Vistaprint photo book review

Photo books are a great way to tell a story with some of your favorite memories. But for beginners, this can seem pretty overwhelming at first, as there’s software to get to grips with and design aspects to wrap your head around. I’ve been testing the Vistaprint photo book service, but is it one of the best photo book options out there?

Vistaprint is a great place to start for those who want a basic and affordable option and it’s ideal for experimentation. But I wouldn’t recommend this service to anyone who wants a polished product since it suffers in areas with color and high contrast.

To find out more about the photo book service, read my full Vistaprint review.

Vistaprint photo book review: Specs

Vistaprint photo book review: Price & availability

Vistaprint photo books are available directly from the Vistaprint website starting from $13. As you increase the size of the photo book and add more detail with the finish of the cover, the binding of the book and the number of pages, the price of the book naturally increases.

We paid $45 for an extra-large square book with standard binding, a standard glossy cover with a photo, and 24 pages. This falls in the same price range as Chatbooks, which costs $50 for similar specs, but Chatbooks' finish is much more polished.

For the sake of quality, you’ll want to spend a little extra on something with a more premium finish, like Mixbook. The Mixbook photo book with similar specs costs $89, but the print quality is far superior.

However, if you want a photo book that doubles as premium decor, you can look at Printique, which offers more of a “coffee table book” look — something to display around your home. The smallest size from Printique starts at $45, so the expenditure can ramp up fast. So if it’s your first toe-dip into the world of photo books, it’s a good idea to try out cheaper options first, like Vistaprint or Chatbooks.

Vistaprint photo book review: Software & production

Producing the photo book with Vistaprint software is very simple. There’s a lot of scope for customization. You can choose from templates you’d like to use, or start with a blank canvas. I went for the blank canvas to test the entire process.

There are no bells and whistles with the Vistaprint software, but that’s what makes it a decent option for beginners who don’t want too much fuss. The general editing tools are also very basic, which makes it easy to get the hang of.

I experienced no issues with lag on the site — everything moves smoothly. I uploaded all of the images I wanted to use so I could view them all in the sidebar, which naturally took a little time. This was also a handy way to know what pictures I had already used, as you get a little number denoting the number of times it’s featured in the book in the corner.

There are background options, frames for images, stickers for decorations and masks for images too. With everything provided for you, it’s easy to get creative. All of the elements are simple to find, and there’s a drop-down search function to help you locate exactly what you're looking for. You’re not limited to movement across pages or spreads either. You can simply drag and drop elements and images anywhere.

While I like the Vistaprint software, it’s very basic. For more control and creativity in a similar price range, I’d recommend looking at Mixbook. The software on Mixbook is much more user-friendly as it’s far easier to be creative, and all the controls are simple to manage.

Alternatively, Chatbooks sits in the same price range but offers much more limited customization. In Chatbooks, for instance, you can’t stretch an image over a double-page spread, but with Vistaprint, this isn’t an issue.

Vistaprint photo book review: Print quality

The Vistaprint photo book looked good when I first got it out of the box. The glossy cover made the image of the robin appear extremely vibrant. But it’s when I opened the book that the cracks started to show.

The first thing I noticed was on the pages with the block blue background. There were streaks going across the pages that looked like the printer had been jammed or started to run out of ink. I was shocked to see this. This wasn’t an issue with the similarly priced Mixbook photo book, either, so it’s not a sacrifice you need to make to save money.

Colors are well-replicated and rich on the page, but some colors appear very oversaturated. In the picture of the pink pansy flower, the pink colors appear to bleed into each other. This results in loss of detail, compounded by blown-out highlights throughout the book.

I also noticed pixelation, which typically occurs when a low-res image is blown too large, but the image where it was most noticeable was taken from the Sony A1 II, which is a 50.1 MP camera. I have tested this same image file across other photo books, and pixelation hasn’t been an issue anywhere else. This also appears worse on darker colors.

It’s also worth noting that black and white images lack depth and appear washed out. There’s minimal contrast in these images, and they look very flat, making this photo book feel like it has far less depth than the other photo books.

However, the paper of the photo book feels very high quality and thick enough that you can’t see through the pages. I also appreciate that not much of the page is lost in the seam of the binding. But of course, this will differ depending on the number of pages you have in the book.

Another thing worth mentioning is that when I received the photo book, some of the pages were stuck together and needed to be carefully pried apart. This is another big letdown.

Vistaprint photo book review: Verdict

Vistaprint is a viable option for anyone who wants to experiment with photo books for the first time on a budget. It’s ideal for beginners thanks to its easy-to-use software and straightforward design elements.

The paper quality is top-notch, but the print quality… not so much. Bright colors, including reds and pinks, are oversaturated, making them bleed into other parts of the image. The highlights are also blown out, so pretty much everything feels washed out, and the lack of contrast in black and white images is very disappointing.

For a first-time photo book creator, basic software is a good thing. It means you can focus on the main elements you want in the book. But anyone with creative flair is going to be let down by the limited elements in Vistaprint, not to mention the serious quality issues.