Digital Camera World - UK (2020-04)

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com APRIL 2020 DIGITAL CAMERA^131

Mini Test

Mixbook
£31.76, 27 pages
http://www.mixbook.com

M

ixbook is one of the most prolific photo
book services around, and often offers
discounts. Its design software is easy
to use – you don’t have to download anything,
as it’s all done in your web browser. There are
nearly 400 fully customisable templates,
backgrounds and stickers to choose from.
Mixbook photo books come in semi-gloss and
pearl paper finishes, and there’s an ultra-thick
premium paper for its lay-flat page option. We
chose to design a 27-page 8.5 x 8.5in Classic
Square Glossy Hardcover photo book.
When our photo book arrived, we did have a few
issues with the quality of the front cover. There
was some fringing on the edges of the image and
the logo when inspected at close quarters. The
cover image colours were also inaccurate, with
warm oranges taking on a redder, more muddy
tone. At least the images printed inside the
book were true-to-colour.
An affordable way to collect your favourite
photos in one place, Mixbook is a great option.

PROS Affordable pricing; fast shipping; easy
online design process

CONS Fringing on cover; cover image colours
could be more faithful

Verdict

Photobox

£36.99, 26 pages (plus £3.49 shipping)

http://www.photobox.com

D

esigning our Photobox photo book

was pleasingly simple, with the online

creator tool working seamlessly. Like

many photo book providers, Photobox purports to

be able to design your photo book for you. While

this automated feature isn’t perfect, it does group

images fairly intelligently.

We were fairly pleased with our chosen A4

Landscape photo book. The shipping was fast,

and the packaging was the best of all the books on

test. The colour accuracy on both the cover image

and the photos inside was also pretty decent, but

on close inspection, neither the cover shot nor

the images inside were quite as sharp as we would

have liked. In addition, each end of the book’s

spine had a few small creases present – which,

while nothing major, were not present on the

other photo books here.

While our photo book from Photobox was

perfectly adequate, we didn’t quite feel it was

worth the full price, though Photobox does

frequently run discount offers.

PROS Simple design tool; lots of designing

options; it can design the book for you

CONS Undiscounted price is expensive for the

quality you get; minor creases on book spine

Verdict

Snapfish

£29.99, 20 pages

http://www.snapfish.co.uk

S

napfish’s online book creator software

is very similar to Photobox’s and

functions well. You can choose a variety

of designs, backgrounds, embellishments and

borders to adorn your photo book and create

a distinctive look.

We went for Snapfish’s A4 Landscape photo

book, and first impressions were positive when

we received the finished product. Although the

images could have been slightly sharper, colour

accuracy was good throughout the book.

However, the colour on the cover was quite

heavily saturated, if not quite to the same

extent as some of the other books we received.

In addition, we did notice that the cover of the

Snapfish book was wonky, with the two pieces

of cardboard slightly askew.

Overall, we were happy with our Snapfish

photo book. It’s one of the better photo book

manufacturers in terms of value for money,

especially if you take advantage of one of the

periodic sales that Snapfish runs.

PROS Fairly accurate colour reproduction;

good discount deals often available

CONS The cover was slightly wonky;

overall print quality could have been better

Verdict

Five things to

look out for

1

Glossy paper helps

boost colour and

contrast, but a matte

finish can be better at

hiding fingerprints.

2

For uploading your

shots, just stick with

high-resolution,

high-quality JPEGs and

you can’t go far wrong.

3

Web-based book

creators bring speed

and simplicity, while

apps can offer more

exacting customisation.

4

Edge-to-edge printing

maximises a photo’s

impact, but the

borderless look will

slightly crop your shot.

5

A lay-flat binding avoids

images disappearing

where pages meet the

spine, and the book

stays open by itself.