Montage Photo Book Review

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Let me start by saying I have a problem. And I need to say it out loud… I take WAY too many photos, and I NEVER print them.

It’s honestly a shame. It seems like such a waste when I stop and think about all the time and energy I put into my photography.

I’ve already decided my New Year’s resolution is to print my photos every month. Until then, I thought I’d start small.

Last week I got a promotional e-mail about a new photo book site called Montage (www.montagebook.com).

According to the website, you can create “effortless photo books in minutes”. As a busy Mom with limited time and resources, the promise of an easy project with professional results was intriguing.

So I gathered a bunch of photos I’ve been meaning to put in a photo book and decided to give it a whirl.

I recorded my experience, along with some tips, tricks, and lessons learned in the video tutorial below. (Scroll past the video for photos of the finished product and my review.)

As I said in the video, it really was a simple, and shockingly fast, process! I started my Montage Book at 12:25pm and finished by 12:45pm. That’s it – twenty minutes. It really was quick and easy!

Two days after I submitted my order, I received this…

…a cheerful “you’re book is on the way” e-mail.

I was genuinely excited to get my book in the mail (as in little-kid-on-Christmas-morning excited). So much so, that I waited all morning for our mail carrier to drive up; and when she finally did I ran outside to meet her! (Ask my husband, he was sitting here making fun of me!)

I ran in the house, carefully opened the package and found this: a neatly sealed protective box with my photo book inside.

I opened the box to find my completed project:

Here’s my review of the finished piece…

THE COVER: The website describes the cover as “eco-friendly leather” with “high density foam”. I’ll be honest – I didn’t know what that meant, and I had no idea what to expect. But I LOVE the way it turned out! It really is unbelievably soft and cushy. It’s also crisp and colorful. It’s unlike any photo book cover I’ve ever ordered – it’s really quite lovely!

THE BINDING: Again, I wasn’t sure what to expect because this is the first lay flat book I’ve ever ordered. Let me tell you – I’ve flipped through my book about a hundred times already and the binding is amazing. It’s solid, the pages really do lay flat and they’re easy to turn.

THE PAPER: Every page is printed on thick, lay flat paper. It’s high quality and the colors are bright and beautiful! My book is only forty pages (20 two-page spreads) and my book is a little over 1-inch thick (which gives you an idea of how thick the pages really are).

Bonus: My son and daughter have both looked through this book (more than once), and there’s no way they’re tearing through these thick pages!

QUALITY: Each page is printed exactly as shown on the website. The layouts are consistent and there are no awkwardly cropped photos or pages.

FRONT AND BACK COVER PAGES: This was truly a great surprise! Montage Book took all of the photos I uploaded and created a beautiful, black and white, semi-transparent collage. I had no idea it would be included, and it looks great!

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I’m extremely happy with this photo book. The website made the process easy, the turnaround time from ordering to delivery was shockingly fast, and the quality of the book far exceeds my expectations. (And in case you’re thinking it, no one is paying me to say that!)

BOTTOM LINE: I’ll definitely be ordering more Montage Books. They made the process quick, painless and extremely easy! And it’s so nice to finally have some printed photos in our house.

QUICK STATS:

From start to finish, it only took 20-minutes to make. (I easily made this over my lunch break – with time to spare!)
I ordered my book last Friday (10/10) and it was delivered yesterday (10/15); FIVE short days!
My book is 40 pages total (or 20 lay-flat pages) and I included 85 photos. (Montage Books can be a maximum of 70-pages with up to 180 photos. There is NO charge for extra pages! I will definitely be taking advantage of this option next time!)
I ordered the 8.5″ square book. (There is also a 6″ square or a 12″ square option.)

AND JUST FOR FUN… Here’s my son looking through the book. He was so excited to see our pictures in print. Every time he turned a page he’d say, “Oh wow!” I’m glad I took the gamble – this was a huge success!