There are plenty of options when it comes to picking out a photo book service. On one hand, that's great because you’re able to get higher quality, better value products. But how are you meant to know which is the best photo book for you?
Top quality photo books make great option for a gift. Gathering all of your favourite memories with a special someone or documenting a big life event such as graduation, an engagement, or the birth of a baby, a personalised photo book makes a thoughtful present that shows you care. What’s more, it doesn’t have to break the bank!
As most of us take and store our photos on our smartphones, the best providers listed below let you upload photos straight from your phone, social media sites or computer. Then once you’ve got your photos onto the site you can resize, position and add clipart to your heart’s content. Or let the service do the work for you and make the most of the pre-made templates to create a photo book in a matter of minutes.
Whether you’re looking to keep all your favourite recipes in one place, capture the fondest memories of your travel adventures or gift a precious wedding photo book, keep reading to find out the best photo books online in 2021.
Mixbook is our favourite photo book service
Mixbook truly ticks all the best photo book boxes. It's a dream to use, with loads of customisable options if you want to create something truly special. And the quality you get back is excellent, without having to spend a small fortune.
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Best photo book sites in the UK in 2021
Mixbook is our top pick of all the photo book services on the market. Not only are the products great quality but the creating process is a fun experience, too. The Mixbook software is easy to use and gives you full creative freedom to make a photo book personalised to you.
There are 500+ themes to get those creative juices flowing. Whether it’s romance or seasonal, family or everyday, travel or kids, Mixbook has got you covered. And of course, you can customise each theme as much or as little as you like or start from scratch with a blank book.
The freedom doesn’t stop there - there are plenty of sizes, paper and cover options to pick from as well. You can pick the options that fit your budget and your vision. For a more luxe feel there’s a faux leather cover option with a dust jacket or go for the classic glossy hardcover.
The Mixbook software is simple to use but there is a walkthrough on the website just in case. You can add text, stickers and change the background on the website or app, as well as resize, rearrange and edit the photos to make your photo book one of a kind.
All the options might seem a bit daunting and can take a bit of time to look through to find the best template for you, however, the end product is full of high quality prints and personalised to you so it’s worth it. Plus, Mixbook offers a '100% happiness guarantee' and has a live chat feature if you need any help.
There's always an offer to be had at the Mixbook website, so make sure you check the website for any discount codes before checking out to save some money.
Snapfish is next on our list of the best photo book providers in the UK. You can be as hands on or hands off as you like with the huge variety of designs, backgrounds, embellishments and borders to choose from. Design yourself a totally unique photo book or stick to one of the templates for a quicker process.
The over 200 pre-designed templates make it easy to make your own photo book, and once you’ve sifted through all the options to find the one for you, it’s a quick process too. It can be slightly difficult to search through the content but if you don’t have the time for that, just use one of the templates suggested in the ‘What’s Hot’ section.
The image quality as a whole is good but the cover photo was saturated. This is something found to be quite common amongst photo book providers so make sure you pick your photo carefully to avoid looking too orange!
One thing that sets Snapfish apart is the UK heritage behind the brand. All of Snapfish’s photo books are made in the UK, which helps to reduce their carbon footprint and secure jobs.
Head to the Snapfish website to see the range and plan your photo book.
For a photo book service in the UK that offers ease of use, template and background options, plus a quality finish, Cewe is worth a look. From just £5.99 you can get a quality printed photo book, which is easy to build using a desktop or smartphone.
The image quality is crisp and colour accuracy is pretty good, even on the front cover, making for a quality finished product. You can create online, download the Cewe software onto your laptop or install the smartphone app, it really is up to you. But we recommend the Cewe software or app which makes it easier to import images, gives you access to a full suite of advanced editing features and the Creator Assistant.
You can take full advantage of the advanced editing features and template options or let the Creator Assistant do the work for you. This feature on the Cewe website produces a photo book from the images you upload directly from social media or the cloud within minutes. So if you’re looking for a last-minute but still thoughtful gift, it’s a great option.
This photo book provider is committed to being sustainable, making the Cewe photo books 100% climate-neutral with a net-zero carbon footprint. The materials used by the company are selected with long-term sustainability in mind.
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Bonusprint is easy to use and delivers good quality print results. But what’s even better is that the customer service is excellent. So even if you do somehow find an issue, you’ll be able to get some help right away. It also offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, whereby if you contact them within 14 days of receiving your product, they will find a solution to your problem.
The process of creating a photo book with Bonusprint could take as little as 10 minutes on your smartphone with the app. Or you can download the editor from the website, which gives you access to extensive design options to make the book look exactly how you want it.
Or if you need a kick start, use the Smart Assistant to create a photo book in minutes. This clever tool has smart photo selection and automatic photo book creation with beautiful layouts, whilst still having full creative freedom.
This is a brand you can trust. They’ve been around since 1979 so if anyone knows how to run a photo book business, it’s Bonusprint...
Head to the Bonus Print website for more information and to order
If we’re talking sheer print quality, Bob Books has a really impressive offering with stunning photos. The high quality doesn’t come with a big price tag though, with £9 getting you a 26 page book at 300gsm premium paper quality. Your photos will be sharp, colours punchy and the sharpness is spot on.
If you’re looking for a more professional look whilst keeping the cost down, Bob Books could be a good option. They have the option of presentation boxes and you can share your photo book with family and friends or sell your creation via the online Bob Bookshop which makes self-publishing easier.
The online creator is easy to use but the book designs are more limited than other photo book creators. If you don’t have the time to create the photo book yourself, the Bob Books professional design service can create one for you at an extra cost.
For those that want to exercise their creativity, the Bob Design Software can be downloaded onto your desktop or the Bob Books app can be installed onto your smartphone. The software offers an autofill option or you can select from a large range of templates, backgrounds and themes before editing your photos with the built in tools and adding them to your photo book.
The materials used in Bob Books photo books FSC certified, helping toward the sustainable management of the rain forest.
Photo book FAQ
What is the best photo book of 2021?
Combining an interface that's really easy to use, pricing that won't break the bank and quality that won't disappoint, Mixbook is the best photo book provider of them all right now. It has hundreds of themes to choose from, with specialised designs for wedding snaps, holiday memories, baby keepsakes and more. You can customise them all as much or as little as you wish, to create the perfect photo book to keep or give to a loved one.
What is the best size for a photo book?
Sorry, we're going to completely sit on the fence on this one and say... it depends! If it's just cheap photo gifts that you have in mind, then keep the costs down by going for not much bigger than 8 x 8 inch. That's more than enough space to create an enduring keepsake.
But if you're after something more special, then crank things up. Taking things up to A4 or even A3 size means that you'll get larger (or more) photos to cherish and can turn your photo book into a stunning talking point to put on your coffee table.
Can I make a photo book on my phone?
We expect the majority of your photos are taken and stored on your smartphone - who can blame you, there’s some pretty good camera phones out there these days - so it only makes sense to make your photo book on your phone. The majority of companies have a smartphone app so you can do just that, including our favourite Mixbook.
Mixbook’s app allows you to access and edit any saved projects, upload photos directly from your phone and create a photo book from the palm of your hand. Not only does this mean you won’t have to transfer all your photos to your desktop, which can be a bit of a pain, but you can create a fully customised photo book from the palm of your hand.
Of course, there are some advantages to creating your photo book on your laptop instead of your phone. Some people might find the smaller screen of a smartphone harder to work on when rearranging photos or editing your images. If you prefer to work on a bigger screen so you can see more detail, you can always opt for the companies' website instead.
Photo book hints and tips
If you've never made your own photo book album before then it can look like a daunting task. The best photo book sites give you myriad options and features to tailor-make your ideal book and that can be overwhelming at first. But it doesn't have to be...here are some things to keep in mind if you need a bit of direction:
Keep it simple: You could spend hours and hours creating your perfect photo book, with the trimming and bordering of every page and photo custom designed and a different font for every occasion. Could. If you're new to photo book creation, we'd suggest starting with one of the hundreds of themes that each service provides. That way, you still get a beautiful book, but need only think about what photos you want where without having to get hung up on every last detail. Themes usually range through every event you can think of: Christmas, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, graduations, Bar Mitzvas... the list goes on!
Size matters: As with anything; the more you pay, the more expensive it becomes. And the price really can escalate, especially as your pages mount up. If you just want a keepsake of an event or holiday and are after something tangible rather than scrolling through your photos, then keeping it small can also keep the costs down. But if it's a special holiday you're commemorating, or perhaps a wedding or christening - a book that will live out on your coffee table - you may wish to crank up the size as a photo book can be a very special object to keep forever.
Matte, glossy or lustre: The finish of the pages are purely personal preference, but it can be tricky to decide. Glossy is usually the most affordable option and is most like a traditional photo album of old, so you can't really go wrong - it also makes your colorful snaps look even more vibrant. But going for Matte lends a certain air of luxury to the product and some services will make these pages thicker, too (which is reflected in the cost). If you need to hedge your bets, a few photo book sites will give an option somewhere in between called something like Lustre or Semi-Gloss.
Pimp your photo book: If you're a bit of a photo book pro (or have the time to be a bit more daring), then the likes of Mixbook and Snapfish have some frankly awesome customisation options. Every single detail is at your disposal, from the positions of the snaps, background detailing, front and back cover design and personalised text to accompany each and every photo.
Be careful of timings: In the age of Amazon Prime, we've got all too used to ordering something one day and it arriving the next. Not so with photo books. OK, so you can pay extra for expedited delivery, but generally you're looking at at least a week before your handsome photo book drops on to your door mat. So we seriously advise planning ahead, especially around peak times like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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