Please look below to see if your question has already been answered. If not, please contact us and we’ll get back to you within 2 business days.
You shouldn’t! If you enjoy making your own photo books, and have the time to do it – go ahead! We’re always happy to give some pointers and suggestions if you are considering DIY. However, we know for many people photo books remain on the “to do” list because there’s just not enough hours in the day to do everything you want to do. If this is you, we’d love to help bring your books to life. Go to top of page
There’s a number of reasons why printing photos is such a good idea. These are our top two:
(1) There is something extra special about being able to hold your photos, physically turning the pages, and feeling the texture of the paper under your fingertips. For the same reason that paper books and newspapers haven’t completely given in to electronic versions, printed photos are still alive and well.
(2) Printing your photos helps to future proof your images. Many experts believe that although the current generation of children are the most photographed ever, they are also the least likely to have baby photos of themselves once they reach adulthood. Our current reliance on data storage technology that hasn’t been proven over time is risky. Printing your photos in a book provides another avenue for protecting those memories for generations to come. Go to top of page
We design using our own templates in Adobe Photoshop, individually placing every photo to bring out its best. Where necessary we will modify the templates in order to make your memories shine. We promise to never use an “auto-fill” function. Go to top of page
No. We choose to print exclusively through MomentoPro . MomentoPro is an Australian company and it has a proven track record of excellence in quality of printing and materials. Go to top of page
Let’s have a chat! We love trying new things and will help you out if at all possible. Go to top of page
The average time from order and photo submission until first draft of a book is 2 weeks. The average time for printing and shipping is 3 weeks. Expidited design and print services are available for an additional fee – this is equivalent to double the non-expidited book price. Please be aware that some products may have different design and production times and that delays may also occur during peak periods.
There are a couple easy things that you can do to speed up the design process:
– Submit all your photos and text at the same time.
Giving us more images once the design process has started will slow your book considerably, particularly if we need to do complete page redesigns.
– Ensure you have provided us with a regularly checked email address
We will email you with a “page flip” style preview once the design process has finished. We will not proceed with printing until you have approved the draft (after corrections if necessary). If you would like us to notify you via another method (e.g. SMS) that your proof has been emailed, please indicate this on the order form
– Complete proofing quickly and decisively
Proofing the book is an easy process, and most people find that only one or two changes are required. We are happy to take as long as it takes to get a book you love. However, taking considerable time to look over your proof and notify us of corrections will result in production delays and this should be considered at time of order, particularly if you have a strict deadline (e.g. birthday).
– Pay invoices on time
As we are a custom design company, we are unable to start design work until a deposit has been paid. The balance of payment is due after proofing, before we send your book to print. Delay in paying either of these will result in production delays. Go to top of page
You can find a price list here Go to top of page
No, sorry. This is not a service we provide. Go to top of page
The default paper for custom photo books and gift books is 170gsm satin. This is a lovely paper with a quality feel and slight sheen. Paper upgrades are available for all projects upon request. Please see Momento Pro paper options for more information. Please be aware that not all papers are available with all book sizes. We are happy to discuss options that will fit your specific requirements at time of order.
Flush mount albums have the choice of two papers: 0.6mm cotton rag, or 1.1 cotton rag (rigid). More information about these papers can be found here: Momento Pro flush mount paper options. Go to top of page
The default cover option for custom photo books and gift books is matte or gloss printed. We will design a cover to your preferences (please note that complex designs will incur an additional fee) and are happy to provide examples of previous cover designs and suggestions if you are unsure what you want. Experience has taught us that most customers find it easier to settle on a cover design after seeing the first proof, so don’t worry if you are unsure what you want to begin with.
The default cover option for flush mount albums is linen (multiple colours available).
Other cover materials available for all books include linen, deluxe (Faux leather), silk, and genuine leather. More information can be found here: Momento Pro cover materials
Text embossing is available on most cover materials. We will happily provide more information upon enquiry. Go to top of page
Items in bold are the default sizes for that style of book.Other sizes available upon request.
Gift books (individual and group)
Landscape: A5 (210x148mm); A4 (297x210mm)
Custom photo books
Landscape: A5 (210x148mm); A4 (297x210mm); A3 (420x297mm)
Portrait: A5 (148x210mm); A4 (210x297mm)
Square: Small (148x148mm); Regular (210x210mm); Grande (297x297mm)
Flush mount albums
Square: Regular (210x210mm); Large (254x254mm); Grande (297x297mm)
Landscape and Portrait: Coming soon
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We accept cash (in person), direct deposit, or paypal (2.5% surcharge will apply). 50% deposit is due at time of order, with the remainder due after proofing, before your book is sent to print. Go to top of page
Custom photo books (including flush mount albums): click here
Gift books: click here
Group gift books: click here
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We happily provide free, tracked shipping with all Australian orders. We will use either Australia Post, or a courier sourced through Sendle courier hub, depending on your location.
Express and international post available for an extra fee.
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A traditional book is bound in a spine similar to those found in novels, etc. In traditional books, content placed close to the centre may be tucked slightly into the centre seam (gutter). We design with extra room in the centre to compensate for this, however in some cases (e.g. a photo stretched across two pages; or an extra thick book) content in the very centre may be hard to see. Traditional books have a wide variety of paper options (170gsm satin default) and the full range of cover materials.
A lay-flat book is printed on hinged paper. The hinge of this paper is bound in a similar method to that used on traditional books – i.e. there is still a seam in the middle of the book, even though the pages themselves lay near-flat. This will appear as a thin black line in the middle of a two page spread, so there will be a disruption to a photo stretched over the two pages, even though you will not lose any content. Lay-flat books are available in 3 different paper finishes (matte, lustre and gloss) and the full range of cover materials.
A flush mount album is printed on one large piece of paper for each double page spread. This is gently scored underneath to provide crisp folding, but when opened, the seam disappears and there is no gutter. These albums provide the greatest flexibility of design as layouts are not limited by having to account for the gutter. Flush mount albums are a premium product, using the finest quality paper and ink, as well as having a thicker cover (6mm). Please note that printed covers are not available with this product. Go to top of page
We recommend a minimum of 15 photos for a standard custom photo book. Less than this is possible, but please contact us prior to order to discuss your specific requirements.
The maximum number of photos will vary depending on the book, paper, and cover options chosen. In general, we recommend a maximum of 300 photos in a standard A4 landscape book. However, please note, this is a guide only. If you place an order that includes a large number of photos we will contact you to discuss options prior to commencing design work. Go to top of page
There are several options for the inclusion of text within your book.
– Large bodies of text can be saved in Doc format and given to us at the same time as the photos with instructions as to where you would like them to fall within the book (eg: introduction page, last page, before 20th December photos, etc).
– Page captions located either at the bottom of the page, or integrated into the layout
– Title pages either at the beginning of the book, or throughout
– Handwritten notes on plain, unlined, white paper can be given to us. We can scan this text and print it within the book, just as if you had written directly on the page. This is especially nice for a milestone birthday book.
Obviously it is more difficult for us to caption your memories than it would be for you. If you do want page captions, we suggest one of the following:
– The date the photos on that page were taken (we can usually get this from the photos. Will not work for scanned photos)
– The month the photos on that page (and following) were taken (we can usually get this from the photos. Will not work for scanned photos)
– The general location. For example, in a travel album, you could give us the photos saved in different folders for each location.
Captioning on individual photos is possible, but we suggest keeping this to a minimum, as it can tend to “clutter up” the pages. We suggest reserving this feature for photos with extra special memories attached.
We are happy to work with you if you have other ideas, but please be aware that if the caption needs are complex and time consuming extra fees may apply. Go to top of page
10 years of designing photo books has helped us to become experienced in the art of telling a story through your photos. Before starting the design of your photo book, we look through all the photos you have submitted, enabling us to get a feel for your book’s subject as a whole.
Regarding the date and time of photos; assuming that you have the correct date and time saved on the device you were taking the photos with, this information is saved as invisable “metadata” inside your photo file. If you have asked us to order your photos by date we will access this data and proceed accordingly. Please note that this does not apply for photos that have been scanned, or photos that have been taken with a phone or camera that has the incorrect date set.
You will always be sent a proof of your book to check over prior to it going to print – if we have made a mistake, we will gladly make the required changes. Go to top of page
Yes. Prices upon inquiry. For discounts to apply, no changes can be made to the book design.
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Yes, as long as both books are the same type (i.e. traditional, lay-flat, and flush mount albums) and orientation.
Please be aware that we will design the book for the size specified at time of order, margins between photos and page borders may not be optimal for different book sizes.
You may also order the same book in different cover and paper combinations.
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Anything you would like! The most common choice for custom photo books and flush mount albums is to leave the background white. This provides a classic, undated feel. However, we are able to choose colours to tone with the photos on a page, or use a colour theme throughout the book if you prefer. We also have a selection of purchased digital paper backgrounds available upon request, or we can source a new item if you have a specific requirement (additional fee will apply). Go to top of page
Yes, you can. We recommend against this for most photo books as it tends to date the book quicker. However, we are happy to source themed clipart if you have a special requirement. Please note that we will only use clipart that has a commercial license and that is available at a suitable resolution for printing. Additional charges will apply for most clipart use. Go to top of page
The “choose my photos for me” option has been designed for people who do not have the time to go through all their photos and pick out the ones they would like included in the photo book. Simply load all your photos onto a USB or portable hard drive, and we will happily sort through them and choose a sample of photos that we feel best represents the story being told by your collection.
The price of your book will be determined by the amount of photos used in your final book, and not the amount submitted. As this is not known at the beginning of the design process, we will provide an estimate at time of order, and a final book price at time of proofing. This final book price may be higher or lower than the initial estimate.
If you are worried about the cost blowing out, you are welcome to “cap” the number of photos that we may select for use. Otherwise, you are welcome to instruct us to remove certain photos or pages during proofing, in order to decrease the price of the book. Go to top of page
This is not an option offered by our printer. Go to top of page
The Nimsy Books logo is located on the bottom left corner of the back cover on all products with a printed cover or dust jacket. It is not featured on other cover materials.
Nimsy Books does not put our logo on photo books ordered under a professional services agreement. Go to top of page
Preferred methods are:
– Online photo submission via a file transfer site such as Dropbox,
– USB thumb drive,
– External hard drive,
– CD/DVD.
Please do not submit your photos via email. They will not all fit in the same email, meaning that you risk some or all of your photos going missing if one of the emails does not come through. Also, some email programs will compress your photos by default, meaning that quality is lost without you knowing.
If submitting old photos for scanning, we recommend dropping them to us (if local), or using tracked, signature-on-delivery postage. Nimsy Books takes no responsibility for items lost in transit.
Postage of photos (digital or hardcopy) to Nimsy Books is at the expense of the sender. We will return your photos with your completed book. Go to top of page
We accept jpg images. We also have high resolution image scanning available for an additional fee for old photos, slides, and negatives. Go to top of page
For most of our products you will be asked at ordering whether or not you would like us to make basic corrections to your photos (such as light balance and red-eye removal). If this option is not chosen, we do not touch your photos.
We never make adjustments to photos taken by a professional as these are edited by them to their specifications. If you are not happy with the editing job your photographer has completed, please discuss this with them.
Basic colour correction and scratch removal is included as standard with our image scanning service. We will provide you with both the original and touched up digital image. Please note, this is a basic service only and does not cover extensive repair work. Go to top of page
In most cases, yes. Photo books are at their best when their images are well balanced and this is done through careful cropping and placement of photos. At no time are your original images modified, so if during proofing you aren’t happy with a crop, we can easily change it back. You are also welcome to let us know if there are specific images that you would like cropped more or less at time of order. Go to top of page
The larger the better. At a minimum, images must be 300dpi when in the page design, ready for print. If they are greater than this to begin with, it allows us more freedom to manipulate your images and include enlargements in your book. We recommend a minimum of 600dpi where possible.
Images downloaded from social media are usually not sufficient quality to include. If there are photos with special memories attached that you can only access this way, we can generally work around the issue by keeping them small. If there are social media photos you would like to include, we recommend contacting your friend or family member who has posted into see if they can send you original copies.
Please do not try to speed up the process of photo submission by reducing the file size of your photos. It is very important that they are still in their original size when they get to us. Go to top of page
You can, but please be aware that your final product may be of lower quality than if you were to utilise our scanning service. There are many tricks to getting a good photo scan, particularly when scanning old, matte finish images. We are also able to scan from negatives and slides – this functionality is not included in most home scanners. You can find more information about our scanning services here. Go to top of page
We don’t recommend this for several reasons:
– It is hard to avoid shadows or glare on the surface of the photo
– It is hard to take a perfectly straight photo. Taking from even a slight angle will warp the image.
– Old photos out of frames (and sometimes in) are often somewhat curled or wavy. Photographing them like this will lead to a warp in the final image.
However, we understand that for some special photos, there may not be any alternative. If this is the case, please take the photo frame in a well lit area, next to a window (but not in direct sun). Ensure that your flash is off and that you are avoiding casting a shadow or reflection. Take several photos and submit them all – we will choose the most suitable one for inclusion.
If you no longer have the original photo, and only have photos of an old photo – that is ok. Capturing memories is not all about perfection. We will work with what you have as much as possible. Go to top of page
In most cases, yes. We understand that life is not perfect, and sometimes photos aren’t either. Simply let us know when submitting your photos that you would still like it included in your book, and we will put it in. Where possible, we recommend including some other photos taken at a similar time, or some accompanying text, so that it is not on a page by itself. There are some occasions where it is not possible to include poor quality photos as they will fail to print to a viewable standard (e.g. photos taken in very low light). If this occurs, we will let you know ASAP and will provide you with suggestions for how to progress. Go to top of page
Please don’t worry. In most cases we can find a way to include most if not all of your images. If concerned, feel free to contact us for an obligation free photo assessment. We will let you know whether or not your images are suitable and provide you with suggestions for how to move forward. Go to top of page
Yes, everything is already printed in the book when you receive it – we are selling a finished product. After you place an order, we will send you a template pack (or organisers pack in the case of Group Gift Books). These template packs provide information on the size drawings should be, as well as give suggestions for topics your child might like to draw. You then post these templates back to us and we scan the images, ready to place in a book format.
We are happy to provide an obligation free template pack prior to order if you would like to trial the idea with your child before committing, however a formal order must be placed and paid for before posting the completed templates back to us. Go to top of page
Certainly. The “individual” in the description is to separate this product apart from the Group Gift Book which has been custom designed for large groups of children. If several children would like to contribute towards the same gift book (e.g. three siblings doing drawings for their mum), this is easily done. Go to top of page
Gift Books and Group Gift Books are offered with spiral binding to keep these products affordable and manageable as gifts for grandparents, teachers, coaches, and other special people in your child’s life. They are available in different sizes and cover options by special request for an extra fee. Go to top of page
Certainly! As soon as the first draft of your book design has been completed we will email you a link to a “page flip” digital proof for you to check over. Please check the proof and notify us of any required alterations. No refunds or reprints are available for design errors not picked up at proofing stage. We will continue to send you updated proofs until you are happy with the final product. If for some reason the page flip proof is not working for you we will send you a low-resolution pdf version to look over. Go to top of page
As many as you want! Unlimited changes are included in all our products. Our priority is designing a book that you will love for years to come and we are committed to working with you to make this happen. We are not happy until you are. Go to top of page
Please notify us immediately if you find a print/quality error with your book and we will organise a re-print for you. We look over every order carefully as it arrives from the printer before it comes home to you, but we understand that occasionally we may miss something.
Please note that we do not refund or reprint for design errors not picked up at time of proofing. We offer unlimited proofs and alterations and ask that you take time to carefully check every page each time we send a proof. We will never send a book to be printed until you have notified us that it is good to go. Go to top of page