Question about the rise of custom photo album binding

I was at a craft fair in Portland last weekend and three different booths were selling hand bound photo albums. One artist told me she gets about 20 orders a month just for those, which is way more than her other book work. It got me thinking that maybe people are getting tired of digital photos and want a real object again. The albums I saw used simple pamphlet stitch but with really nice decorative paper for the covers. Has anyone else seen more demand for this kind of project lately, or found a good source for thick, photo-safe paper?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan_murphy8023d ago

Real object again"? My phone's photo library is the real object.

hollywhite23d ago

That's a really interesting point from ivan_murphy80. A digital file is technically a real thing, it's just made of data instead of paper. The feeling of holding a photo album is nice, but it's just a feeling. My phone library holds thousands of memories I can share in seconds, which is pretty real too. A printed photo can get lost or damaged just as easy as a corrupted file.

ryanc5723d ago

Saw the same thing at a local market here. People definitely want something they can hold and put on a shelf. The albums sell because they feel special, not just another file on a phone. For paper, I've had good luck with the heavier cardstock from the art supply store downtown, it doesn't seem to damage prints.