Showcasing Special Photos in Elegant Lay-Flat Books

Really, any time you put photos in a book, it’s special. We take so many photos these days that the most important and most shareable ones deserve to be remembered for years to come, so putting them in pages with their stories–the reason they’re worth remembering–is a special thing.

Did you know that photo experts still maintain that print is one of the best ways to store and preserve photos?

Yes, digital backups are important, and digital photos are easy to share, but print has benefits over digital, such as:

• Accessing your photos isn’t at the mercy of a full battery or good wifi.
• People who don’t have expensive electronic gadgets (like 4-year-olds) can have their photos and see yours!
• Photos in print make a meaningful, lasting gift. An email or text with some photos doesn’t.

We sometimes treat social media like it will be around forever, and we sometimes treat phones like they’re forever, too, even though we know they can accidentally fall into a lake as easily as not. So, really, print is a pretty big deal. If you’re visiting Between the Bookends, you probably already know that books are special. Personalized books are even more so!

We’ve talked about many options for preserving photos in print in this monthly Personalized DIY Books series, from easy digital scrapbooks to fancy digital scrapbooking and even how personalized books are self-care. But what about those once-in-a-lifetime photos such as wedding photos, or extra special photos like the ones from a family photo shoot? How can you really showcase and put in the spotlight the special photos you have from time to time?

One idea is to print them in a lay-flat book instead of one with traditional binding.

(As you may remember, Forever is my favorite way to print photos and memories in books because of the quality as well as the PDF copy I automatically get with my book and can keep in my Forever account forever as well as download to my own computer for a backup! Plus, Forever has privacy promises in place to keep my data, photos, and projects mine.)

An elegant lay-flat book is such a beautiful option for truly showcasing special photos. This Botanical Bliss template is a great example.

And, as I mentioned before, photos in print make wonderful gifts! I have given books with special messages and tributes, and they are absolutely irreplaceable. This Milestones Memories template is a great example. (And all these templates are free.) Can you imagine receiving a book with messages of love from family and friends, combined with cherished photos?

It probably goes without saying that precious baby photos are another good candidate for the special lay-flat books. This is Baby Steps – Blue.

And, of course, there’s a Baby Steps – Pink, too. Look at how lovely these page layout options are. You can choose from many layout options to fit your needs and your pictures.

What’s your favorite reason to preserve photos in print? I’d love to know in the comments. And what other types of photos would be lovely showcased in an elegant lay-flat book?

Share this post with someone who is looking for an incomparable gift idea or a way to preserve and showcase some extra special photos.