There are some photos that are simply too good to live between screenshots, blurry dinner pics and whatever else is hiding in your camera roll.
A photo book gives them somewhere better to be. But then comes the question of what kind. Square or landscape? Hardcover, softcover or fabric?
The answer depends less on rules and more on what you’re making. A weekend in Lisbon might call for something small and chic. A wedding album you’ll keep for decades calls for a little more room. And the photos you never tire of looking at? They belong on the coffee table.
Consider this your guide to Papier’s photo book sizes – what they look like, how they compare and which might suit your photos best.
What is the difference between a photo album and a photo book?
A photo album traditionally holds individual printed photographs, while a photo book has your photographs printed directly onto its pages. Both are made for keeping memories close, but a photo book lets you bring photographs together into a considered layout – creating a book that tells the story as you turn the pages.
Think of it as your camera roll, with a very good edit.
What photo book sizes are available?
Papier photo books come in a range of sizes and formats, from compact 6.5 × 6.5" square hardcovers to larger landscape, fabric and softcover books.
Square plays nicely with almost anything – portraits, landscapes and the wonderfully inconsistent mix most of us take. Landscape favors wider shots – sweeping views, long tables and group photos – while portrait is made for vertical images and has a more classic, book-like proportion.
Then there’s size. Smaller formats keep things compact and personal, while larger books let a great image take up the page.
For something more tactile, there’s fabric. Available in square, landscape and portrait formats, the fabric cover gives the finished book a more considered, keepsake feel – particularly lovely for weddings, milestone moments or a book made to be kept for years. Softcovers, meanwhile, offer a lighter, more everyday take.
What sizes are Papier softcover photo books?
Papier’s softcover photo books are available in 8 × 6" and 8.5 × 11". They offer a more relaxed way to gather photographs together – think vacations, a year in pictures or simply the photos you want somewhere other than your phone.
How do Papier photo book sizes compare?
Papier’s hardcover photo books range from a compact 6.5 × 6.5" square to a generous 11" x 8.5" landscape format.
At the smaller end, 6.5 × 6.5" feels compact and personal – particularly good for a tightly edited collection or a gift. The 8.5 × 8.5" square is our bestseller, with a little more scale while still being easy to pick up and flick through. Larger formats, including 10 × 10", 11 × 8.5" and 12" × 9", give photographs more impact on the page.
The choice is less about which size is “best” and more about how you want the finished book to feel.
How many photos fit in each photo book size?
The number of photos you can include depends on page count and the layouts you choose, rather than the physical size of the book alone.
Choosing a larger book doesn’t mean filling it with more. The extra scale can be used to make individual photographs bigger, give favorites a page of their own or create more generous layouts. So ask yourself: more photos, or more of each photo? Both make for a very different book.
Should I choose a square or landscape photo book?
Choose square for a varied collection of portrait, landscape and square photographs. Choose landscape if your collection contains lots of horizontal images or photographs where you want to preserve a wider view.
Square has balanced proportions that work particularly well when you’re bringing together photographs taken in different orientations – as tends to happen with vacations, family photos and the very best sort of camera roll chaos.
Landscape has a little more drama. Wide wedding photos, horizons, long tables and cityscapes all have space to unfold across the page.
Still undecided? Look through the photos you know you want to include. Their orientation may have already made the decision for you.
What size photo book makes a good gift?
For gifting, a smaller photo book is a lovely place to start. Its scale feels personal and considered – particularly for a tightly edited collection of photographs.
Rather than trying to fit in every photo you’ve ever taken together, choose the ones that say something. A brilliant weekend. A summer you still talk about. Twelve months of a very small person becoming considerably less small.
For bigger milestones, a larger hardcover or fabric photo book can turn the gift into more of a keepsake. Because sometimes the best present is simply proof that you remembered.
What is the best photo book size for a coffee table?
For the coffee table, bigger is better. A square or landscape hardcover gives photographs plenty of scale – and looks rather good left out, too. Fabric works beautifully here, too.
What goes inside is up to you. A summer well spent, a favorite city, the wedding, the year in pictures. The sort of photographs you’d happily have someone flick through while you make the drinks.
A coffee-table book should earn its place there.
What is the best photo book size for a wedding?
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Landscape works particularly well for wide shots – group photos, tablescapes and a dance floor in full swing – while square is an easy choice for a gallery that moves between portrait and landscape photography.
For parents, grandparents or anyone else who’ll want their own copy, a smaller hardcover makes a thoughtful gift.
You may have hundreds of photographs from the day. The book doesn’t need all of them. Keep the ones that take you straight back.
So, what photo book size should you choose?
Start with your photographs. Smaller formats work beautifully for tightly edited collections and gifts. The 8.5 × 8.5" bestseller is an easy all-rounder, while larger hardcover and fabric formats have the scale for weddings, big trips and coffee-table books.
Then consider shape. A varied collection sits happily in square; sweeping horizontal photographs feel at home in landscape.
