Has Anyone Used a Photo Web Service to Create Scrapbooks/ Photo Albums?

I used snapfish. They were really simple and if you culdn't finish you could save it and come back later. LOVED THEM!!! Good luck.

I have used Winkflash NUMEROUS times. They have sales on their books all the time. I actually had a problem with them ONE time and called and they reaplaced the book immdediately. They are a great company to deal with. I use them for my photos too. I do have to admit, that I will only get the books when they are on sale. I got a 100 page book for $20 (shipping not included). Totally worth it.

Michelle

I've used SNAPFISH and OFOTO to make photo books, mugs, and calendars. Both websites offer easy to use online software and downloading photos is easy. The reward is great without a lot of effort.

I used Winkflash to create a book last May and was very happy. They offer awesome 50%-off photo books every couple months (most of the sites do). But a year ago, it was the only one of the major sites that offered me the maximum flexibility: the most page layout templates that I could select on a page-by-page basis; different text sizes and colors by page; and a massive amount of backgrounds to choose from on a page by page basis. Because I was so particular about the exact details on every page, it still took me hours to put together!

However, I'll bet that all of the photo sites have "caught up" with Winkflash and all offer you as much flexibility/personalization that you want. I think many also have nice theme templates (i.e. summer vacation) that you can use which has pre-selected backgrounds appropriate for your theme. If I had a book with a single theme, I would select this in the future and save myself some time!

I think the print quality of my book was good. I can't imagine that any of the major sites will be dramatically different than one another. I will use Winkflash again (if I ever get around to doing another book).

Good luck and have fun creating your book!!

EDIT: If timing is not an issue for you, I suggest signing-up and uploading your photos to Winkflash, Shutterfly and maybe even a third (Snapfish). Once you have photos loaded and allow the site to send emails, you'll receive many email discount offers. Then wait for a site to offer a great deal on a photo book and go for it! Your photos will already be uploaded and you can concentrate on putting the book together!

I have used shutterfly, clark color, artscow, snapfish, winkflash (is that the name?) and I think one more and ALL of them were great. I liked some better for others for editing reasons (some you have to crop the photo before you place it in the book, some you don't) but overall the quality was great! The only issue I had was in the text sometimes with all of the books - either it was not fitting like it did on the computer screen or it was in a weird place when printed, but really not a big deal.

Quality wise I liked them all, pictures were clear and sharp, paper was thick, binding was quality. Go with the cheapest.

Artscow is an interesting one. They are based in Hong Kong but have specials ALL the time for free photo books or next to nothing. Worth looking into.

J.,
I admit that I am a bit biased, but I love Creative Memories CMphotocenter "Storybooks." Every Storybook that I have ever made or read from someone else has been amazing in quality and originality. Your album will truly be a coffee tablebook that you'll want to share.
They are actually stitched together and not just glued (to withstand those little hands open and closing the book a million times) and they are uplaoded at their full resolution (meaning the pics are not compressed and resized on the other end)so the quality and clarity is way better than many other companies.
The Storybooks can custom created with SBC+ software or they can be made usng predesigned templates in a standard version of Storybook Creator to save a ton of time, but you can still have that "scrapbooked" feel that companies like Walgreens lack(although great for prints in a hurry).
If you need help creating the album itself I would be willing to help with this too. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Jennifer DeYoung
New Lenox, IL

I have done several books from Shutterfly and Walgreens - then I discovered Heritage Makers! I couldn't go back even to do a free book I was offered!

Top Ten Reasons for using Heritage Makers:
10.Hardcover, professionally-published books with library-bound stitched, reinforced binding; 9.Easy drag-and-drop system; 8.Complete design flexibility – photos and scanned images where you want them, as much or as little text you want; 7.Heirloom Assurance Guarantee (replacement of defect, replacement of damaged book, additional copies available); 6.Fully customizable cover; 5.Access to over 40,000 digital scrapbooking backgrounds, embellishments (Premier membership) – over 400 collections with at least new collections added every month – no need to purchase individual kits; 4.Unlimited online photo and project storage – no need to download and save anything on your hard drive; 3.Preview of pages downloadable as jpg files to share; preview of entire book with email-able link; 2.Book archived, so it can be reopened, edited, and reordered, again and again, forever; 1.Can digitally enhance photos without PhotoShop – PhotoShop capability without the software, the expense, or the learning curve.

Look at more of this list of the Top Ten Reasons to use Heritage Makers (copy and paste in browser)
http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/17612026/1415440055/name/Top%...

And there is an independent consultant to help you when needed! Look at Heritage Makers at www.focusonfotos.com and contact me if any questions.

I noticed a lot of people have used the other places & I urge you to take a look at Heritage Makers - Oprah's Alltime Favorite Gift in Decemeber 2008 O Magazine & featured on Good Morning America and several other shows and magazines. The quality is beyond compare and you can have home workshops to earn FREE products. In addition, its a great business opportunity for hobbyist, part-time or full-time!

I used shutterfly before and it turned out good. It was very basic. I don't remember what the price was. It was comparable with the others because I did price it out at the time. Good luck!

i used shutterfly for wedding album gifts and 50 anniv gifts... they are expensive, they cost us like $70 a piece. they are awesome, like book quality except one or 2 of the scanned pictures, even though they looked fine on teh computer screen, came out w/lines in the pictures. they even sent me a replacement album but it had same issue.

I've personally used Kodak.com. I've only made one small photo book - to give as a gift. I signed up on their website after I got my camera and I get coupons or "free shipping" deals all the time.
I've heard good things about snapfish.com & shutterfly.com, too. I'm sure if you sign up on any of these sites, they will have specials, too.

Good Luck! : )

I use Shutterfly and they make really nice albums. They are pretty expensive but I just wait until they email me a "coupon" to let me know they're having a sale before I buy them. You can also use shutterfly to order single prints or even just share your photos with friends & family. Good luck!

I swear by Shutterfly while my sister is a fan of MyPublisher. Both send coupons via email - % off, free shipping, etc... I never purchase without a coupon. Never had an issue with quality. Always have been pleased. Shutterfly even has an option where they will design the album layout for you, all you have to do is uplaod the pics. Never tried that option, but it is nice to know that it is available.

I used to use Shutterfly, then was introducted to Heritage Makers. Please check out my site: www.MyPhotobookStory.com - I love it because the templates are 100% customizable and it's all online!

Watch this 5min video to give you an idea of what we are about! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irdqtq7mF6Y

For more information, please contact me at ____@____.com.

We used Snapfish at the Holidays and got everyone photo books of our daughter's first year...they are so reasonably priced and SO EASY to layout! On top of that, the prices cannot be beat!

Hi J.,

My husband and I did a photobook on Snapfish after a trip to Washington State. The quality was very good, and using their layouts and putting in captions was fun. It was challenging to fit a mix of horizontal and vertical photos, but it really came out nicely. The only thing is that the pages are flat and smooth, like a book -- it's not at all like a photo album. So if that doesn't bother you, enjoy!

Best,
R.

Shutterfly! Excellent quality. I have used them for several albums and have always been thrilled. I originally used them based on this article.
http://www.slate.com/id/2143039/

I used Shutterfly.com last fall to create a book of Fall pics. I didn't want to print everything out and stick them in an album, so this way everything is in one place, and if it ever gets ruined, I can always order a new one. Plus, I can print anything off the website at anytime. I had points built up thru pampers.com that allowd me to get a free book and all I had to pay for was shipping! I had also recently used shutterfly to make an book for my in-laws 40th wedding anniversary. It was nothing fancy (and neither are we!) and they loved it. I primarily use walmart.com for phohto printing, so you can check out their photo books too. Good luck! I doubt you'll regret your decision.

My friend made one for her husband on Target's website, and it's beautiful!

I have used both Shutterfly and Snapfish for photo albums. I find Shutterfly to be much better in terms of options for backgrounds, layouts, etc. Shutterfly and Snapfish's quality is about the same. I am going to check out Costco's version because the price is much better there...good luck!

I've used Shutterfly several times for photo books. I've also ordered calandars, christmas cards and just prints from them...i've always really liked the quality. I think the books I've ordered have been around $30, which I didn't think was too bad. I've also received a few free photo books since I've been using them. They always have deals, right now I believe there is free shipping for orders over $30.

I use Walgreens and have loved the books I have gotten. I did use Snapfish for Christmas presents and had problems with my order. They were not helpful at all when I called and told them about the mix up. I will not use them again.

Hi! Walmart's leather bound photo albums are beautiful! The quality of the pictures are great and my family members look forward to receiving them as Christmas presents each year (each album includes pictures I took throughout the year). The book starts at ~$25 and goes up from there as you add more pages. You get to choose the layout and design of each page and are even given an option to include text. It's perfect!

Have fun!
R.

Shutterfly, love it. I've been creating books with them for about 5 years now, and do at least a couple of books and a calendar every year.

I've also tried the "instant print" books that are printed in-store at Wolf/Ritz. They're OK but nowhere near as good as the Shutterfly books. Love their site, the ease of use, the service and speed, the quality of the merchandise. They also have free shared sites where it's super-easy to share photos and other stuff (calendars, notes, surveys) with family and friends.

I've created and ordered 3 photo books from Winkflash. I am very happy with the quality - and the price! They run deals with unlimited pages (up to 100) for around $20. With shipping I think the price came out to maybe $30 at most. You can change the layouts and backgrounds for each page. You can also add captions. I haven't ordered from anywhere else so I'm not sure if these are standard features for all photo books. My only complaint is that the last book I ordered was supposed to have a cut out window in the cover and it did not. When I emailed Winkflash about it they said if I returned the book they'd be happy to send a new one, but I decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

I love shutterfly and have made many books with them. I also made one when Oprah did teh free one through another site, winkflash, maybe? The quality was horrible compared to shutterfly! They often have 25% sales, they recently did not sure if they still do but you won't be disappointed. I do scrapbook too when time allows which seems like never these days and is very pleaseed but also time consuming as well!

I use Shutterfly and love it. I have only created one book , as a gift, but it came out great. I saw a commercial for a new site but cannot remember the name-think it was Sun somthing or similar. It said you can download pics and ask it to create a book for you or you can do it yourself and then you order if you want. The books from Shutterfly are about $30 and they do have lots of offers.

I use Shutterfly. I make an album for each year of my kids lives and I am putting them away to give to them when they are older. The albums turn out beautiful. I am VERY happy with Shutterfly.

I LOVE my shutterfly albums.

I have used the Walgreens website to create albums and I LOVE IT! It is so much fun and so easy to use. They often have coupons in the paper or online too, so I usually save $5 per album. What I love about it is that you can upload all your photos and then work on the album over time, adding photos or making changes, and you can save it. I make one for each of my girls for each year of their life, so I can add stuff after each holiday, milestone etc...and save it then order it at the end of the year. I used to scrapbook everything, but I got so behind it stressed me out and made me feel like a failure :), so now I just do this. And my dining room table stays clean! Can't say enough good things.
J.