I used to LOVE scrapbooking but after I started having kids it because impractical real quick. All the mess was a problem first of all and I just never quite had the time to cut and paste and create and I got really tired of trying and always feeling behind.
I had been blogging for a few years and it was probably my sister who told me she was going to start printing off her blog into a book instead of scrapbooking. Perfect! That was in 2009 and I have not looked back. The very thought of scrapbooking now makes me want to puke. Blogging and printing is so much easier, faster, and I can stay current pretty easily.
I’m sharing this here because I have tried a few different photo book companies and have found my favorite! {This is not a sponsored post, btw…}
I use Shutterfly. I’ve tried both Winkflash and Blurb and Shutterfly is my favorite among the three.
What I Like:
- The Covers – they’re glossy and slightly padded. Winkflash had okay covers but I did not like Blurb’s covers at all – they are matte and just blah.
- The Interface – easy to use, lots of font, color, sticker, ribbon, frame, etc. options. Each layout is completely customizable.
- The Quality – pages are clear with good resolution and true colors. The pages are a good thickness and there are a few upgrades you can make to improve the quality even more (lay flat pages, glossy, etc.)
- The Service – Last year one of my books had a crushed corner. I sent a quick email and they refunded me the entire amount of the book! I kept the book (and the damage was unfortunate but not catastrophic so I didn’t re-order to get a better copy) and used the credit on my next book.
What I Don’t Like:
- The Price – they are twice as expensive as Blurb books but I think the quality better by enough that it’s worth it. I wish they were cheaper though…
- The Interface – you can’t create (or edit) and save custom layouts, you have to edit each layout every time you want to change it. If they would make this one change, my book creation time would be cut in half. I like their layouts but have a few of my own I would use just as much if I could do it more easily.
- The Page Limit – each book can have a maximum of 111 pages so I usually have to order two for a single year which means I’m paying over $200. If they would increase the page limit I could condense and fit it down into one book for hopefully just a little more than half the price of two books.
Here are some of my favorite pages – I love clean and simple layouts, lots of pictures (I have so many to include, I HAVE to pack them on each page), and mostly use color/design in the page titles. They have great fonts and colors and I love going back through and adding in all the special effects.
I like Shutterfly but I’m not married to it. What have you used and liked?? Or have you found an even better way to be a modern scrapbooker???
