PhotoBook Canada Review:
A Good Option with One Important Tip
Since moving back to Canada in 2019, I’ve been searching for a reliable, local photo book company to print my family albums. I previously used Saal Digital, which I loved, but I was eager to find a Canadian alternative. That’s when I decided to give Photobook Canada a try.
Spoiler alert: I do recommend Photobook Canada, but there’s one critical tip—if you’re using professional or already-edited images, be sure to turn off the auto-correct feature when placing your order. This simple step can make a huge difference in the quality of your final product. Now, if that’s all you needed to know, great! But if you’re curious about my full experience, keep reading.
I ordered three photo books—one for myself, one for my mom, and one for my sister. Each book had many of the same photos, though I personalized them slightly for each recipient. I was excited to see how they’d turn out and compare the different paper options available.
The Cover Mishap
One thing that jumped out immediately was that one of the books arrived with a blank white cover. I was disappointed because I had designed a beautiful cover that, somehow, didn’t get printed. Unfortunately, there was no obvious warning message during checkout to alert me about the missing cover (or if there was, I didn’t notice it). So, when the book arrived, I was faced with this surprise. While frustrating, I’ll admit it was my mistake for not double-checking everything. Still, I think Photobook Canada could improve its system by highlighting potential issues like this during the ordering process. But I’ll let this one slide for the sake of this review.
Comparing Paper Types
I experimented with three different paper options: the default “silk” paper, an upgraded version of the silk paper, and their “photo” paper. Since paper quality can really affect the overall look and feel of the images, I was curious to see how each one performed.
- Default Silk Paper: The default silk paper is lightweight and has a smooth, glossy feel. While it was fine for everyday use, I didn’t feel it enhanced the images in any noticeable way.
- Upgraded Silk Paper: The upgraded silk paper is a bit thicker and sturdier. However, the difference in image quality between the default and the upgraded versions was negligible. If you’re thinking about upgrading for better color or sharpness, I’d recommend sticking with the default silk paper and saving your money.
- Photo Paper: The “photo” paper option was where I noticed a difference, but not entirely in the way I expected. The colors were better and more vibrant, but the images had a slightly blurry, soft look. I was hoping for a crisp, professional finish, but it wasn’t quite as sharp as a regular 4×6 print from a place like London Drugs, for example. (For those interested, I reviewed London Drugs’ print services here).
Color Issues: The Auto-Correct Problem
Now let’s talk about the major problem I encountered—color correction. Photobook Canada has an auto-correct feature that is turned on by default, and it drastically altered the appearance of many of my photos. The images I had carefully edited in Photoshop to have rich, dark tones were suddenly washed out and lacked the contrast I worked so hard to create.
The irony? My simple, quick phone snapshots turned out just fine. It seems like the auto-correct function is designed for average, everyday photos—like the ones you’d take with your phone—and does not handle professionally edited images well. The software likely identified my more artistic, darker images as “too dark” and automatically brightened them, resulting in a completely different look than I had intended.
Worse still, this issue wasn’t consistent across all the books. Some images were noticeably better in one book than another, despite being the exact same photo printed on different paper types. It was frustrating, to say the least, especially considering how much time I spent editing these images.
Here are some side-by-side comparisons of how the same image looked on different paper types:
Above: Premium silk paper (left) and photo lustre paper (right)
Neither looked like the original image! One was way too washed out and the other had blacks increased.
Above: On the left is a $0.39 print from London Drugs which I glued into a homemade book for my son. On the right is the way more expensive album from PhotobookCanada. (Super washed out!)
Above: Another $0.39 print from London Drugs vs the same photo in the printed album. Of note: I always request “no adjustments” to all my print orders from London Drugs (or anywhere for that matter) so this is not a case of someone personally color correcting my images at LD. They are printed exactly as I send them in.
Above left: premium silk paper. Above right: photo lustre paper. Both of these are “okay” but the photo on the left is lacking contrast and depth!
What Turned Out Well?
Not all was lost, though. Images with more typical scenes, like landscapes or photos with clear human subjects, turned out much better. The software seemed to handle these kinds of images without feeling the need to “correct” them. Black and white images also printed quite nicely, maintaining their contrast and depth.
Binding Options
Photobook Canada offers a few different binding options, and I tried two of them: perfect binding and lay-flat binding. The perfect binding doesn’t allow the book to lie flat, which means you lose part of the image in the fold. However, this option does allow for more pages in the book, which is a nice bonus if you have a lot of photos you want to include. Overall, both binding types were solid, and I had no issues with the durability or appearance of the binding.
Surprise Import Costs
One of the main reasons I chose Photobook Canada was that I wanted to support a Canadian company. I assumed, based on their website, that they were headquartered in Ontario. To my surprise, my books were shipped from Malaysia, and I was hit with an unexpected $21.45 import duty charge.
When I contacted customer service, they explained that Photobook Canada is part of a global company called Photobook Worldwide. While they strive to offer great products and customer service, all of their printing is done in Malaysia. They did, however, offer me store credit to cover the import duties, which was a nice gesture. Still, I would have preferred to know upfront that my books would be coming from overseas.
Summary
In the end, I spent many hours preparing these photo albums, and while they turned out fine for the most part, I was disappointed by the color issues caused by the auto-correct feature. This is why I cannot stress enough—if you’re using professional or carefully edited photos, make sure to turn off the auto-correct option when placing your order.
Would I recommend Photobook Canada? Yes, with that caveat. If you turn off the auto-correct feature and use a higher-quality paper, you can get a great photo book for a reasonable price. Just keep in mind that you might be hit with unexpected import duties, as the books are not actually printed in Canada.
Thanks for reading! I hope this helps you decide whether Photobook Canada is the right choice for your next photo album project.
Update: After contacting the company, I was given a free reprint of my book with the auto-correct turned off and upgraded paper. The results were much better! So, while the experience had its hiccups, I now feel more confident recommending them.
