Everything you ever wanted to know about albums but was too shy to ask...

Album selection can be overwhelming, there are flush mount, print press Layflat, coffee book, fabric based, leather acrylic, with a cover or without, with a guard or without, 10 leafs, metallic, canvas and 5 million different sizes and colors

Arggg, its too confusing!

i will try to explain all the options and point you to some more info, of course you can always call me (408.726.2530)if you have any questions.

There are hundreds of album vendors and we are working with some of the top ones, an album is an investment and as such i see it as the best output source i can provide to my customers. we are working with the best album vendors today.

For flush mount albums im using Image Capsule and Finao, Image Capsule has a water proof album. They actually show it submerged in water!



Finao is a fashion statement, they don't believe in your old style black album, they have bold colors, amazing textures and a wide array of sizes and options. so what are my options you ask?

well, glad you asked!

Album Options

Flush Mount Albums

a flush mount album is an album with no border, the picture is printer on photographic paper and adhered to the album page, a 10x10 album will have a print size of 10x10, the gutter in the middle is almost invisible. there is no border or frame to hold the image, the picture is part of the album and it is protected by an invisible layer that will protect against scratches, smudges, water etc. the album pages are very high quality and heavy duty so you can expect to enjoy your family album even when you are 99 years old. These albums are built to keep forever

A 10x10 flush mount album will have a spread that is 10x20 inch long, like this one:



Or like this one:



The options are endless

Lay Flat Albums

a lay Flat album is very similar to flush mount but the gutter or the line in the middle of the book is visible and typically there will be a small separation line between the right side of the page to the left side of the page. Two pages (left+right) are referred to as a leaf or a spread. the print quality is similar to the flush mount, it is also a photographic paper mounted to the album page but the page is typically thinner and the album itself is lighter. Lay Flat albums are an excellent choice for the budget conscious customer that doesn't want to sacrifice quality

Self Mount Albums

Self Mount Albums are a great option between the lay-Flat and the Print Press, as the name indicate you buy the album and then you mount the prints, its a bit nerve wracking (that how i lost my hair) but the result can be stunning. the album pages are thick and the images are printed on real photographic paper. There is a small frame around the image for protection (just a few millimeters) and these albums typically last a very long time. The print will not peal or tear from the paper but do note that there is no protection against smudges, spills and oily fingers like the flush mount albums

you can see all the colors here

Print Press Albums

Print Press is very similar to a color magazine printing, the pages are thin (typical paper) and the album can be printed with a hard cover or a soft cover. the image can be printed on 100% of the page so a 10x10 album will have a full size 10 inch high and 10 or 20 inch wide image but the paper is thin and can damage if not handled with care. it is much more resilient then your typical magazine but it will not survive my 2 years old :)

Print Press is considerably cheaper to produce and can be an excellent option for birthday parties or other small events. its also my preferred way to print my day to day family photos, i'm soo over those 4x6 prints!

Album Sizes

Albums come is all sorts of sizes and shapes from symmetrical 8x8 or 5x5 to rectangular format like 8x10 or 11x14 to my favorite the special like the amazing Finao 8x20 a stunning panoramic flipbook that can show a panoramic 8x20 image or 16x20 full image spread.



Album size is much like HDTV, you want to select the biggest one you can afford since you will regret getting a small album once you see the final result. its funny, the digital photography revolution got us all spoiled and we see the image immediately on the screen but there is nothing like a professional color calibrated print on an album (or in your hand) all the details jump at you and the clarity is beyond anything your screen can display.

For parents or as show off i encourage my customers to get one of the small and cheaper albums like the 3x3, i will actually include it free of charge for every large album order!

its a great way to keep you album investment safe, keep the big album at home in its protective case and take the small album to work, friends aunt Fanny etc

Album Finish

the album cover can be made of metal, leather, fake leather, plastic and many more weird options. i like to keep it simple, leather and fabric are great options. Leather is more classic and can come in a variety of colors. Finao has some amazing colors and textures. Fabric is also great and can be much more in fashion, i can order fabric with some beautiful layouts, with a picture of you or your kids on the front, with a small frame for an image etc

you can see samples of the all the cover option and colors here

*some covers involve extra charge

Decision decision decision...

now that you know everything there is to know about albums its time to make some decisions, you can see some colors samples for different albums in here:

flush mount albums

• Finao ONE
• Image Capsule

Lay Flat Albums

• WHCC

Self Mount Albums

• Finao Elements Plus

Print Press Albums

How can i see the album before its sent for printing and binding?

We work with our customers to make sure the design, color, text and any other aspect of the album is perfect. Remember, its your money and more importantly those are YOUR memories and we do whatever it takes to make sure they are perfect.

We will send a PDF with the album layout as well as create an online display of the album, based on that we can make changes until you are satisfied with the end result.

Even after the album is printed and delivered we can make changes but those will be billed based on the vendor charge.