It is easy to make your own album with TPG/ALBUMART. The easiest albums to build are the 8x8, 7x7, 6x6 and 5x5 sizes.

10x10 Albums 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. This is the standard size wedding/family album size.

Each album company offers a different group of mats. Mats will cover your prints. The more mats you have the more creative options you have. If you have alot of different size prints then you need a lot of mat options. Renaissance, Art Leather, and Zookbinders offer the most mat choices.

Use Renaissance or Zookbinders if you have alot of 4x6 prints.

If you have only a few prints sizes then all the albums are equally suitable.

Album Terminology:

ALL ALBUMS

• Cover: Album covers hold inserts and mats.
• Insert: a leaf or insert in the album forming two pages.
• Page: One side of an insert 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.
• Artist Tape: a 1/4" 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.

ART LEATHER:

• 700F Albums have a gold heel with gold page edging and gold embossed lines around window cut outs. Aristohyde material.
• Onyx Albums have a black heel and uses either black or silver edged pages. Mats have black embossing around window cut outs. Onyx uses Aristohyde cover material.
• Metro Collection uses bonded leather and have a black heel, uses black Onyx inserts and black mats with black embossing around window cut outs. Has rice paper interiors on inside of front and back cover.
• Metro Collection Natural Interiors have a gold heel and a "sepia" insert that has a creamy mottled ivory peach color with matching mats. Mats are blind embossed around window cuts. Uses bonded leather. Has rice paper interiors on inside of front and back cover. Limited mat selection.
• Cover Designs: Imprinted designs at added cost. click here.
• 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.
• 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 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. 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/Checks are accepted.

We hope we can provide you with a solution to save money by album self assembly.

For 8x8 and 7x7 Albums chose two vertical or two horizontal prints per page. For 6x6 and 5x5 Albums One Print per 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.

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