I have been meaning to write this blog for a while. I was just waiting for me to be done with our families 2012 album. I knew it was going to be our largest album yet and I knew this post needed it. All the time I get asked who I print my books through. If I like them and if they can hold a lot of images. I print my annual albums through blurb.com. I heard about them a while ago but only last year had my first album printed. My first was Jack’s first 365 album and I loved it. It was exactly what I wanted and I know when he is older he will love (and hate) it. I hear this all the time, “I haven’t even printed a single photo from our wedding off the disc I got.” As a photographer and more importantly as a mom I feel so sad! How are your kids ever going to see their mommy and daddy getting married?!? Or pregnant, or when they were dating? Hard drives and discs don’t last forever. When your kids are older do you really want them not able to see their baby photos because we don’t have that technology anymore? I know a ton of my moms baby films aren’t even able to be viewed because we don’t have the type of film projectors to show them. But she DOES have prints so I can see what she looked like growing up and what my aunts looked like and how silly and adorable they ALL looked. You don’t have to print through blurb, all I’m getting at it how important it is for you to be printing these precious images for your future family to see. Right now there is a post about a missing cell phone with a fallen soldiers images on it. How I wish she had printed those off her phone! I can only imagine how she is feeling. With blurb, they actually have a way for you to connect to Instagram and make a book. Uhm hello! You don’t even need to download anything or even get on your computer. EASY peasy.
There photos look the same as they do on my monitor. Nothing is overly red and the quality is awesome, especially when you pair it with a sale. It is SO much easier then printing out a bunch of 4x6s and shoving them in an album. Blurb can hold a LOT of images. My 2012 album has the maximum amount of pages (something like 430) and it looks awesome. Its got an entire years worth of images. Can you imagine just HOW MANY PHOTOS OF JACK are in it?!? Hah. Seriously, he’ll love AND hate me I promise. I love that he will get to see everything about his life. I only wish I could have had the same as I was a kid. It was one of my favorite things to do, looking through my moms old photographs. I loved being able to see who she was before I came along. So really, why is the disc SO important if you never even print anything off!? Get on it before your hard drive crashes or your phone is stolen!
They make it so easy too. You download a program called Booksmart and they have layouts and different designs to choose from. I do wish they would get a few more aesthetically pleasing ones but that’s probably only because I am used to wedding design. Oh, and you can TOTALLY do your own design in InDesign or Photoshop, I’m just too lazy for that for our family albums. I do have a template I use for my 365 albums though. (Vol. 25 Digital Eye Candy)
I am not being paid by them to write this blog. (I Wish!) I just like to spread the word about a good product.
Also, they are incredibly fast at turnaround and ALWAYS ship before they say they are going to!
Oh and if you sign up through me, you’ll get $20 for free! Heyoo! Ill also get $20. Its really a win win.
Are you ready to make a family heirloom? Blurb.com
oh, you want to know where my 2010 album is? its still in the works. waiting on 2 shots from a photographer that seemingly lost the photos. :( But they are probably my favorite photos from the year so I want to hold off. the “pre the mercer’s” are also in the works.
