Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out one of the Professional Line Photo Books by Saal Digital printing company. Printing is an amazing way for any photographer to turn their artwork into something tangible, and photo books are perfect to showcase a specific collection or simply as an alternative to framed prints (for when your walls run out of space!). I’d already been interested in putting together some photo books to add to my home and my shop here, so I was very excited about this opportunity from Saal Digital.
Saal Digital offers many options for photo books, ranging from spiral-bound booklets to luxury Professional-quality books with lay-flat pages and metal covers. For my book, I chose the 8.5 x 12 Professional Line Photo Book with matte pages and upgraded to an Acrylic + Leatherette Cover. Overall, I was very impressed with the finished product and would rate it 5/5 stars.
Professional Line Photo Book with Acrylic Cover from Saal Digital
Designing & Ordering
Highlights:
- Can be designed in web browser
- Easy, intuitive design process
- Fast delivery
Once I had selected the style and upgrades for my book, I entered the design process right on my web browser. Saal offers three design options: Auto Layout, One-Minute Photobook, and PDF Upload. The One-Minute Photobook option seems to select page layouts and pre-fill them with your images, while the PDF option allows you to fully design your book with external software such as InDesign. Personally, I wanted to control the design process but am not quite so much of a graphic designer to be familiar with InDesign, so I opted for Auto Layout.
I chose to keep things simple and not add any extra borders or flourishes to my pages, but rather clean white borders and one image per page. However, I could have definitely gotten more creative with the design if I’d wanted to, I just found a simple page design to be best for emphasizing each photograph. In addition to the pictures, I was also able to add text boxes to my design. The browser-based design process was straightforward and intuitive. My biggest struggle was deciding which images to use! Fortunately, I was able to save my unfinished designs as separate projects, so that I could compare them and eventually select my favorite. Once I’d finally finished putting it all together, I placed my order and received the finished product in under a week!
Acrylic Photo Cover
Highlights
- Vibrant Color
- Crisp Details
- Glossy, Glass-Like Appearance
- Sturdy
Let me just start off by saying that I LOVE this Acrylic Cover on my photo book. It is vibrant, glossy, and really makes the book look special. This would be a gorgeous cover for a wedding album or other special occasion.
The cover itself is a thick, clear acrylic board with a photo backing. The photo shows through the acrylic, making it appear to be a thick almost glass-like print on the front of the book. I chose a minimalist photograph of an ombre sky with geese silhouettes because I really love the colors in that image and thought the minimal style would be better than a busier photo on the cover. At the bottom, I also used text boxes in the Saal designer to add a title and author line. All of these elements came out crisp and clear, and show well through the acrylic. One edge of the acrylic is covered by the binding, which I chose to be “black leatherette”. There was a wide variety of binding options (which cover the back of the book as well), including leatherette, linen, cork, and a faux wood pattern. The only downside I’ve found with the acrylic cover is that it picks up many smudges and fingerprints. Luckily, however, it is very easy to wipe clean. Overall, it’s a gorgeous cover for any photo book or album and a wonderful way to feature your favorite photo.
Page & Print Quality
Highlights
- Thick, Quality Paper
- Sharp Prints
- Lay-Flat Design
Saal Digital’s Professional Photo Book can be printed on either Glossy, Matte, or Silk paper. I opted for the Matte paper, described as “semi-gloss with a uniform structure,” “optimal color reproduction,” and “no fingerprints, fewer reflections”. I wanted to avoid the extra glare of glossy paper, and while I was intrigued by the silk paper (described as being ideal for portraiture, and having a unique honeycomb texture), I decided that it probably wasn’t best suited for my nature images.
The matte paper is thick, sturdy and does seem to have a bit of a semi-gloss sheen, which helps the images pop. The colors felt slightly darker than on my computer, but that is probably more due to my monitor not being properly calibrated or tested with Saal’s printing beforehand. However, it is a good reminder to make sure everything is calibrated properly and to maybe even order test prints before printing a finished product. Despite that, I felt that the color and detail came out very nicely for each of my images.
One feature of the Professional Photo Book is the lay-flat pages. I took advantage of this and specifically designed several two-page spreads within my book, where one image takes up the entire spread. The finished book does lay flat very well, and all of my spreads turned out great! This was also one of the reasons that I opted for the portrait-oriented 8.5×12 style, rather than any of the landscape-oriented books. With this size, I am able to display my portrait-oriented images easily, and can also have horizontal, lay-flat spreads.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a great photo book. Everything feels high-quality, durable, and really highlights the photography. Designing the book was easy, and I liked that I could do it straight from my web browser. The pages are thick with a semi-gloss, slightly textured surface that both feels and looks good. The acrylic cover is absolutely gorgeous and 100% a worthwhile upgrade that is sure to impress clients and viewers. I’m thrilled with my new photo book from Saal Digital, and hope to add some new books to my store soon!