For generations past, photo albums were the best way to keep memories organized, safe, and ready for sentimental viewing. The best photo books offer the same kind of nostalgia-driven display, but for the digital age. Whether you’re looking for a place to compile your favorite shots from a recent trip, special occasion, or even wedding, these customizable tomes get your images out of your phone’s camera roll and onto pages for you to enjoy. Personalized photo books serve as a tangible keepsake, ideal for flipping through during family gatherings or gifting during the holidays.
Our favorite photo book is from Papier. Offering a number of design-minded templates, this option is ideal for those looking for an easy and hands-off design process. For the Instagram dump enthusiast, those meet-cute stories, illustrated travelogues, and perfectly filtered wedding shots can have a home among cabana-striped covers and embossed details. From fully customizable pages to template-ready volumes, we’ve gathered the six best custom photo book services that help transform your images into high-quality mementos.
Our Top Picks for the Best Photo Books:Best Overall Photo Book
Deck Chair Photo Book
Read moreMost Customizable
Minimalist Family Photo Book by Canva Creative Studio
Read moreMost Gallery-Like
Everyday Photo Book by Artifact Uprising
Best Overall Photo Book
Known for their aesthetic-driven planners, notebooks, and stationery, Papier also offers their signature prints and patterns in photo book form for people who want to display their snapshots in an elegant coffee table tome. With dozens of preplanned templates for wedding photos, travel diaries, and personal snapshots, you can customize layouts and even add captions. Soft dust jackets and hardcover photo books are available in almost every colorway. Each option also has its own font style and color palette, whether you want a gilded title or a cabana-stripe cover with your favorite image as the centerpiece.
Most Customizable
Minimalist Family Photo Book by Canva Creative Studio
While Canva may most often be used to make party invitations, resumés, and presentations, they also make a high-quality photo book. There are countless user-made templates, but you can also start from scratch, if you want full creative control. Other services have hard word counts for captions, but here you can wax poetic as you wish and have a blurb on every page. Unlike most Canva products, which are meant to be used digitally, the brand also offers photo book printing and shipping—you can also send the pages to the printer of your choice, if you’d prefer. For an online photo book edition, simply save as a PDF. The amount of customization definitely involves a bit of a learning curve, but if you’re already familiar with the platform, this is a great option for a fully personalized experience.
Most Gallery-Like
Everyday Photo Book by Artifact Uprising
For the amateur photographer, Artifact Uprising’s high-end photo book gives the gallery treatment to your latest roll of film. Thick, glossy, or matte (!) pages give you full control over sizing and borders. Images can even span the entire two-page spread for a dramatic look. This entire book is streamlined, from the linen cover and embossed title to the even page count and lie-flat binding. There are fewer choices to customize with this option, but that’s not always a bad thing. Simple can be better for those of us who struggle with indecision or prefer a minimalist aesthetic.
An Affordable Pick
With seven sizes and a page range that spans from 24 to 120, Vista Print offers an easy-to-build photo book that rings up at $50 or under. Vista Print can put an image on anything—jigsaw puzzles, mugs, calendars, you name it. Their photo books offer a similar level of personality and ease of creation. There aren’t as many options here as other books on this list, but you can pick from matte or glossy paper options, cover type (linen or photo) and color, and a layflat binding. Standardized collage page layouts allow you to fit up to five images per page, and it’s easy to move the photos around to suit your preferences. Add captions and borders to further personalize your photo book.
Easiest Process
Shutterfly Simply Gallery Photo Book
One of the most well-known names in the photo printing industry, Shutterfly offers a photo book building process that is easily navigable for practically anyone. Whether you’re looking to showcase a recent family trip, wedding, or simply a year in review, this photo book offers templates and customizations suited for all occasions. Witha matte finish, soft cover, and hardback, along with a variety of page options (do you want lay-flat pages for the best display or classically bound for easy flipping?), you can even have the pages designed for you with the 24-hour automated design service. Choose your desired level of hands-on or hands-off approach without fear of receiving an underwhelming final product.
An Old-School Album
Pottery Barn Leather Bound Photo Albums
There’s something nostalgic about filling plastic sleeves with photos you picked up from the drugstore. A classic, leather-bound album with a hard cover gives reverence to your snapshots, keeping them safe for family gatherings and future trips down memory lane. This Pottery Barn version features ultra-thick paper that won’t bend or crease—additional pages can be added and removed at will if you need more than the 100 provided. With no plastic in sight, this album uses corner envelope stickers instead for a more elevated archival process.