Have you tried printing a lay flat style book yet?

I recently ordered an 8x8 inch lay flat photobook from AdoramaPix. I took advantage of an awesome $3 photobook deal from Adorama Pix and paid about $25 all up for the book (including postage).

I am so excited to share a look inside my album today! You may have heard me say, on more than one occasion that you should print your layouts.

I've scrapped hundred of layouts since 2008 and I have hundreds printed. Since I tend to print off layouts in themed albums (think December Daily, Home Renovation books, Baby's First Year etc) many layouts about me have't been printed yet.

In fact, I've only printed about five layouts about me, but I've scrapped 30 or 40 layouts!

Well, today changes all that.

Adorama Pix Layflat Photobook Review

I purchased the 8x8 inch 14 page photobook in Lustre (Matte) finish. Overall the quality of the Adorama book is superb with true colours.

Watch this video to see me book and hear what I thought about it.

Here's the good, bad and ugly:

Things I liked

• No worrying about bleed (almost). You don't need to worry about your pages getting cut off... in the centre of the book. You still need to expect a little trimming of the outside edges. I didn't even resize my pages. I just uploaded the 12x12 jpeg and I was happy with the quality.
• Quick service & turnaround time. It took just 3 days to print my book, and it arrived in about two weeks at my door in Australia!
• The sturdiness of the book. It's not delicate at all and I'd be happy for my toddler to look through it
• The quality of the prints. The photo quality was great and the colours were true to life

Things I didn't like

• The online book editor. After working with a number of online systems I'd rate it about a 6/10. It took me quite a while to work out that I didn't have to manually resize every photo to make it fit the page (Thankfully, the Daily Digi has put up this great tutorial now!)
• The cover. It had an unexpected metallic print. I think it may look great for a photo, but for digital paper, not so much.
• The photo paper. Shock horror, right? I actually prefer the magazine-style paper than photos. I feel that as a photo print, the pages look a lot more "digi" compared with having a flat finish.
• The thickness of the book. It's almost twice as thick as the other books with the same number of pages
• The size of the book. The pages are true 8x8 inches and the binding method means the book is a lot bigger than my Shutterfly and Snapfish books (only an issue if you like a uniform look on your bookshelves)
• The cost. A 26 page 8x8 is usually $45 dollars (see details here).

Overall, I'd say that I'm happy with my photobook, but due to the cost and metallic cover, I will probably stick to my four colour prints (magazine-style pages). However, that is a personal preference, and if you are happy with photo-style prints, you will adore Adorama's books!

There is a lot of photobook printer around, or you can print pages individually through a variety of photo printing services. Once you’ve chosen a printer you still have decided on a size, cover type and more. Decisions, decisions! If you want some unbiased reviews The Daily Digi provides several great posts here.

I have printed with:

• Shutterfly
• MyPicTales
• Snapfish Australia
• Forever

What's your favourite way to print layouts?

PS If you are keen to see how my other photobooks turned out, here's where to see printed layouts by Snapfish, My Pictales and Shutterfly

PPS This post includes affiliate links - thanks for supporting me by using them!