I created a photobook of me and my maid of honor using mixbook. I hadn't heard of this photobook company until one of the nesties posted about it. It's a little different than the other digital photobooks because it allows you to make collaborative books, get pictures from various online sources, and creates a "scrapbook" feel. I decided to give it a try in my quest to find the best digital photobook. After signing up for mixbook, they e-mailed me a code for a buy-one-get-one-free book, so I thought this would be great since I could give her one and keep one for myself.
Mixbook is online editor, so there is no software to download (yay!). As I mentioned earlier, you can get pictures from various online sources, including Facebook. You can even grab pictures from your friend's album. I tried this, but the resolution on most of the pictures was not high enough. However, you can also get pictures from Picasa, SmugMug, etc., so those photos will most likely be higher resolution. I haven't tried the collaboration feature, but that could be fun if you're not a control freak like me.
The templates are pretty cool. I'm a scrapbooker, so I loved all the different layouts and embellishments. It's a little hard to scroll through all the available options since it isn't really organized, and it took me a while to understand how to use and place the items. I love the pre-made templates...I got a professional looking book without much work! If you are more creative, you can start from scratch...just like a real scrapbook!
They have both square and rectangle books. I went with a 8.5"x8.5" album for this one to match the Shutterfly album I made as my "Will You Be My Maid-of-Honor?" book. It cost $29.99 for 20 pages, then $1.00 for each additional page. The classic rectangular books are similar in price. There is also the option for a soft cover which is a great option at $12.99.
The only downside for me was the shipping (not sure if this is because it is to Hawaii or if it is the same for everyone). If I ship USPS Media Mail, I have to wait about a MONTH to get my book! The next option, 2-day air will cost me about $30 for one book. I opted for the $7 USPS Media Mail, so I won't be able to post a review about the actual quality of the book until then. For now, here is a link to the online version of the book:
http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/wedding/me-and-my-maid-of-honor-4745648
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Did you mixbook arrive? I'm really interested in the qulity of the book. I love their software but I've heard terrible reviews about the quality of the printed books. Tell me what you thought about the book your recieved. Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteHi, sorry for the lack of updates! Yes, the Mixbook arrived ahead of schedule, and I was very happy with it. The paper quality wasn't as high as the deluxe paper from MyPublisher (which cost more), but it was decent. The printing isn't high-resolution, photo quality, but it wasn't bad either. If I looked really closely I could see the pixelation, but I had to be examining it really closely. I actually thought the photo quality and printing was better than my Shutterfly book. Plus I really like the layout and template options of Mixbook -- it makes the book look a whole lot more professional and not so "cut and paste".
ReplyDeleteHow long did it REALLY take to arrive? I ordered two books about a week ago and it said up to 8 weeks! I'm hoping it will take less than a month. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI placed the order on 4/4 and was given 5/3 as the estimated delivery date. It actually arrived early on 4/21. Hope you get yours early too!
ReplyDeleteYeah the book quality was worse than expected, as I had previously purchased from shutterfly and blurb before. Mixbook definitely had the lightest paper and the most grainy photos. Loved the software but too bad none of the hard work shows in the printed product.
ReplyDelete