I originally posted this webliography three years ago, which is an eternity in the world of online commerce. I’m updating it for 2009 with, I hope, your help.

Here’s an alphabetical list of some of the online companies that offer you the ability to create and then have printed your own photo books or photo albums using digital pictures stored on your computer. Some services require you to download software (or have software already installed on your computer)  in order to use the book-design program; others allow you to design your book on the Web.

Most services require you to sign up (create an account) before telling you much about their offerings, including the all-important (to me) issue of what sorts of templates they offer and how much flexibility they have in terms of text. This makes comparison shopping very difficult, which may be the point, I don’t know. But it’s irritating.

I am still gathering information about each site and welcome consumer feedback and other references in comments. (A column on this topic is on this topic is posted here)

• Apple.com (through Mac’s iPhoto program)
• Blurb




• Creative Memories (a full-service scrapbook creator/publisher that appears to involve the aid of a “consultant”)




• First Edition Originals
• Heritage Makers (requires $10 minimum set-up fee and involves local consultants)




• Kodak Gallery
• Lulu
• My Publisher
• Our Hubbub
• Picaboo (Windows only)
• Polaroid — My Memories




• Photoworks
• Qoop
• RocketLife (Windows only)




• Shared Ink
• Shutterfly
• StoryTeller (Epson) (print-it-yourself kit)
  
• Snapfish (Hewlett-Packard)
• Tabblo (Also Hewlett Packard)
• Viovio
• Wal-Mart Digital Photo Center
• Walgreens
• Webshots
• Wink Flash

ConsumerSearch.com offers a meta-review of some of the more prominent sites updated in 2009 here.

Top Ten Reviews offers a feature comparison chart here.

CNet has a consumer forum on the topic here. The Photo Marketing Association’s most recent report on the Photo Book phenomenon is available in a .pdf file here.

Walter Mossberg, computer columnist for the Wall Street Journal, does field testing and gives a special thumbs up to to MyPublisher in  “Making your own coffee table book.” (July 20, 2005)  And  “ Creating your own photo book becomes easier.” (Dec. 6, 2006)

Articles on this subject from the Miami Herald and the Louisville Courier Journal and the Dallas Morning News are all friendly to MyPublisher, which is no doubt why the links to them all appear on the MyPublisher site. 

Snapfish links to an article in the San Diego Union Tribune.

In comparing Kodak, Shutterfly and Snapfish, the Washington D.C. local NBC TV affiliate gave the nod to Shutterfly.

Maclife.com offers  “(Way) Beyond iPhoto: Making Books with Blurb.”

An earlier blog entry of mine on this topic is here.