My Blurb book is here!

We returned home to find a little package waiting for us - the photo book I ordered a couple of weeks ago! Since a few of you commented/emailed me for a review of the finished product, I might as well share it with anyone who reads.



So here are the details...
I ordered the 10 inches high by 8 inches wide size. Layout would have been easier if I got the landscape orientation but I really wanted it to fit nicely on any shelf so I went with the portrait layout. I picked that size with the same concept in mind but now that I have it, I think I could have gone bigger without any issue of the book jutting out. For the cover, I went with the "image wrap" hardcover option which lets you put whatever you want on front and back. Kind of like a school textbook. If I could have had anything I wanted, I would have preferred charcoal linen cover with an embossed title on the spine & cover. That wasn't an option and I hate dustcovers so I went with the image wrap. And lastly, I paid extra for the "premium" lustre paper. I did this because most of the reviews I read seem to strongly urge to go that route and Im a paper snob. Can't speak to the difference in quality from the basic paper though.



What I think of the finished product...
I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened the envelope. I was pleasantly surprised. Its a great keepsake and I'm so happy I finally got around to it. Its going to make it a lot easier to look over whenever the mood strikes us now that its sitting on the shelf rather than filed away on the computer. The image wrap cover is actually better than I expected - its been applied well and neatly. (I still wish they offered a more classic linen cover option that included a title - Blurb, are you listening??)


I've angled it under the light so you can see the sheen of the paper - there isn't a glare problem when viewing in person.

The paper quality is very nice - thick enough to make me feel like it will last a long time with a slight sheen (not matte nor glossy) to accentuate the colors. I do think that the service is fairly expensive for what it is but I understand custom printing is expensive so I can forgive that.


Overall, I'm really happy with it. I'm definitely going to do more books for my other photos.

Hope that helps anyone who is on the fence. If you have already done a photo book and want to share - I'd love to see what you've come up with. Maybe you can motivate me to finish another one.