It’s going to be a summer of late weddings for many, and if you’re looking for a unique gift, a personalized photo album is a great way to celebrate and treasure that special day.
We tested seven online photo book creation services, including Google Photos, PhotoBox, and Vistaprint.
If you are planning to create a photo album to commemorate a wedding or new birth, we will explain the three most important things to consider before ordering.
To see which photo book creation service impressed the most, visit our guide to the best photo album books.
1) Book type, size and additional pages
If you browse the options and services, you will find that most companies mark their prices with “from”.
This price is usually for the smallest size with the simplest photo album book cover.
Below you can compare the different sizes and cover each service offer so you can see what you can get for your budget.
For most people, a wedding gift is something to look forward to, but the cost can quickly add up if you’re not careful.
| service | away | Based on product details | Additional coverage options | Price per additional page |
| ASDA photo | £ 6 | 15 x 10 cm spiral-bound book, 21 pages (including title page) | Hardback photo books from £ 12 | N / A for spiral-bound books |
| Bonus printing | £ 6.99 | 10 x 10 cm softcover square book, 24 pages | Hardcover photo books from € 9.99 | £ 0.20 per additional page, up to 60 pages |
| Google photos | € 11.99 | 17 x 17 cm softcover book, 20 pages | Hardcover photo book from € 22.99 | £ 0.49 per additional page, up to 140 pages |
| paper | £ 20 | 16 x 16 cm hardcover book, 30 pages | All paper photo books are hardcover | £ 1 per additional pair of pages, up to 40 pages |
| Photo box | € 7.79 | 21.9 x 14.9 cm softcover in scrapbook style, only 40 pages | Hardcover photo books from € 14.99 | N / A for scrapbook style books |
| Snapper | € 7.99 | 15 x 10 cm softcover book, 20 pages | Hardcover photo books from € 26.99 | 8 additional pages for £ 1.99, up to 60 pages |
| Vistaprint | € 5.99 | 13 x 10 cm hardcover book, 24 pages | Photo cover + € 2.24 | £ 0.38 per additional pair of pages, up to 120 pages |
Prices valid from June 28, 2021.
2) matte vs. glossy paper
If you’re wondering which photo finish is best, we’ve listed the pros and cons below.
According to our photo experts, matte paper is never as sharp as glossy paper because it is more absorbent.
However, matte has softer colors, darker blacks, and is considered more forgiving for portraits.
Whether matt or glossy, the weight of the paper is measured in g / m² (grams per square meter). Effectively this is the thickness of the paper. The higher the grammage, the thicker the paper.
Glossy paper
- ADVANTAGES: Luminous appearance, luminous color contrasts and reflective sheen.
- DISADVANTAGE: Easily smudged, fingerprints visible and susceptible to grease.
Matte paper
- ADVANTAGES: Less likely to damage photos while handling, and difficult to smudge or fingerprint.
- DISADVANTAGE: Looks boring at times, lacks resolution and clarity, and tends to not display black tones well, which can lead to a lack of detail.
3) Customization options
You will find that most of these photo book album services have a variety of different customization options. You can change most things from the text font and size to the photo layout.
We encourage you to take the time to explore the different options so that you can create the perfect book for your intended recipient.
HOT TIP: Save early and often while editing your photo book. Don’t experience unexpected IT problems, which means you have to start from scratch.
How we tested photo album books
To make sure we were covering all aspects of the services, we had two groups of testers. One to research the services and one to research the products.
The online service
The online service was tested by seven volunteers who have never ordered photo album books before. They will be asked to create and order the photo books on each of the websites and then ask detailed questions about their experience.
The finished product
Our researchers teamed up with three photo experts from our in-house design and imaging team to examine the image quality and physical condition of each of the finished photo books.
We bought all of the products we tested.
If you’re in the mood to print your own photos, take a look at our printer reviews.
