Make Dramatic Coffee-Table Books With Your Photos
By Alfred DeBat

Several online photo services offer professionally bound picture books illustrated with your own photos. Theses aren’t photo albums, but actual books with colorful pages printed on both sides and bound in hardcover.
   The production software allows you to design each printed page and mix photo sizes. For example, you could have one full-page picture printed on one page, with a facing page displaying a dozen smaller images with captions — just like a real printed book. Downloadable online software makes it possible for you to use your computer to select your digital photos, size the images in templates, and layout the book’s design.

   MyPublisher (www.mypublisher.com): Available only for Windows users, free MyPublisher BookMaker 1.6 software permits users to organize, edit and enhance photos before creating a book layout using its design templates. Images are dragged and dropped into the layout after cropping, enlarging, and improving the color of the photos. The software permits full-page “bleed” photos (images print to the edge of the page without white borders) for a basic book of 20 pages. Titles and captions can be added to the photos. Several different formats are offered: the Deluxe, an oversize volume at 12 inches high by 16 inches long, is available in a linen hardcover for $59.80 (five different cover colors are available, from ivory to black). The basic 20-page format can hold up to 240 photos, and additional pages can be added for $2.99 each. Also available is the smaller, 8.5-by-11-inch, 20-page Classic format, which holds up to 120 photos, with additional pages for $1.49 each. The Classic is available in a linen hardcover for $29.80 (eight different colors available, from raspberry to navy) or leather for $39.80 (six different colors available, from “lipstick” to jade). The Deluxe and Classic covers each have a die-cut center, which displays the cover page’s photo and text. The softcover, 6-by-8-inch, 20-page Paperback PocketBook format holds up to 80 photos and costs $9.95 with additional pages for 49 cents each. Nineteen PocketBook cover designs are available, including Checkerboards, Metallics, and graphic themes (Baby, Wedding, and Vacation).

   iPhoto Books (www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto/books): The iPhoto software is part of Apple Computer’s Macintosh OS X, so this service is only available using Macintosh computers with this operating system. Like MyPublisher, the iPhoto 5 software permits a variety of layouts through templates, including full-bleed pages. The software also permits photo enhancement and corrections. However, iPhoto has a different line of formats. The maximum is an 8.5-by-11-inch Large version with a linen hardcover for $29.99. The basic 20-page format is available in two versions: double-side printed pages (additional pages are 99 cents each) and single-side printed pages (additional pages are $1.49 each). A softcover Large version is $19.99 with additional pages at 69 cents each. A 6-by-8-inch Medium softcover edition is $9.99 with additional pages at 49 cents each. An economy, softcover, 3.5-by-2.6-inch Small softcover iPhoto Book with 20 pages is available for $3.99, but is only sold in three-pack lots for $11.99 with additional pages at 29 cents each. iPhoto offers a series of graphic themes through its software, including Picture Book, Baby Boy, Baby Girl, and Travel.

   Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com): For both Windows and Mac users, Shutterfly Photo Books’ downloadable layout templates are easy to use and produce 20-page volumes. The Hardcover Photo Book has 8.5-by-11-inch pages and is available in a black or white leather cover for $39.99, and in suede (blue, black, maroon, and tan) or satin (light blue and lilac) for $29.99; additional pages are $1 each. The Shutterfly software does not permit bleed photos (so there is a white border on full-page photos), and allows up to a maximum of six photos on one page. The smaller Softcover Photo Book pages measure 5-by-7 inches, allow up to four photos per page, and cost $12.99 with additional pages for 50 cents each. The Snapbook is a spiral-bound mini-album with either 4-by-6-inch or 5-by-7-inch prints offered from 1 to 6 pages ($6.99 and $8.99 respectively), and up to 41 to 50 pages ($24.99, $29.99). A variety of cover designs are available with appropriate type fonts and graphics.

   Kodak Gallery (www.kodakgallery.com): The Kodak Gallery Photo Book service offers only one size option: a 10.25-by-9-inch hardcover version. The basic 20-page book, which has a die-cut cover opening to permit a cover photo display, costs $39.99 in leather, or $29.99 in linen or smooth matte finish cover material. The Gallery volume pages can be printed single-sided or double-sided, and additional double-sided pages are $1.99 each. The layout templates do not allow bleed photo pages. Several different graphic design themes are available. The online service doesn’t offer photo enhancement or correction tools, and if captions are omitted, the software still provides white space in the layout for the “missing” text.
   Shipping and handling are additional for all these services.—By Alfred DeBat