A couple of months ago, I created and ordered a book from Shutterfly.com and gave it as a Christmas present. I couldn't blog about it before as I didn't want to give the game away.

Anyhow, I thought I'd write about how pleased I am with the product - the finish is excellent. I ordered the 8x11 inch hard photo cover book and created a Custom Book rather than using the Simple Path. Although a bit fiddly and time-consuming because everything is done over the internet, the results are absolutely worth it. The pages are glossy and my photographs came out exceptionally well.

Called 'Ancestral Trails - Pathways to the Past', my theme for the book was the homes and districts where my paternal ancestors lived and worked using modern day photographs. I'd taken most of the photos on family history trips. I also added text and labels to explain the pictures.

Because I live in the UK, the postage and packaging almost doubled the cost but I can highly recommend the product and the service and I'm glad I ordered an extra copy for myself.

So, without further ado, here are some images of the book.


Front Cover

(Click the image above to view a larger version.)

(Click the image above to view a larger version.)

Even this close-up doesn't quite do the actual quality of the book justice
(Click the image above to view a larger version.)

Back Cover
Disclaimer - this is my own personal opinion and I have no affiliation to Shutterfly.

[Why Follow Friday? This phrase has been included in the title in order to take part in Daily Blogging Prompts at Geneabloggers]

[Note: All content on the Hibbitt Family History website and blog is copyrighted. Click here for conditions of use.]

What a lovely idea, and the results are so impressive.

Susan Donaldson - 06 Jan, 2012 - 14:30

Your book is lovely! This is a fun project and I have used several publishing companies, including Shutterfly. My favorite is Blurb.com because you don't have to work over the internet, and you don't have to worry about ordering before time runs out and your project is erased. With Burb you download a software called "Booksmart" and work on projects on your own hard drive. You can order whenever you like, and store your projects as long as you like on your own computer. I have one book I've been working on for over a year, but in the meantime I've published three others with Blurb. Also, a librarian told me (and I can't tell because I'm not an expert) that Shutterfly bindings are glued and Blurbs are sewn if you order under 120 pages. It is worth trying different companies to see the small differences.

Heather Wilkinson Rojo - 06 Jan, 2012 - 15:22

Thanks for the info about Blurb. It's always good to know about alternatives.

Annie - 06 Jan, 2012 - 22:20

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