What to Look for in a Photo Book Service

It may not be a question asked by the ancient philosophers but, with anyone with special memories to celebrate, figuring out what makes a good photobook – and what makes a great photobook service – is a pretty big deal. It could easily mean the difference between creating something that will quickly represent one of your most treasured positions – the kind of thing you grab an any number of hypothetical emergencies played out in your head – or a total failure.

For the most part, your own pictures – your candids, your funny poses, photobombs, your once-in-a-lifetime, couldn’t-have-timed-it-any-better shots – will do most of the talking. Even so, presentation and quality matter…a lot. For that reason, the importance of picking a service that can really do your memories justice is something we can’t overstate.

So, with that in mind, here are our top, non-negotiables for any photo book service.

Speed

Pictures last a lifetime, but the process of creating a photobook really doesn’t need to. Sure, they need to be beautiful, special, high quality and perfectly arranged – but the whole point of having your photo books professionally printed is so you don’t have to do it yourself, and you don’t have to waste hours of your own time agonizing over every little detail.

At My Social Book, we have the capability to create hundreds of pages in a matter of seconds, cleverly sidestepping all of the frustration and second-guessing – let alone family members crowding round the computer screen, trying to take creative control over the photo book design.

So, whether you’re working off Google Photos or creating a photo book gift from your Instagram, you can trust that it’ll be easy, quick, and straightforward. 

Flexibility

There’s a lot more to social media printing than pressing ‘Go’ on the printer – and not everyone wants the same thing from their photobook. Some want custom hardcover photobooks, while others want the exact opposite; some people prefer matte, while others want to see their Facebook highlights printed in high gloss. Whatever your preference, the fact remains that you want it how you want it – not how everyone else is supposed to want it.

As always, flexibility is key, and the ability to tailor your book to your tastes is a definite non-negotiable in our eyes.

Quality

How can we begin to describe how important quality is to a photo book – and how noticeable it will be if that level of quality is missed?

If you’ve ever printed your own photos out at home, and immediately realized how ill-equipped your home printer is for reproducing high definition photography, then you’ll already have a good idea quite how poorly things can turn out if you’re not investing in the right service. From grainy faces to washed-out colors, there’s plenty that can go wrong if you buy a cheap photo book.

At My Social Book, quality is possibly the biggest non-negotiable we have, and we pride ourselves on our excellent color reproduction, which brings the very best out of any snapshot.

Customer support

Chances are, you’re not going to need to reach out to customer support, and everything will go swimmingly. From time to time, however, you might have questions – or even an issue you want to get worked out as quickly as possible.

As the old saying goes, it’s always better to be prepared than sorry – and a company that is able to offer a strong line of customer support is always better prepared than one that isn’t.

These are your treasured memories, and this is your money going into making them into something even more special, so don’t take a chance on a company that thinks themselves above customer support.

Reputation

A good website and catchy tagline is one thing, but even the flashiest of companies can be led down astronomically by a poor reputation – and, whether you’re shopping around to create a Google photo book online or to buy a new car, the mantra will always be the same: listen to the reviews.

Trustpilot is a great place to start. There’s nothing more insightful than genuine reviews from genuine customers who have already gone through the process before you.

Guarantee

What’s better than feeling like you can genuinely trust the photobook printing service you’ve chosen? Knowing you can genuinely trust the service you’ve chosen.

Guarantees are a sure sign that the service has faith in its own products – and, of course, a great way of providing that extra line of reassurance that your precious memories are in good hands, and not about to be wasted on low quality printing, and an uninspired layout.