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Why Albums are Better than Photo Books
1. Document as You Live your Life
A bound photobook is final. You can’t add or remove pages once it’s bound. I don’t document in exact chronological order. During the Christmas Holiday’s, I take the photos, but I’m too busy with work to spend any time printing them. I usually put my Christmas photos together in the Spring. If I were printing bound books for my kids, I’d never complete one.
Pocket Albums allow you to document your story as you live it, adding stories along the way.
2. Incorporate the Tangible
- Love Notes
- Report Cards
- Handwriting
- Kids Art
- Baby’s First Tooth (yes, I have saved a tooth)
- Birthday Cards
- Wedding Announcements
- Funeral Programs
- Travel Currency
- Postcards
3. Handwriting is Personal
Have you ever read a loved one’s journal? Do you save your kids projects as they learn to write? It has been proven that original writing using ink and paper fosters more of a connection to that person than a typed document. It’s more personal. Pocket Albums are designed for just this- handwritten journaling!
4. Real Photographs Matter
If you’re familiar with Persnickety Prints, you know how passionate we are about the silver halide dark room process. As you can see in this post water test, a photo printed on “paper” is not going to sustain as many variables as a real photograph developed like we did it in the 1800’s. I’m not going to say that every photo book is going to fade or fall apart, but I am going to promise you that silver-halide prints are much more “durable”. It’s what we’ve been doing for hundreds of years!
Now, if you really want to get technical. There is an unbiased, 3rd party research company (Wilhelm Imaging Research) that tests print longevity by accelerating light exposure to determine the comparative life expectancy of printed photographs. Unless you’re using pigmented inks and archival papers that rest well together (i.e, the same brand of pigmented ink and same brand of archival paper) your at-home prints or photo books aren’t going to last. (Wilhelm Report) Typically, you’ll average around $1.75 a 4×6 print using photo pigmented inks & paper … and that’s not including the machine, or the waste.
5. Price
When comparing prices, it’s important to compare apples to apples, or close to. There’s a reason why a Tesla is more expensive than a Hyundai, both are cars, but they’re built different. The same goes with print mediums. Printing at home or at a grocery store might cost less, but keep in mind, you get what you pay for. Here’s a breakdown of the 6×8 Black and White striped Album from Simple Stories (2020 pricing) with coordinating page protectors + Persnickety Prints.
- 6×8 Black Velvet Album $19.99
- 4×6 pocket page pack– holds 40 4×6 prints- $3.39
- 6×8 pocket page pack- holds 20 6×8 Prints $3.39
- 40 4×6 (real photographs) from Persnickety @$0.19 ea= $7.60
- 20 6×8 (real photographs) from Persnickety @$1.29 ea= $25.80
⇒ TOTAL 6×8 ALBUM COST: $60.17
Conclusion:
Pocket Albums are not only a high quality, long lasting solution for your photos, they’re cheaper. Pages don’t tear out, or fall apart. I store extra photos in pockets for those last minute poster projects.
Whatever your preference is, keep taking pictures! Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.
Fading Photo Book
Printed at Shutterfly in 2010. This book has been safely stored on a shelf in Utah, not in direct sunlight. Most hard cover books are not archival. If you want your memories to last, know your print medium.
