Probably the biggest question I see in my inbox from readers is, “Steph, where do you print your Photobooks now?” It’s usually written after someone reads the Photobook Printing Review post I did a while back.
My answer has always been the same: I still print my photo books with Adoramapix. I did print one book with another company since I wrote that review, but I was so disappointed, I’ve since stuck with Adoramapix.
Here’s the list of why I still choose Adoramapix for printing my photobooks:
Print Quality
It always matches what I see on my monitor. There aren’t any surprises (note: I calibrate my monitor). The prints are photo quality and don’t have the graininess or noise that so many other photo books have.
A Custom Cover That Is Easy To Design
I love that I can design the cover to wrap all the way around the spine of the book and what I see in the Adoramapix software, is how it will print. I don’t need to use any templates or anything special to have the cover look exactly the way I want.
Custom Inside Covers
It’s so fun to be able to design the inside of the covers to coordinate with the opposite pages and/or the cover.
Thick Pages
I love how thick the pages of the book are! There will be no bent pages in this book!
Lay Flat Binding
After having photo books with lay flat binding, I don’t think I can ever go back! Sometimes, I have to look hard to see the seems.
Double Page Spreads
I can upload a 24×12 double page layout and drag and drop the whole thing onto a page and just click on “fit to page” and that’s it! I don’t have to divide the layout into two 12×12 layouts in Photoshop first. No worrying about lining up the center seems on two 12×12 layouts.
Value
One of the only concerns I hear from readers (before they try Adorampix) is the price. I promise you, considering the quality of their books, it is a VALUE! But, they do quite often run HUGE sales, so sign up for their newsletter (I think you have to register to get on the list). I have found that when they show the sale price for a 14 page 8×8, the same discount usually applies to the same size with more pages.
There is a sale going on now (ends 2/14) and you can get a 14 page 8×8 book for $9.99 (WOW!) (regular price is $25.95) using the coupon code: PXLOVE8x8
You might want to check out their blog, where you will find links to all of the different places you can connect with them to find out about sales.
From the readers that have tried Adoramapix photo books for their printing, I usually hear that they are converts too.
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Thank you SO MUCH for your photobook review. I am the mother of 2 kids under 3 and have secretly been working on starting annual yearbooks. I had a very hard time finding companies that printed large portrait books approximately the same size as traditional high school yearbooks that would accomodate 100+ pages. I spent about 5 months getting approximately 1/2 way through my first (2012) book using Blurb before their software completely froze. I was EXTREMELY disappointed to find out they have no phone contact!!! Although their email support system has replied twice with absolutely no help, I am at a total loss. If I cannot get this resolved, I will have to throw away months of work and start all over with another company. From what I gathered from your article and the links, Adorama only goes up to 76 pages (which is just not enough for this project). Is there another company you can recommend that wont leave me in tears? Thanks again!!!
If you have not yet tried them, Simplycolorlab has the most true to color images I have ever had the pleasure of ordering.
Thank you!
Nice
My only problem with Adorama is the need for a set number of pages. I just finished a 60 page album. Too many to size down to 50, and it would be tough to stretch up to 76. I wish that they had someplace in between, because I’m sure that I could stretch out another 4-8 pages, but 16 is too much. I’m looking forward to trying them someday, though. I’ve only heard great things.
In terms of quality, how does Adoramapix compare to Persnickety, Steph? Have you used them at all? I’ve heard really good things about their books as well. Just curious!
I talked about it in my initial review:
http://thedailydigi.com/12-different-photobook-printer-reviews/
I do love Persnickety for my individual layouts and a few other things as well.
i have only used blurb for 12 x 12 books so i am interested in this… can anyone compare the two companies…i am about to print my 2012 book so may look into that company…i was planning on doing blurb again
Hi Bobbie! In my review I mentioned above, I sent the exact same photo book to 12 different companies and compared them. I found Blurb to be far inferior. Here’s the link again:
http://thedailydigi.com/12-different-photobook-printer-reviews/
2 years ago I had my first photobook printed. It was an ABC book for one of my nieces. I used Janet Phillips template. The planning, collecting images & creating the pages took about 2.5 years. Since this was my 1st photobook, I bought an action to resize my pages, covers & spine for the company I used. I ran the whole book through the action on the pages, covers & spine. After reading Steph’s review of photobook printing, I decided to use one of the more favorably reviewed companies. After several reviews I ordered it. So, you can imagine my disappointment when the finished book arrived with a narrow white line on the top of the covers & spine. It wasn’t on my design. Currently, I’m working on another book, but this time I’ll try Adoramapix.
I wanted to use them for the first half of my project life/365 book and was so disappointed that there needs to be a set number of pages. If I remember correctly I only needed one more two-page spread, and then the jump to the next number of set pages was huge. I really wish they were more accommodating. Has anyone printed books with Persnickety? Are there pages like adorama or more like shutterfly?
You will get typically get set number pages in any lay flat bound book because of the printing/binding process.
I printed a lay-flat 8.5×11 portrait orientation book from PaperKiwi over almost 2 years ago. They were the only company I could find that offered portrait in 8.5×11. The pages were thick (like I’d imagine Adorama to be), but the pages were horribly yellowed. My book arrived damaged, so they reprinted it for me, but it was yellow, too.
Adorama really is amazing. I oh and ah over my books I print there all the time. It is just amazing quality. I want to reprint the books from shutterfly because those are so dark the print quality is pixelated the gutter is so deep and I loose so much when they clip the edges. Try adorama you will covert.
I live in the UK, and am very fussy about my photobooks. There is a European company called cewe who do books that look exactly the same as the ones you have shown. They are my absolutely favourite, and I’m always raving about them over here. I like the thickness of the paper, and the full 12×12 images, with nothing lost in the middle.
I am a convert! I will never use another printer. The book I had Adorama print is absolutely fabulous. It does cost more than other printers but soooo worth it! If you use them for the first time, just know that they do require a set number of pages. You can always leave them blank, but the price doesn’t change. I scrambled to scrap 8 more pages when I thought I was ready to order. But knowing that now, I will just scrap to that final number of pages
I agree Adorama’s books are a great value and worth every penny. I’ve made several to give as gifts and they are always well appreciated. To save a few pennies I had my December Daily book printed at Blurb and found their quality great too. Of course it’s just regular paper like a fine magazine but the color and sharpness was very good. I also did the soft cover and was very pleased. So I would say my second choice is Blurb when I need to be economical.