What's The Difference Between Photo Albums & Photo Books?

[caption id="attachment_225" align="alignright" width="387"] Photo Albums - Photos printed out and inserted into plastic sleeves.[/caption] “A picture is worth 1,000 words.” As cliché as this saying may be, it still reigns truer than ever. Photo Album - photos printed then pasted on page. With social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook growing rapidly, the number of photos shared daily is astounding, and the amount of people who love sharing their priceless captured moments is massive. Whatever happened to printing photos off disposable camera film for photo albums? What about taking the time to design and print photo books? Let’s go ahead and throw this out there now: Photo albums and photo books are not the same. Do the two have underlying similarities? Yes. Are they identical in purpose, design and concept? No. A photo album can best be defined as a self-arrangement of printed photos in an album; [caption id="attachment_226" align="alignright" width="386"] Photo Book - photos printed directly on page.[/caption] it does not need to be edited or designed using technology. Whereas a photo book relies entirely on the use of technical software—a photo book is a book of images arranged and gathered digitally. At AlphaGraphics in Lehi, Utah, we have gathered key information about these photo project options. The following fun facts are key differences between the two items that set them apart from one another.

The Time Spent

When it comes to creating photo albums and photo books, the amount of time necessary to complete the craft varies. Filling both items can take a substantial chunk of time. When it comes to adding photos to a photo album, the photos must be manually printed to the correct sizes, then added to separate pages or sections of the album. Photo books often take less time, seeing as you can essentially just click and drag pictures to where you want them to go. However, if you are unfamiliar with the software you’re using, it can be more time consuming than initially anticipated.

Quantity Limitations

Now, when filling in a photo album, the number of pictures you can add is limited. The amount of pictures you print solely depends on how much space the photo album contains. Designing a photo book is different. When you design a photo book, you set your own limit, seeing as you ultimately decide how many pages you want to fill the book.

Contrasting Types of Paper

A minor difference between the two is the type of paper used. Photos for photo albums are printed on photographic paper, whereas photos for photo books are printed on the paper type of your choice. Photographic paper is typically more challenging to write on than the paper used for photo book printing.

Customization

You can customize both these options in various ways. With photo albums, you can change the final product as many times as you want to. For example, if you decide you want to change the photo placement, you can easily do it by hand, and it usually doesn’t take much time. Photo books are permanent. When you want to make changes, it typically isn’t doable once it’s already been printed unless you reprint the entire book. However, when it comes to designing, you can easily add your own personal touch to the book.

Let’s Weigh Our Options

After analyzing both methods, the differences between the two are significant. However, we, at AlphaGraphics in Lehi do not have a personal preference. We would just love to help you in any way we can.

Getting Started

If you have any specific questions regarding photo-book printing, please don’t hesitate to come our way. Call us at (801) 653-2428 for some expert advice on how to start your photo project or request a quote below. We are eager to assist! [wpforms id="290" title="true"]