Lay-flat binding, faux-wood cover, and fingerprint-free pages? Yes please!
When I came across Saal Digital’s Instagram page, I was intrigued to find they were looking for artists to design their own Professional Line Photobooks (up to $150 in value) in exchange for an honest review. I applied for the program, and, to my delight, they accepted! I downloaded the Saal Digital software and got to work.
There is a bit of a learning curve with Saal’s free photobook design software, but it’s definitely worth it! There are Saal plugins for Photoshop and InDesign, but I chose to work completely from Saal’s software to see what I could accomplish. I chose the cleanest-looking template so I could have free reign of the layout. Unlike some frustrating photobook design websites, there is basically nothing you can’t do with Saal. Want your images to overlap? Okay! Want your edges to run off the bleed margins? Go for it! The final product will be your 100% original design.
Of course the, the best part is when that special package arrives in the mail and the fruit of your labor pays off a hundred fold. I chose the “slate wood” cover that has a rich, tactile texture and realistic look of charcoal-colored wood. Definitely go with the acrylic front cover option to feature your best image on top. The 1/8 inch thick crystal clear acrylic encases your cover image, amplifying it and giving it depth.
I chose the matte photo paper for the fingerprint-resistant feature. There is still a glare when viewing under a light source, though it is more diffused than the glossy option. I might go with glossy pages next time, which Saal recommends for more bright and colorful images. The pages are a fairly heavy plastic, and feel like very high quality. You’re definitely not going to accidentally bend or crease a page with any ease. And the promised lay-flat binding really is flat. Even on the very first and last pages!
10/10 would recommend to other professional photographers who want to show off their work to potential clients. Photographers could even offer their clients a custom Saal Photobook as a special add-on service!