Blurb Designer Photo Book Review (And 20% Off For You!)

I know I've mentioned it on occasion before, but I don't think I've really made anything about it on my blog - I used to have a photography business. I say "used to" because we no longer do large jobs (like weddings), though I do still do the odd job here and there for family pics and whatnot. Back when Shimer Photography was up and running, my husband and I prided ourselves on finding great products at a great price for our customers. When it came to photo books, we always used Blurb.com. 

Blurb is a wonderful book printing company. I have used them several times in the past and I have always been impressed with the quality of their printing. I was thrilled when they contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I would like to try out their new Designer Book software to create a book for myself and blog about it :) I mean, who wouldn't like a company that you love anyway to offer you something for free just to test it out? Right?! 

I made the 7" size Designer Book and used it as an opportunity to finally print some of my favorite shots from when I used to do experimental film photography (my obsession during college and how I met my husband). I used the Geneva template in the Designer Book category - I've always been a big fan of photos on a black background.

Some of my light shots.

The designer template made the creating process so easy! I've made Blurb books before and spent hours editing all the pages and setting up the templates how I wanted. The designer templates all have set page layouts that you just drag and drop your photos onto. Also, what made this even easier was that I uploaded all the photos from my Flickr account - no need to find each one on my hard drive! This was a serious selling feature and saved me LOADS of time as it's been years since I accessed the files on my computer. All I Had to do was plug in my Flickr name and password et voilà! All the photos I wanted were on Blurb and ready for me to place in the book.

Some panoramas from my trip to NYC.

I love that I was able to quickly make a book that I had always intended to make: just a small something so I can show my work when I don't have internet access (or don't want to be all ghetto and show them on my phone). I was honestly able to make this book in about 30 minutes - that's impressive, if I do say so myself.

Me being artsy in Paris.

(To see more of my book I made, go here)

I was thrilled to come in to work and find my book waiting for me and actually get to see all the photos together in print. It's a silly thing, but you can't help but feel proud when you see all your work together bound in a very professional looking book. The printing quality is fantastic and the pages are nice and thick with a satin finish-style lustre. There's a slight sheen, but no gloss so it feels more like I'm looking at a book I bought at a bookstore as opposed to a bunch of photos printed on glossy photo paper and bound together (I hate those! Sorry, just my pet peeve).

I really can't recommend Blurb's new Designer Books enough! The process was quick and easy and the results are professional looking and something I can be proud to show around :)

So in honor of launching their new Designer Books, Blurb is offering 20% OFF to my readers! Just go here to make your book with one of their designer templates and use promo code DESIGNMYBOOK at checkout to save 20%. Easy, right? This is a great opportunity to save  money but still get a lovely product you can be proud to showcase your photos with. But hurry! This offer code expires 3/31/13, so be sure to get yours before then :)

*I received a 7" Designer Book for Free from Blurb.com to facilitate my review, but all opinions expressed are 100% my own!