✦ Guide
Photobook or photo album: which one should you print?
In Egypt people say “album” for both, but they are different objects. One is printed and bound like a book; the other holds loose prints in sleeves. Here is how they compare.
In short
A photobook is printed directly on its pages and bound like a book, so the photos and the layout are one object; a photo album holds separate prints in sleeves or on sticky pages that you fill yourself. A photobook is slimmer, lasts better and reads as a story; an album is easy to add to over time. Tru Photo Books makes photobooks: an A5 hardcover from your own photos, 26 or 50 pages of 200 gsm archival matte paper, printed and bound in Cairo and delivered across Egypt.
What is the difference between a photobook and a photo album?
A photo album is a binder for prints. You print photos one by one, usually at 10 × 15 cm, and slide them into plastic sleeves or press them onto sticky pages. The album and the photos are separate things.
A photobook is printed as a book. The photos are printed directly on the pages, in the layout you choose, and the pages are bound into a cover. There is nothing to slide in and nothing to fall out: the book is the photos.
Photobook vs photo album at a glance
| Photobook | Photo album | |
|---|---|---|
| How the photos get in | Printed on the pages | Separate prints slid into sleeves |
| Layout | One or several photos a page, full-page photos | One print per sleeve, same size |
| Thickness | Slim, like a book | Bulky once full |
| Adding photos later | No: one finished book | Yes, until the sleeves run out |
| Lasts | Well: nothing to slip or fade behind plastic | Prints can slip or stick to sleeves |
| Reads as | A story, in order | A collection |
Which one should you choose?
- Choose a photobook for a story
- A wedding, a summer, a trip, a gift: anything with a beginning and an end reads better as a book.
- Choose an album to keep adding
- If you want somewhere to slide in prints over the years, a slip-in album stays open-ended.
- Choose a photobook for a gift
- It arrives finished and ready to give, with no prints to sort and no sleeves to fill.
- Booth strips work with both
- Strips from a photo booth night can be slid into an album as they are, or scanned and printed inside a photobook.
Photobook or album: questions
Is a photobook the same as a photo album?
No. A photobook has the photos printed on its pages and is bound like a book; a photo album holds separate prints in sleeves.
Which lasts longer, a photobook or an album?
A well-bound hardcover photobook on heavy archival paper lasts very well, with no prints to slip out or stick to plastic sleeves.
Can I add photos to a photobook later?
No. A photobook is one finished object; for a later set of photos, make a second book.
Which is better for a wedding?
A photobook usually suits the wedding day better, because it tells the day in order and arrives finished.
What does the Arabic word ألبوم صور mean here?
In Egypt, “ألبوم صور” is used for both. A “فوتو بوك” is the printed, bound kind; Tru Photo Books makes that kind.
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