Have you ever brought your last significant other home to meet their parents and all of a sudden the photo albums are out and everyone but you is laughing at that picture of you in the bathroom? Well, Shutterfly is the photo book website that lets you take every photo you look your best in and compile them into an embarrassment-free collection of your best shots. maybe give it as a gift to your parents this year and suggest they get rid of the embarrassing old man. A wide range of templates, for any occasion, gives you the creative freedom to make a great photo book without spending a lot of money. this is why shutterfly is the best value pick among our best photo book picks (opens in a new tab).
shutterfly: prices
shutterfly is below average when it comes to pricing. an 8 x 8 hardcover photo book with 20 pages is $29.98 ($19.98 for paperback). This service charges for standard shipping and taxes, so expect the price to go up a bit more, however, Shutterfly still has some of the cheapest photo book services out there. It costs $1.69 per page to add to a standard 25-page product, and this is one of the most expensive charges we’ve seen, however, with constant codes and discounts, the base price is always lower than you’d expect. mixbook (opens in a new tab) offers comparable prices, and discount codes are quite common there too.
You are reading: Shutterfly photo books review
shutterfly: quality & services
The book we received from shutterfly was very good, especially in terms of photo reproduction, although it had some flaws. the cover printed beautifully, true to color and free of graininess and blurring. however, some of the images on the page were a bit blurry. the thickness of the page was impressive, and this book tended to stay open on its own. High-quality guards added a layer of protection and a more finished look. the cover was also very sturdy and should age well.
shutterfly offers 48 templates, with six page sizes, two cover options, and three flat design possibilities. templates include a designer collection featuring beautiful designs by sarah hawkins, as well as flower pot and floating paper designs. maybe you want something more fun for the family, then the disney family adventures template is a perfect choice.
shutterfly offers a simple four-step process so you can put together the perfect photo book. Do you start by choosing your templates, maybe just plain white or bold and bright? whatever your preference, you’ll find plenty to choose from. Next, move on to the storyboard page, where you can drag and drop your images for shutterfly to automatically classify them, they’ll pick the perfect layout that matches the number of photos you’ve uploaded. Now that you have all your pages together, move on to the editing stage. this is probably the most fun part of making a photo album.
See Also: 19 Best Places to Sell Textbooks for the Most Money in 2022
You can easily change the theme and background of your project or add text boxes, images, decorations and additional pages. You can even edit your photos with features that can reduce red-eye, rotate an image, and change or enhance the colors in an image. The photo editor also identifies low resolution images, giving you the ability to resize or delete the image.
Your project is stored online while you work on it, so you can save, share, or add photos to your photo book at any time. You can also share your photo album at any time by adding it to your shutterfly sharing site or simply emailing it to friends and family.
Your last stage of creation allows you to review and rearrange each page. from front cover to back cover and everything in between, you have complete control over what photo goes where.
shutterfly: fallback options
shutterfly offers different sizes and cover options for their books, although there aren’t as many here as printique (opens in a new tab). six sizes are available: 8 x 8, 8 x 11, 11 x 8, 10 x 10, 12 x 12, and 11 x 14 inches. these are among the most common size options for photo albums. shutterfly also offers hard and soft covers for your photo albums, either a durable glossy laminate or an easy-to-flip cardstock, respectively.
The latest addition to the shutterfly catalog are the 6 x 6 Instant Books. A quick and easy way to create a mini photo book, just as customizable as their larger counterparts, but more affordable. At $19.98 for a 20-page book, this option gives you the option to upload from a computer, mobile device, and social media. perfectly accessible from the shutterfly app, available on android and ios, you can design your own instant book on the go.
See Also: Six Dr. Seuss books pulled for racist images
The interface is organized and everything is clearly labeled. if you don’t know what a button does, hovering over it displays an explanation. You can upload photos directly to the editor from your computer, Facebook, Instagram and various other sources. the only thing that could improve the interface would be an auto shuffle feature that would help you decide the best layout for photos on a page; As it is, you have to move each photo individually to experiment with a new arrangement.
When you’re ready to order your book, the site offers a preview showing the book in high resolution so you know what it will look like when printed. If you find any errors, you can easily go back to edit mode and correct the book. shutterfly automatically prints your logo inside the book on the last page. you can pay $6-$9 to remove it if you don’t want any branding.
shutterfly: support and user reviews
shutterfly provides support for all its services. You will find a phone number, an email address and a live chat function to contact technical support for any problems that arise while creating your photo book. however, phone hours are limited, so if you need to contact support outside of business hours, email and live chat are the best options. The company also provides a searchable FAQ database, so you can explore topics and find answers to your questions. In addition, there is a user forum where you can exchange ideas and solutions.
There are several different shipping methods, but please note that with the processing time, the expedited shipping option still takes almost a week. if you want the cheapest option, please allow two weeks for processing and shipping to ensure you receive your order on time.
shutterfly has an average rating of 3/5 on trustpilot, with most customers expressing concern about slow shipping times and one returning user calling their experience “pretty disheartening” and “painful”. however, 67% of reviews fell into the 5-star category “customer service helped me create a beautiful photo book. I would highly recommend it if technology is not your thing.”
should i use the blind?
As one of the pioneers in the photo book landscape, shutterfly still has a strong presence in the industry because the service combines ease of use and quality. The online photo editor appeals to experts and beginners alike with its range of features and easy-to-use interface, and Shutterfly has a wide variety of features to help you create good-quality books for any occasion. regular discount codes also make it a very cheap option, and mixbook only beats it as our best service due to slightly inferior print quality.