Review: SmileBooks Photo Book / Album Printing Service

SmileBooks is the easiest Photo Book site I used and it offers terrific creative options. I downloaded SmileBook's free photo book software, which enabled me to create and customize my photo book offline, as my photo book file resided on my hard drive. No hassle dealing with a slow or no internet connection while creating a book.

Smilebooks offers an assortment of 170+ templates, which are completely customizable; You can easily move, resize and delete elements as well as add descriptive text and headings in various fonts amd colors. Smilebooks features a collection of 400 page backgrounds with real photographs, or you can use your own. While SmileBooks has basic editing and cropping features, I recommend that you choose your photos ahead of time and edit them if necessary in another program such as Photoshop Elements or Corel Paint Shop Pro.

SmileBooks also lets you create scrapbook pages in other software (such as Photoshop Elements) and use digi kits and other scrapbooking elements to embellish pages and then import them into SmileBooks.

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Using SmileBooks

Creating a photo book is quite simple. You can use the SmileBook Assistant or choose to create your album manually. Select the number of pages for your book then select the photos and drop them into place. If you use the Photo Assistant, it will automatically place images by date taken, but you can easily reorder them. Select a background and add text if desired and choose a cover option, then transmit and order your book. During the printing process, images are automatically corrected. If you have previously edited images in another program, during the book creation you will be prompted to disable to automatic correction.

SmileBooks Design Service

SmileBooks has introduced a new SmileBooks Design Service. You just have to select the photos and the photo book style and the SmileBooks design team will create your book for you for just $1 per page. Learn more about SmileBooks Design Service. Read our review of Smilebook Design Service.

Photo Book Options

Photo Book Paper and Sizes

Choose from 5.5x5 Pocket Books, 8x8 Mini SmileBook, 8x11 Classic book, 11x8 Panorama Book, Deluxe 12x12 book, Panorama Professional SmileBook approx. 16.5" x 12", and Portrait Professional 11x14. All books have a minimum of 26 pages; new pages may be added in groups of eight.

Smilebooks has the thickest paper of the sites I visited: 135lb extra heavy digital print paper compared to a standard 100lb found with most other companies. 200lb paper is used for the Panorama Professional books and 100lb paper is used for 5x5 Booklets. There is also an option for silver halide photo paper with many books.

Photo Book Cover Options

Faux Leather (brown, black, cream), Premium Linen (silver, copper, black, blue or red), Hard Cover, Soft Cover and Booklet options are available, depending on the photo book size. You can use a photo as a full page bleed on the cover as well as add text to the cover (not available if using faux leather).

Should You Use SmileBooks for Your Photo Books?

If you are looking for free, easy-to-use software program that produces high quality photo books, SmileBooks is your answer. Books are competively priced. Average production time is 5-7 business days and shipping is reasonable. Click here for a comparison chart of photo book services.

 $25 discount on every order containing one or more Deluxe SmileBooks Photo Books. Coupon code: DEL25D Offer ends: 09/30/2010

Download Free SmileBooks Software here.