It is one thing to take photos that you are happy with, but in the digital era there is a tendency for those images to never leave your hard drive or computer. Unlike film cameras where the film had to be developed and you had a resulting physical image, the digital era has resulted in most of our images remaining locked in digital format on our computers where they are only displayed in digital albums or on websites.

Finding a way to turn those digital images into a physical product befitting of the investment of time and money that has gone into capturing them should not be something that you take lightly.

Over the years I have invested a huge amount of time investigating the different print solutions and products that are available for photographers. Sadly things are not all equal and you do need to put some effort in, to find a solution that does justice to your work, both through quality colour representation and also assured longevity of your images.
When printing fine art images I tend to favour the giclee printing process onto high quality archival papers, or the chromaluxe process printing directly to aluminum to ensure I get the type of finished product I can be proud of and stand behind when I sell them to my customers.

We also spend a lot of time producing photobooks both as bespoke projects for our automotive clients and also as souvenirs to the guests that join us on safaris.

It has been far harder to find a book service that delivers us the versatility and quality we demand. We tend to design our photobooks in Adobe Indesign, which immediately rules out several well known photobook suppliers who require you to use their online software which doesn’t provide the design scope we require.

Showcasing an image across a double page with the lay flat binding

I was recently offered a discount code to test Saal’s digitals products and decided to test out their photobooks. There were several things that particularly appealed to us and the way we work

• 

  Note the small barcode in the bottom right which can be removed.

  Ability to work in Adobe Indesign and upload our own design files.

• Lay flat binding technology as standard, allowing you to showcase images across a double page spread without being compromised by the fold line.
• No product branding by the printer that you have to pay a fortune to remove. A small barcode that can be removed – I left it on because I wanted to see how intrusive it is, it really isn’t intrusive at all.
• Wide range of cover materials, from leatherette and linen through to printing your own image.
• Great variety of customisable options, including padded covers, different papers, and even high quality gift/presentation boxes.

There are several ways in which you can work with the Saal system to upload your images and create your photobooks.

• As mentioned you can work in Adobe Indesign and completely tailor your own design.
• You can download their desktop plugin – I had great fun experimenting with this and compared to a lot of suppliers I’ve used in the past, the functionality and customisation available is fantastic. From pre-set page designs and layouts to background images and a good range of text and graphics options. You can easily add and delete pages and rearrange the order to your heart’s content. You can really get involved as much or as little as you like, from a simple one click auto fill to building your own layouts and design from scratch, or anything in between, depending on your preference and willingness to explore the software.
• You can also work online – I must confess I didn’t actually test this although I have no doubt it would be both intuitive and professional, given my experience with this company.

Once I had tinkered around and designed the two books I wished to print, ordering was a simple process with the ability to pay with paypal also an option. Once I’d paid, my offline files were rendered and uploaded. If you are hoping to meet their lunchtime cut off make sure you allow enough time for the upload to take place, as this caught me out the first time.

I was stunned by the quick turnaround time on printing, quicker then their estimate. They are printed in Germany and as we are in the UK, shipped by DHL. I ordered on a Tuesday afternoon and the books were dispatched by the Thursday. It should have arrived on Saturday had the couriers not messed up, so I had to wait till Monday – this included a leatherette book which has a longer lead time. A second order placed on a Monday arrived by the Wednesday.

When the photobooks arrived, they were well packaged for maximum protection, a quality cardboard outer and then individually wrapped inside to protect them properly.

The printing quality was exceptional, I have not come across another photobook of this quality and we have printed many over the years, some at a much higher price point then the incredible value that Saal offers it’s customers.
I ordered one book with the standard matt paper & also a second book that I paid extra for the glossy paper. To be honest, for my images the glossy paper offered a superior finish that I preferred, so bare this in mind depending on your subject material.

The print quality is exceptional, with very good colour reproduction, tackling the text and logos as well as the images with ease. The binding and the books are well finished and even the little details like the text being properly aligned on the spine have all been delivered flawlessly. The lay flat binding that comes as standard with all their photobooks is really something that sets the books apart and allows for large images to be printed and showcased with ease.

My only criticism would be that I would love a couple of different sizes but then to be honest that’s just me being fussy and I can cope perfectly with the range they already offer.

We have subsequently printed several more books with them and will be printing many more over the coming months. As it stands they are the best supplier we have dealt with and we would highly recommend them whether you are a professional photographer looking for a way to showcase your images for your clients or simply an enthusiast looking for a beautiful way to get your images off your computer and into physical form.

SAAL Digital

Please note this is not an affiliate link, we derive no income from you using their products or services.