The Bottom Line
FamilyMemories.com is an on-demand publishing service that has print quality down to a fine art. Their prices are reasonable for the quality work they provide and turn around times are good. Unfortunately, their software and website is a nightmare. Because the quality of the final product is so good I would still recommend this product, but only with the note that users should be prepared for a long and tedious process of creating their books and calendars.
Pros
- Extremely Flexible Design Capabilities
- Wonderful Print Quality
- Reasonable Pricing
Cons
- Software is extremely difficult to work with
- Previews of uploaded projects are not accurate
- Software only runs on Windows (Mac Version Being Developed)
Description
- Print Quality = Outstanding
- Product Quality (binding/paper/etc) = Excellent
- Turn Around Time = Very Good
- Design Flexibility = Outstanding
- Price = Reasonable
- Software = Disasterous
Guide Review - Review of FamilyMemories.com Photobook and Calendar Publishing
On the surface FamilyMemories.com sounds like a photographer's dream service. Their books and calendars are very well produced with excellent print quality. Their prices are reasonable and their turn around time is good. Then comes the software and things go horribly wrong.
The software allows for a nearly unlimited amount of customization but it is far from user friendly. I love the ability to put images and text anywhere on the page I want and at any size. However, the user interface simply spoils the experience. New pages do not show in the thumbnail tray (only the cover page shows) so it is difficult to make sure images aren't duplicated by accident. Template packages must be downloaded separately and one at a time. To get a true preview the projects must be uploaded to the site. Even then, calendars show up as books in the preview section so a real feel for how the finished product will look isn't possible.
The software allows for a nearly unlimited amount of customization but it is far from user friendly. I love the ability to put images and text anywhere on the page I want and at any size. However, the user interface simply spoils the experience. New pages do not show in the thumbnail tray (only the cover page shows) so it is difficult to make sure images aren't duplicated by accident. Template packages must be downloaded separately and one at a time. To get a true preview the projects must be uploaded to the site. Even then, calendars show up as books in the preview section so a real feel for how the finished product will look isn't possible.
Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy. Review Date: 2008
