Photobook

I have recently received the opportunity to create and review the photobook from Saal Digital and I’m surprised and impressed by the quality.

To be honest I didn’t expect such quality on the cover, printing and paper quality that the book came with especially because I didn’t select the best option out there for a photobook.

Here are the pros:

• The colors pop amazingly on the book
• Good size for a photobook (same size as a coffee table photobook)

• When the book opens, if a photo spreads around 2 pages, it flats out so nicely that it does not show the division from the book spine.

• Here in the US, we say that you get what you pay and this book is surely worth what is charged
• It is professional enough that you can present this book to a friend or guest and you can brag about your photos there.
• It was ready and shipped overseas in less than a week.

Now for the cons:

• I expected at least one page at the beginning and end of the book that is fully white to give some nice introduction to the book. Now, this could have been my fault because I honestly didn’t include those under the assumption that they would be automatically added.

From all the process, from selecting the photos, and receiving of the book, my critique will not be on the book at all, it will be on the process that can be improved.

That being said, these are some suggestions that would make the process of creating a lot easier and have a better end result.

• Integration with storage and social networks such as Google Photos, Facebook, Instagram, Guru Shots, etc, to retrieve the photos. This would reduce greatly the time to select what photos you want on a given book.
• Being able to upload other types of photos. With the iPhone now saving the photos in heic, being able to upload this type helps in the process.
• Being able to generate an ISBN for the book so it can be commercialized. This is not, from all I could see, business done by Saal Digital, as a book author, that would make me very happy.
• The app for OSX to be available on the Apple Store. It will add trust to the app that they have built to be used with Mac.
• More fonts in the web version. I couldn’t figure this one out but it seemed to have just one font available.
• Finally, being able to overlay a text over a full photo without having to have a white background to it.

It is true that the last 2 suggestions might be solved by the app but since it was not installable from the App Store I don’t know.

In summary, this will not be my last book ordered with them and the next one I might go full professional to know what else is there.

You can see all their options at https://www.saal-digital.com/photobook/.

For the folks at Saal Digital, thanks for the opportunity.