• Home
  • DIY & Crafts
    • Sewing Projects
    • Printables
    • Baby & Kids
    • DIY Gift Ideas
    • Paper Crafts
    • Home Decor
    • Recipes & Easy Cakes
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Vintage Inspired
  • Holidays
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter Crafts
    • Earth Day
    • Mother’s Day
    • Father’s Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • New Year’s Eve
  • Birthdays & Parties
    • Birthdays
    • Easy Cakes for Kids
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • About
    • About Merriment Design
    • Portfolio & Press
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Merriment Design

DIY projects, crafts, free sewing patterns and printables that look handmade, not homemade

Home / Occasion / Weddings / Custom photo books from Blurb.com

Custom photo books from Blurb.com

February 27, 2008 by Kathy

  • Share
  • Tweet

Blurb custom wedding book by Kathy Beymer

My first custom Blurb.com hardcover book arrived in the mail and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out.

My coworker Mandy first told me about Blurb.com’s powerful, professional bookmaking software publishing service. While I’ve used Shutterfly’s custom books in the past I was intrigued by Blurb’s promise of bookstore-quality books and affordable pricing. So I decided to finally free my wedding pictures from their CD-ROM prison and give it a go.

What do you think of the finished product? Personally I’m really happy with it, especially for the price …I got a whopping 106-page 11″ x 13″ book for only $74.95! The paper quality is decent, the provided layouts give you lot of control, and the shiny custom cover is a nice touch.

Blurb custom wedding book by Kathy Beymer

Blurb custom wedding book by Kathy Beymer

Here are some tips I learned while logging the, uh, dozens of dozens of hours using — and sometimes fumbling through — the Booksmart software to create my book:

  • Pick the largest photos spreads your photos can stand. It’s a coffee table book, so let your photos shine.
  • Play with the full bleed picture layout and ‘center align image (don’t crop)’ button to create a letterboxed look.
  • Collage pages look best if you use it on both the left and right pages of a two-page spread.
  • Avoid putting small photos on two adjoining pages. Instead, put small photos on, say, the left side and then one large full-bleed photo on the right.
  • Mix photos of people with photos of close-up details or landscape vistas for a professional look. Avoid too many photos of people in any one two-page spread.
  • Use the zoom tool to narrow in on cool details.
  • Mixing black & white and color photos can look really great, especially when mixed across a two-page spread.

Update: Love the idea but no time to make it yourself? Mandy Cornwell is offering her album creation services at Your White Album. Mention you read about it here at Merriment and get a $10 coupon off your custom photo album under 160 pages and a $25 coupon off 160+ page books.

Filed Under: Weddings

About Kathy

I'm Kathy, maker of things and Chicago mom who likes simple and clever DIYs that look handmade, not homemade. I like sewing, printables, handmade birthdays, holiday decor and easy cakes. See my work at HGTV, DIY Network, Apartment Therapy, DesignSponge, more. ✂️

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

More Posts

  • WINNERS: Minted Stationery and Journals Giveaway {plus 10% off code for all}WINNERS: Minted Stationery and Journals Giveaway {plus 10% off code for all}
  • Free printable happy birthday banner PDF in blueFree printable happy birthday banner PDF in blue
  • DIY Winnie The Pooh Ears, Piglet Ears, Tigger EarsDIY Winnie The Pooh Ears, Piglet Ears, Tigger Ears
  • Meet my latest client: the Museum of Science and Industry, ChicagoMeet my latest client: the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Baby stuffed animals
Engagement Party Alphabet Cookies

Comments

  1. 1

    Mandy says

    March 20, 2008 at 8:09 pm

    Hey Kathy, thanks for the credit!
    After making an album myself, I decided to offer my services to create albums – http://www.yourwhitealbum.com. If someone isn’t quite up to making their own album give me a shout.

    Love the blog by the way – fun : )

Kathy Beymer from Merriment Design
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Join for monthly DIYs, giveaways & exclusives

Recent Posts

Heart alphabet letter handmade Valentine's Day card or valentines artwork

Heart Alphabet Letters Handmade for Valentine’s Day

Dogs and hearts DIY clay magnets clay crafts idea

How to make clay fridge magnets – easy DIY tutorial

Visit my etsy store

  • Ashlee Taylor, etsy purchaserAshlee Taylor, etsy purchaserPhoto Props Editable Sayings Bubbles and Ages Printable

    "Great deal! I was able to custom it and when I had any question, she responded instantly to my messages. You can also use the print outs for other things like the photo booth characters, which is just the cutest idea ever! I highly recommend this shop!"

  • Shannie Lou, etsy purchaserShannie Lou, etsy purchaserPersonalized Frozen-inspired Snowflake Birthday Banner printable

    "Easy to personalize and wonderful crisp image"

  • Melissa Rassi, etsy purchaserMelissa Rassi, etsy purchaserStar Wars Parody Opening Crawl Stair Risers Signs

    "This item is so clever! I knew I had to have it for my son's Star Wars birthday party. The download was simple and easy to modify with my own text changes. The instructions on how to get it printed at FedEx Office were easy to follow. Thank you so much for this great item! Easiest party decoration I ever made!"

  • Monica Mora-Handlos, etsy purchaserMonica Mora-Handlos, etsy purchaserPrintable Super Hero birthday banner and iron-on

    "This was just what I needed to make a superhero shirt for my husband's birthday party. He loved it!! Thanks for the great digital file!"

  • Emma Wilson, etsy purchaserEmma Wilson, etsy purchaserpersonalized construction t-shirt iron on printable PDF

    "Thrilled to bits with my boys personalised birthday party t-shirt! Fantastic design and very clear instructions, thank you."

  • Jen White, etsy purchaserJen White, etsy purchaserpurchased personalized milestone postcards

    "I don't think there is a nicer person in the world to work with! Such a beautiful job and everything explained in detail! Thank you!"

Get Craft & DIY Monthly Emails

[email protected]
xo Kathy
  • Home
  • DIY & Crafts
  • Holidays
  • Birthdays & Parties
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • About
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 · Merriment Design Co. All Rights Reserved. · Privacy Policy