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Comparison

Photo book or magazine?

Both print your photos, but they don't tell the same story. Here are the real differences, including when a photo book is the better call.

Make my magazine

from $32

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  • Checked before print
  • Reprinted if anything's wrong

  • The photo book

    Hard cover, white margins, built to last on a shelf. Heavier and pricier.

  • The magazine

    Soft cover, full-page photos, headlines and sections. Light, flipped through often, more affordable.

  • The right pick

    Depends on use: a collector's piece, or a story you read and pass around.

Side by side

Photo bookPhoto magazine
CoverHard, usually boardSoft, heavy cover stock
LayoutPhotos framed by marginsFull page, headlines, captions, sections
BindingSewn or glued, doesn't lie as flatStapled or perfect-bound
WeightHeavy, stays on the shelfLight, stays on the coffee table
UseArchive pieceFlipped through, shared, gifted
PriceHigher for the same page countMore affordable

When to pick a photo book

If you want something very thick (a hundred pages or so), a hard cover to last decades, or a baby book for the bookshelf, a photo book is still the best choice. It's an archive.

When to pick a magazine

If you want to tell a story (a year, a trip, a couple), have it read and reread, and gift it without making it a doorstop, the magazine is more alive. Photos are bigger, words have room, and the price lets you order a copy for everyone. More detail in our article photo book vs photo magazine.

Priced by the page

How many pages is your story?

Same paper, same care, same free shipping. Only the page count changes, and you can add pages later.

20 pages

About 30 photos

$32

One moment: a trip, a proposal, a birthday.

Choose 20 pages
Our pick

24 pages

35 to 50 photos

$36

Twelve months together. Long enough to say it all, short enough to read in one sitting.

Choose 24 pages

48 pages

60 to 90 photos

$50

Several years, a whole wedding, nothing left out.

Choose 48 pages

Shipping included. Every page count from 20 to 48 is available, stapled or perfect-bound.

See every price and binding

Common questions

All questions

How is a magazine different from a photo book?

The layout and the feel. A photo book sets your pictures inside white margins on a hard cover. A magazine runs them full page, with headlines, sections and captions, on a soft cover you actually want to pick up. You flip through it, pass it around, leave it on the coffee table.

What's the paper like?

Stapled magazines are printed on 130 gsm coated paper with a sturdier 250 gsm cover; perfect-bound ones on 170 gsm with a 200 gsm cover. It feels substantial in your hands and the photos don't show through from one page to the next.

Stapled or perfect-bound: what's the difference?

Stapled (saddle-stitched) is how newsstand magazines are bound: two staples in the fold, and it opens nice and flat. It comes in 20 to 48 pages, in steps of 4. Perfect binding gives you a flat, glued spine, like a special edition: 24 to 48 pages, in steps of 2. Same price for the same page count, so pick the one you like.

Will the paper yellow over time?

The paper is made for photo printing and holds up well as long as it's kept out of direct sun and damp, like any good magazine.

Can I order more than one copy?

Yes, when you buy or right before it prints. Each extra copy costs much less than the first, a little less with each one you add, and they all ship in the same box. Handy for one each, or one for the parents.

Further reading

Want to try the magazine?

20 to 48 pages, priced by the page, free shipping.

Make my magazine

from $32

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  • Checked before print
  • Reprinted if anything's wrong