and-faces-children-board-book_apc-pip-1/carousel/internal_next_best_action/non-personalized

Thank you. I guess I didn’t look that hard 🙄I thought you were going to tell me some obscure company I never heard of. I thought I looked, but clearly I missed it.