It is easy to make your own album with ALBUMART. The easiest albums to build are the 7x7 and 5x5 sizes as they use one print per side.
10x10 Albums This is the standard size wedding/family album size. Outside dimensions are about 12" x 12" and vary in size a bit between album lines.
They are slightly harder to layout and design then the smaller albums, but offer more layout choices, more prints in the albums and more story telling for larger weddings/needs.
Mats will cover your prints. Mats are square so rotate 360 degress for more print display options.
If you have a lot of different size prints then you need a lot of mat options.
ALBUM TERMINOLOGY: ALL ALBUMS
- Cover: Album covers hold inserts and mats
- Insert: a leaf or insert in the album forming two pages or sides.
- Page: One side of an insert leaf holding one mat.
- Mat: A square mat board die cut with window cut outs forming a design to cover prints. Can be rotated 360 degrees as it is square in size.
- Window Cutouts: Holes that are die cut in mat board to "frame" prints underneath
- Imprinting: Stamping the cover of the album with name and date or Monogram or cover design. Comes in Black, Silver, or Gold or Branded depending on album company.
- Cameo: On the album cover some want to use a picture. Made of metal and is oval in shape. Color varies between manufacturers.
- Image Cut Out: On Album Cover. Manufacturer cuts hole in cover material [without framing device like in cameo] for more contemporary way to add picture to cover. More expensive then cameo.
- Embossing: Mats come with black or gold foil printing around the window cut outs. Zookbinders offers no embossing for a cleaner look.
- Cover Designs: Imprinted designs at added cost.
- Artist Tape: a 3/8" roll of white acid free tape that is easily repositioned if necessary, does not become "gooey" and is archival. Used to tape prints to the back side of mats if desired. Used in place of Hermafix tape for more professional look to album. Comes on 60 yard roll with 3" core. We find one roll covers a 36 mat 10x10 album in any print configuration.
- Hermafix Tape: 1000 squares of double sided acid free tape. The best there is. Used to affix prints permanently in place in album.
ALBUM LANGUAGE: Is a bit confusing since it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. We try to use the same language for almost all albums to simplify your browsing between album companies. Think of a book. You read page one, turn the leaf or insert, to read page two. So an insert holds two sides (pages) with a mat sliding into each page.
An insert holds two pages = two mats. Mats are included in price!
ALBUM PRICE: The price of the album includes the cover, all inserts and all mats. Extras are name and date imprinting if desired, other cover options, and shipping/handling. Shipping/Handling
Costs: E-mail us for shipping once you know the size of albums, number, and number of pages in each album.
Shipping is determined by weight and box size by UPS and shipping distance. Many of our clients order multiple items at a time. This is why we quote shipping/handling costs. We also ship to seven countries... Many albums are custom made to fit the number of mats you want to put in album. This is why is takes so long to receive your album.
If you had 24 8x10s it would take 24 mats/pages(sides)... one per page.
HOW TO PROCEED: Price and print sizes determine what album you want.
Price seems to point people to certain albums. Why study an album you don't want to afford to buy? Decide on what album fits your prints need first. This requires a bit of studying the mat configurations of each manufacturer. I would printout the mat guides for easy review. You need to know your prints sizes first. Measure if in doubt. Many guess at prints sizes and then find they ordered the wrong mats. A little time spend making sure is well rewarded with nor errors on your part and no mat exchange needed.
MAT EXCHANGE: If you make a mistake you are allowed to return mats for GP 500/600/602 Albums. Most often everything is correct. Some find only a mat or two incorrect and cheaper to just order the replacement mats. If you have a lot of mats wrong then it is worth to pay for box to put them in and postage to return for free exchange. NOTE: Mats MUST arrive in like new condition or no trade out allowed. We throw away bent mats just like you do. INQUIRE for packing instructions.
FANCY MATS: TIP: If you want trouble free print matching to mats then use ONLY RECTANGLE and SQUARE openings rather than fancy window openings such as ovals, circles, octagons etc. WHY? They hide much more of the print then you would EVER imagine cutting off individuals heads and other important subject matter in the prints, rendering the mats not usable. We find the very best photographers also stay away from fancy mats, emphasizing their photography over mat opening effects. They are also classic. Not "hokey". We however do receive orders for them especially in Art Leather and Renaissance orders... so just make sure the print subject matter has a lot of room around them to allow being hide by the mat.
Mat guides for each album is found on each album's homepage. Click album photo on Index Page or go to Sitemap to go a particular album's homepage.
Once you settle on an album, bookmark that homepage. All your links are on this page. Surf the links to understand all your options for that album.
Since the album is often custom made, decide on how you want YOUR album made just for you!
DESIGNING AN ALBUM: A helpful pre-visualization tool is to cut cardboard or poster board the size of the album you are ordering. Two sheets forming a left and right page.
For 10x10 albums use 12"x12" size template.
For 8x8 albums use 10"x10" template.
Gather all your prints you want to use in the album. Group together similar images, tell a story. Put 'getting ready together' Brides portraits and family and attendants together, Groom's portrait and family and groomsmen together, waiting for ceremony, processional, ceremony, after ceremony formals, beginning of reception, cake cutting etc., slow dancing together, wild dancing together, candids at tables and talking together, {use these to fill a page if necessary so cake cutting and feeding, etc. are on a spread facing each other} leaving shots ETC.
Each page tells a story and has a theme, sometimes you may need a 'fill page' to get the pages to display across from each other. In other words, even pages are on the left, odd pages on the right.
Lay your prints out on the floor in a room you can leave them set up for a time.... --> no kids or animals to step on prints! ----> go around the room.
Shuffle prints moving them around working with the mat selection and print choices til you get it to work. Yes it takes time, this is why photographer's charge what they do....
Make it fun!
As it comes together the excitement builds! With a little perseverance you will have an album that you made yourself and is professional. You will save 33% off retail with our albums! The actual album assembly is quite easy, as you can see from the above web page [installation of mats] .
4x6 Prints Tip: If you have 4x6 prints they can be laid under the 4x5 windows [even 3.5x5 windows] so you can get more prints in the album.
- To use 4x5 window cutout to see how they look, take a piece of paper and cut a 3.5" by 4.5" rectangular window and use to lay over 4x6 prints to see if it will be usable under a 4x5 mat. The mat covers up 1/4 inch of the prints on all sides, much like a frame does. You can use to center groups, crop foregrounds etc.
- To use 3.5x5 window cutout, take a piece of paper and cut a 3" by 4.5" rectangular window and use to lay over 4x6/5x5/4x5 and 3.5x5 prints to see if it will be usable under a 3.5x5 mat. You can use to center groups, crop foregrounds etc.
If you are still having your negatives printed, contemporary albums provide more prints smaller in size to tell a more complete story and use full page 8x10's [10x10/8x8/7x10/6x8/5x10] to highlight a favorite image, a group, a portrait. Use your smaller prints to include more family and friends in the album.
Albums always have an even number of pages (sides). A page is one side holding one mat. To specify your mat selections, as you design each page use a 'post it note' to ID the mat, and place with the prints. After you are all done, tallying up the total number of similar mats. You might use Art Leather Mats: 6- 101-8x10, 2- 201-5x7, 2 - 207 -5x7, 4- 401-4x5 or Renaissance Mats: 3 - MS801, 5 - MS805, 5 - MS867 etc...
List quantity of each mat, and Mat Code. Just write these out clearly making sure you have all you need in the correct number.
ALBUM COST: The cost of the album includes, cover, insert pages and mats. Imprinting and Shipping charges are extra.
PAYMENT FORM: Checks, Mastercard/Visa, American Express/ Debit Cards are accepted. Also PayPal.
We hope we can provide you with a solution to save money by album self assembly.
7x7 ALBUMS
Perfect Parent Album for 5x7 prints.
7x7 Albums use one or two prints per mat. The largest prints are 7x7 and 5x7 prints. Chose two vertical or two horizontal prints per mat in 3.5x5 size. ART LEATHER, RENAISSANCE and GP 600/602 makes this size album
For 4x6 prints use a 7x7 Album size.
Perfect Parent Album for 12 - 60 4x6 prints.
One 4x6 Print per mat page. All mats  rotate 360*. Gather all your prints you want to use in the album. Group together similar images, tell a story. Put 'getting ready together' , Brides portraits and family and attendants together, Groom's portrait and family and groomsmen together, waiting for ceremony, processional, ceremony, after ceremony formals, beginning of reception, cake cutting etc., slow dancing together, wild dancing together, candids at tables and talking together, leaving shots.
Each page tells a story and has a theme, sometimes you may need a 'fill page' to get the pages to display across from each other. In other words, even pages are on the left, odd pages on the right.
Albums always have an even number of pages (sides). Lay your prints out on the floor in a room you can leave them set up for a time.... --> no animals [or kids] to step on prints! ----> go around the room.
Shuffle prints moving them around working with the mat selection and print choices til you get it to work. Make it fun, as it comes together the excitement builds!
With a little perseverance you will have an album that you made yourself and is professional. You will save 33% off retail with our albums!
The actual album assembly is quite easy, as you can see from this link... [installation of mats] .
Tip: If you have 4x6 prints they can be laid under the 4x5 windows and 3.x5 window openings.
- To use 4x5 window cutout to see how they look, take a piece of paper and cut a 3.5" by 4.5" rectangular window and use to lay over 4x6 prints to see if it will be usable under a 4x5 mat. The mat covers up 1/4 inch of the prints on all sides, much like a frame does. You can use to center groups, crop foregrounds etc.
- To use 3.5x5 window cutout, take a piece of paper and cut a 3" by 4.5" rectangular window and use to lay over 4x6/5x5/4x5 prints to see if it will be usable under a 3.5x5 mat. You can use this for 4x5 and 3.5x5 size proof prints also. In this case the mat covers up 1/4 inch of the prints on all sides, much like a frame does. You can use to center groups, crop foregrounds etc.
5x5 ALBUMS
5X5 ALBUM
Largest print is 5x5, 4x5, 3.5x5’s can be viewed Horizontal and Vertical. All mats totally rotate. Considered a Parent Album. We sell the most of this size to fit Proof Prints from photographers. 4x6 prints can fit under 4x5 window but you lose ½" on both sides. The perfect Parent Album. Not too big.
For 4x6 prints use a 7x7 Album size. TOP |
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WEDDING ALBUM INFO Most professional albums are square so that when you display both 8x10 vertical and horizontal images [any rectangle print]. You don't have to rotate the album to view the prints. Hence 10x10 album, 7x7, 5x5 are the most popular and used album sizes.
Square Mats are made to rotate within the album so you always have proper viewing. Open Mat Installation to see how the mats are installed on most insert style albums.
Most manufacturer's don't accommodate 4x6 prints very well because of the size of the prints. Two 4x6 laid horizontal across makes a total of 12 inches. To keep the albums from being too large, two 4x5 across is the standard.
As you know 4x5 is not an standard lab size, but 4x6 and 3.5x5 sizes are.
5x7/4x6/3.5x5 prints are produced from 35mm negatives and from digital cameras.
4x5 prints are made from medium format 645 negatives.
5x5 prints are made from medium format 6x6 square negatives.
DELIVERY TIMES
It takes about 4 weeks for the album to be custom made.
Custom albums are not returnable.
Imprinted albums are Not returnable.
The Album manufacturer's
won't take them back.
ALBUM ORDER FORM
Use the Album Order Form to order, found on each Album Homepage. Each album has it's own order form to ask all the correct questions pertinent to that particular album. It will ask you all the right questions! Pretty Easy!
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MAT DETAILS: The mats are cut with an aperture window a 1/4" smaller than the print measurement. Like a photo frame. This allows sliding the print under the mat and centering the print and even twisting the print to straighten horizon lines etc. Most photographers worth their salt know this and shoot slightly loose to compensate for this. Photographers who don't do albums might forget this fact and shoot too tight. Ouch!
Below sizes are not exact as each manufacturer as their own specs, so make prints standard print sizes of 8x10, 5x7, 4x6, 4x5, 5x5, 3.5x5 if you are sizing digital images in PhotoShop.
GUIDE TO WINDOW OPENINGS:
8x10 Aperture has a live area of 7.5x9.5
8x8 = 7.5x7.5 use 8x10 and cut to square
7x10 = 6.5x9.5
5x10 = 4.5x9.5
5x7 = 4.5x6.5
5x5 = 4.5x4.5 use 5x7 and cut to square
4x6 = 3.5x5.5
4x5 = 3.5x4.5
4x4 Image Cut Out On Cover = 3.5x3.5 = use 4x6 and cut to square 4x4
If the image is too loose (has a lot of extra room around the subject) you can slip under smaller aperture window size to effectively "zoom" in the print without reprinting.To visualize this simply cut these above dimensions out on paper and hold over print. This presents the "LIVE AREA" seen under the mat. You might use a 4x6 under a 3.5x5 window giving you a live area seen on the print of 3x4.5. It covers up the rest of the print. Makes the main subject appear closer! If need be you can take a scissors and cut the print when assembling if you can't position it correctly when taping in print. Since the print is covered by the mat, a rough edge cut doesn't matter since it is covered by the mat. If you are anal then use a paper cutter.... LOL... If you make a mistake cutting the print...ooops you have to reprint it. Yes it happens! If you have a 4x6 print and put it under a 4x5 aperture opening the live area that shows is 3.5x4.5. In some cases it cuts off important people! Bummer! So then reprint this image 3.5.x5 size so you get the whole image. Then use the 3.5x5 aperture size mat.
PROPORTIONS:
4x6 Proofs Have same crop as: 2.5x3.5 (wallet), 3.5x5, 5x7, 7x10, 8x12
{Many Pro Labs make 7x10 prints and mats are made also}
4x5 prints have same crop as: 8x10
Square Prints: To visualize this scenario: Take and cut a 3.5x3.5 window in a piece of paper. Hold against a 4x6 print. If you like what you see, you can make either a 8x10 print and later cut to 8x8 or make a 5x7 print and later cut to 5x5 print. Then order these mat window sizes. This often works great for reception candids, cake cutting etc. 5x5 = 4.5x4.5 use 5x7 and cut to square
8x8 = 7.5x7.5 use 8x10 and cut to square.
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