Where is the cheapest place to make a photo book?

Author: Helen

Mar. 07, 2024

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Tags: Packaging & Printing

What they say is SO true: the days are long, but the years are short! So if you want to preserve those precious memories, here are the best photo books to try. We've got easy, cheap, and fun options coming your way, along with genius hacks.

The other day on Instagram a follower left a comment asking what we do with all our photos – do we make photo books? Journal? Print them out and create photo albums? Just keep them on our phone or computer? This mama was feeling guilty about not doing anything with her pictures.

*Note: When you click the links in this post, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Have you felt that way, too? We've got some hacks that might help! If you don't have hours to devote to scrapbooking or hundreds of dollars to shell out on pricey photo albums, then we've got tips and tricks you need to try ASAP. So, are you ready to check out the five best photo books? Here we go!

THESE PHOTO HACKS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Alright, before we spill the beans on some of the cheap photo books we love, here are some tips that will make creating those books a breeze:

  • Create a Private Instagram Account – Do you take hundreds of pictures every week? Yeah. Us too! If you're tired of spending hours scrolling through those pics when it's time to print them, then you'll love this hack! Create a private Instagram account and post your favorite pics to it. When the time comes to order prints or make a photo book, you'll have your best pics stored in one place. Easy peasy!
  • Set a Photo Cleanup Routine – We like to go through our photo roll at the end of every week and delete the photos that don't make our hearts go pitter-patter! Just set aside 10-15 minutes on Saturday and do a quick scroll. It will save you a ton of time in the long run and will free up storage space for more pics!
  • Use the Search Feature – Did you know you can use search filters on Apple or Google to sift through all those photos on your phone? Yup! You can search by location or other keywords like “dog,” “baby,” or “beach.” You can even add custom tags to your photos to make things way easier. Check out this photo tagging tutorial from The New York Times!

Now that you know how to keep those photos organized let's talk about printing them. Drumroll, please! Are you ready to check out the five best photo albums?

THE 5 BEST CHEAP PHOTO BOOKS

If online shopping is your jam, you'll love these cheap photo books. You can create them from the comfort of your home and get them shipped right to your door. Oh, snap! Here are five of the best photo books that are super cheap and easy.

SHUTTERFLY

Choose your size and pick a hardcover or softcover option. Not into arts and crafts? Shutterfly has designers who will lay out your book for you FOR FREE. Up for a fun project? Shutterfly has templates galore–from yearbooks to baby books, wedding books, and everything in between! You can integrate with your social media accounts for quick and easy uploads, too! Be sure to take a peek at their promotions page for tons of discounts and deals.

SNAPFISH

Select your size, pick a template, and then upload your photos online or via the free Snapfish app. From mini 5×7 books all the way up to hardcover 11×14 gallery-style albums, they've got an option for every budget or occasion. Snapfish sales are crazy good, so check out their deals page often!

ARTIFACTS UPRISING

These GORGEOUS books make the perfect gift! You can connect right to your Instagram account and print mini-books, or you can manually upload special occasion photos and make chapter-based hardbound scrapbooks. So if you've never heard of Artifacts Uprising, do yourself a favor and check it out! We're obsessed. P.S. Join their email list for an extra 10% off!

CHATBOOKS

Just download the free Chatbooks app on your phone, and it connects to your Instagram account. It's $8 for a 30-page 6×6 color photo book (with free shipping) that automatically prints and ships to you as soon as you have enough photos. It notifies you when your book is full and gives you three days to edit it (change the cover photo, remove photos you don't want in the book, etc.). Then it ships it to you, and you get it within 3-5 business days. It's all automatic.

MIXBOOKS

From simple mini-book templates to lengthy year-on-review books, Mixbooks has tons of options! They even have photo books for business owners. Just upload, click, and drag to customize. First-time customers get 50% off their first order!

Prefer to get a photo book in-store instead of online? We've got a few bonus options to share!

THE BEST PHOTOBOOKS YOU CAN PICK UP IN-STORE

Need a photo book like now? Here are some great photo books you can order online or in-store and pick up in as little as 24 hours (or less!):

  • Walgreens – You can use the Walgreens app or the in-store kiosk to make a photo book that starts at $6.99. And they're fast! They even offer free same day pick-up for four standard sizes.
  • Walmart – Time for a Walmart run? You can have a photo book printed while you shop. Walmart offers express photo books that are ready within one hour! Upload your photos and order online before heading out to grocery shop, or stop by the kiosk in the photo center to create your book. Hey, hey, last-minute gift idea!
  • CVS – Need to pick up a prescirption? You can pick up a photo book, too. CVS offers tons of photo book options, including same-day pickup hardcover books.
  • Costco – Is there anything you can't get from Costco?! Y'all know how we feel about shopping at Costco, but did you know about their photo books? Starting at just under $20, they have a ton of choices. They also offer home video services, so you can turn those old VHS tapes into digital files to save forever.

Do you know the other awesome thing about photo books? Kids absolutely love looking through them. If they are bored or you just need to get something done, pull down a stack of family photo albums, and they will be entertained for up to an hour (which is AMAZING in toddler time). Of course, it will be fun when they can read and can read about themselves throughout the years, too!

3 MORE GENIUS WAYS TO USE PHOTO BOOKS

Ready to think beyond the photos? Here are a few more fun ways to capture priceless memories in cheap photo books:

  • Create a Series for Artwork – Instead of saving stacks of your kids' schoolwork, snap a photo of the picture or project with your phone, and have a separate Instagram account for their schoolwork so it gets printed into Chatbooks as well! Clean, easy, organized, and a fun way to document your kids' progression in school throughout the years.
  • Make a Quote Book – Kids say the darndnest things, don't they?! Start keeping a note in your phone to jot down all those quotes. At the end of the year, print those quotes in a photo book. Ex: Riley at Age 5, Carter at Age 6, etc. You'll love taking a walk down memory lane together when they're older! Need help turning those quotes into graphics? Check out Canva.com! They have tons of free quote templates.
  • Create a Recipe Book – This might be the world's best holiday gift idea! Gather your favorite family recipes and create your own cookbooks. Snapfish has ready-to-use templates that make it SO easy. These make great gifts for new grads, too. Send them off to college with a custom collection of recipes that taste like home.

Whether you use these ideas for yourself or whip up some DIY gifts this Christmas, you'll be glad you did! Go ahead and be creative. You can make your own storybooks, devotionals, or journals, too. Take a peek at the templates available and have some fun.

SHARE YOUR BEST PHOTO BOOKS HACKS

Now that you know all of our favorite tips and tricks, we hope you have some fun creating custom photo books! We also want to know if you have any advice to share.

Do you have photo book hacks? Drop a comment below and let us know!

Looking for more genius parenting hacks or fun gift ideas? You'll love these posts.

Now go make some memories!

In the past months I’ve written a few TOP 5 articles but most of them were concentrated on mid-range and more expensive books. Today I compiled a selection of the best budget books under $20. Photo books are so versatile but they can cost a lot too. Sometimes you just want to create a quick book from a party, some baby pics or a short trip and the books mentioned below will be perfect for those occasions. Similarly to my previous lists, I tried to pick a variety of books instead of the best ten that will all look the same, so hopefully you’ll find something for your taste here.

This article is more of a list rather than a review. If you want to read my detailed reviews of these companies, follow the links below.

Disclaimers:
– this is not an AD, I was not paid to write this post or asked to include any specific books in it, however, some of these books were sent to me for free.
– this post contains affiliate links
– the books are in no specific order, the first one is not the best and the last one is not the worst, I just had to start somewhere
– the prices mentioned here were checked only for the indicated sizes and options on 24 May 2019 and do not include shipping

CompanySpecsPriceAdoramaPix8×8″ Softcover 20pp$19.99Chatbooks8×8″ Softcover 36pp$15FreePrints7×5″ Softcover 20ppFREEMy Social BookA4 Softcover 20pp$15Mixbook8.5×8.5″ Softcover 20pp$12.99Motif8×8″ Softcover 20pp£5.99Presto Photo8.5×8.5″ Softcover 20pp$10.99ColorlandA4 Softcover 110pp£13.95Shuttefly8×8″ Softcover 20pp$11.99Blurb7×7″ Softcover 20pp$9.79

If you are on a budget but you still want to get the best quality for your money, go for AdoramaPix’s softcover book. It comes in one size only: 8×8″ square. These books are printed using a real photographic (silver halide) method, therefore the colours will look very natural, vibrant and accurate. The book stays fully flat and there is no break in the middle. All of this on a Fine Art Vellum photo paper stock. Designing the book is a joy, Adorama’s online editor offers lots of creativity and free colour correction. The price includes 20 pages. Note: AdoramaPix only ships to the USA and Canada.
Go to the AdoramaPix website.
Read my AdoramaPix lay flat review here.

Source: AdoramaPix.com

Chatbooks is a concept. They were the first to launch a photo book subscription service. You can set up an automatic system which will create photo books of your Instagram or Facebook photos and you’ll get them periodically. Of course, you can create one off books too, they look the same but without the subscription. For $15 you get an 8×8″ 30-page, softcover book digitally printed on an acid-free silk paper stock (around 148gsm). One photo per page with the option of including geotags, captions and dates. For an extra $5 you can upgrade for a hardcover, which still fits into a $20 budget. The online editor can be used as a smartphone app or desktop.
Go to Chatbooks.
Read my Chatbooks review here.

6×6″ versionlayout

FreePrints – FREE

As the name says, the company offers free photo books. Terms and conditions apply, of course. Every month you are entitled to one free 7×5″, 20-page, softcover, digital photo book (usual price $9.99). All you have to pay is postage. The book is just as good as any other perfect bound digital book and the designs are really cool too. You have to create the book on your phone, which is super easy. There are several upgrade options, you can choose a matt cover, glossy pages or a bigger size with a hardcover, and even with these upgrades you will end up paying less than $20. I think it’s a fabulous idea. If you just need a quick book for a leaving party gift or birthday; it’s quick, easy and free. Note: there is a separate app for each country.
Go to FreePrints
Read my FreePrints review here.

layout

This is not a photo book in the traditional form but it’s something unique and I’m sure many of you will love it. Similarly to Chatbooks, MySocialBooks is a concept book too but instead of just printing your photos from Facebook, they will print your whole life on Facebook. Every status update, post, comment, video, photo will be in this book. It’s basically a physical form of Facebook, but you can also create it from your Instagram account. Very easy, fully automatic A4 hardcover book. Obviously, the longer the book, the more expensive, but you can try it out for $19 and you will be very happy with what you get. Again, not a traditional photo book, more like a Facebook book. The online editor lets you adjust a few basic things like time range and what to include but you can’t manually adjust the layouts or the content. You can also combine several accounts to create one book for you and your partner’s profiles.
Use the code TPBGURU to get 20% off! Final price $15.
Go to the MySocialBook
Read my full review here.

layout

No need to introduce Mixbook. One of the best online editors out there, so fun, so creative and so easy. The online editor has hundreds of stylish drag and drop templates. For $19.99 you can get an 8.5×8.5″ 20-page, softcover, digital book (148gsm silk paper). However, Mixbook runs a deal every single week with discounts of up to 50% off, so whenever you buy your book you’ll definitely get at least 35% off, which makes this softcover book cost only $12.99 and for $19.49 you can upgrade for a glossy hardcover. Other optional upgrades: lay flat pages, lustre finish or leather cover in a good selection of sizes.
Go to Mixbook.
Read my Mixbook review.

layout

Motif is the official “substitute” for Apple. It’s an extension to Photos, so only Mac users can order their photo books. They are identical to Apple in every aspect apart from the editor. It’s a new, different editor that won’t offer the same themes as Apple, however, you can export you Apple book templates into a PDF and get Motif to print them. For £9.99 you can get a 20-page, 8×8″, softcover, digital photo book. I have an additional discount code that you can use until September 2019 which will give you an additional 40% off giving you the book for only £5.99!!! You can upgrade for a hardcover for £10.79. The codes can be found in my Motif review. Please note there is a different code for each country.
Go to Motif.

layouts

Presto Photo is a smaller US company that offers a vast range of photo books. Besides that they also allow you to print your Apple photo books in many sizes and identical materials. What is even better is that they are the only company that will print your Apple books in a lay flat format. For only $10.99 you can get an 8.5×8.5″ 20-page, softcover, digital photo book with silk 120 photo paper. For $19.99 you can make it hardcover. You can upload PDFs from Adobe or Apple Photos or use their dedicated online editor. It’s a great company with good quality books but their editor needs some fine tuning.
Go to Presto Photo.
Read my Presto Photo review.

Apple books by Presto in two lay flat formats

Blurb doesn’t need introduction either. It’s all around the world but unlike Mixbook they started off as a self-publishing website which still remains their main focus. You can sell your books on their platform or on Amazon and make money. The photo book range is a bit more concise and the editor is less funky but the price point is unbeatable. They are the only company (to my knowledge) who can print books with more than 400 pages. For $14.99 you will get a 20-page 7×7″, softcover, 118gsm, digital photo book. Again, just like Mixbook, Blurb offer regular deals. Take 35% off and your price is even better $9.79. Upgrade to a hardcover for $29.99, which is $19.49 with the discount. They have an online/offline editor, an app and Adobe plugins for the pros.
Go to Blurb
Read my Blurb review.

layout

Colorland is a European company with a niche photo book range, they give them names: the Classic, the Exclusive and the Luxury album. By description the Classic is the same as all my other digital perfect bound books, but for some reason it just looked a bit better and more polished. I can’t tell you what it was but I loved these books. They have regular deals for their Classic and Exclusive range but now I can offer you a fantastic 80% off discount code. Use the code GURUBOOK and get a 110-page A4, Classic, hardcover, digital, perfect bound book for only £13.95! Offer ends 24th August 2019. You can create the book in their online editor that has numerous creative themes and templates. Note: these books can only be purchased in the EU.
Go to Colorland.
Read my Colorland review.

Classiclayouts

Shutterfly is Mixbook’s brother, offering a very similar range, a very similar editor and the same great deals. For $19.99 you will get an 8×8″, softcover, 20-page, digital photo book which will cost you only $11.99 after applying their weekly deal coupon. For $17.99 you can upgrade to a hardcover. More expensive upgrades include lay flat pages, leather cover and 6-colour printing. The only thing that distinguishes Shutterfly from Mixbook is that they charge for their storytelling themes. So unless you make your book from scratch you will need to pay an additional $5.99. The online editor is really good, easy to use and has lots of themes.
Go to Shutterfly
Read my Shutterfly review.

layouts

Where is the cheapest place to make a photo book?

TOP 10 Best Budget Photo Books under $20

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