There are some photos that are simply too good to live between screenshots, blurry dinner pics and whatever else is hiding in your camera roll.
A photo book gives them somewhere better to be. But then comes the question of what kind. Mini or large? Square or landscape? Hardback, softback or fabric?
The answer depends less on rules and more on what you’re making. A weekend in Lisbon might call for something small and chic. A wedding album you’ll keep for decades calls for a little more room. And the photos you never tire of looking at? They belong on the coffee table.
Consider this your guide to Papier’s photo book sizes – what they look like, how they compare and which might suit your photos
What is the difference between a photo album and a photo book?
A photo album traditionally holds individual printed photographs, while a photo book has your photographs printed directly onto its pages. Both are made for keeping memories close, but a photo book lets you bring photographs together into a considered layout – creating a book that tells the story as you turn the pages.
Think of it as your camera roll, with a very good edit.
What photo book sizes are available?
Papier photo books come in a range of sizes and formats, from compact mini hardbacks (16.5cm x 16.5 cm) to medium-sized with a little more presence and our largest book (30.5x 24cm) .
Square plays nicely with almost anything – portraits, landscapes and the wonderfully inconsistent mix most of us take. Landscape favours wider shots – sweeping views, long tables and group photos – while portrait is made for vertical images and has a more classic, book-like proportion.
Then there’s size. Mini feels compact and personal, medium gives photographs more breathing room, while large lets a great image take up the page.
For something more tactile, there’s fabric. Available in landscape and portrait formats, the fabric cover gives the finished book a more considered, keepsake feel – particularly lovely for weddings, milestone moments or a book destined to be passed onto the next generation. Softcovers, meanwhile, come in A5 and A4 for a lighter, fun everyday feel.
What sizes are Papier softback photo books?
Papier’s softback photo books are available in A5 and A4. If hardback and fabric books have the feeling of a keepsake, softbacks offer a playful, more casual way to gather photographs together. Think holidays, a year in pictures, or an everyday collection of beautiful ordinary moments.
How do mini, medium and large photo books compare in size?
The main difference between mini, medium and large photo books is the amount of physical space your photographs have on each page.
A mini photo book is the most compact of Papier’s hardback sizes. It feels intimate in the hand and is easy to give, display or keep close.
A medium photo book sits comfortably in between – substantial enough to give photographs presence without feeling oversized.
A large photo book gives photographs the most room to make an impression. If you love generous layouts or want the finished book to become part of a room, bigger can be beautiful.
The choice is less about which size is “best” and more about how you want the finished book to feel.
How many photos fit in each photo book size?
The number of photos you can include depends on page count and the layouts you choose, rather than the physical size of the book alone.
Choosing a larger book doesn’t mean filling it with more. The extra scale can be used to make individual photographs bigger, give favourites a page of their own or create more generous layouts.
So ask yourself: more photos, or more of each photo? Both make for a very different book.
Should I choose a square or landscape photo book?
Choose a square photo book if you have a varied collection of portrait, landscape and square photographs. Choose a landscape photo book if your collection contains lots of horizontal images or photographs where you want to preserve a wider view.
Square has balanced proportions that work particularly well when you’re bringing together photographs taken in different orientations – as tends to happen with holidays, family photographs and the very best sort of camera roll chaos.
Landscape has a little more drama. Wide wedding photographs, horizons, long tables, cityscapes and scenery all have space to unfold across the page.
The easiest way to decide? Look through the photographs you know you want to include. Their orientation may have already made the decision for you.
What size photo book makes a good gift?
For gifting, a mini photo book is a lovely place to start. Its smaller scale feels personal and considered – particularly for a tightly edited collection of photographs.
Rather than trying to fit in every photograph you’ve ever taken together, choose the ones that say something. A brilliant weekend. A summer you still talk about. Twelve months of a very small person becoming considerably less small.
For bigger milestones, a medium, large or fabric photo book can turn the gift into more of a keepsake. Because sometimes the best present is simply proof that you remembered.
What is the best photo book size for a coffee table?
For the coffee table, bigger is better. A large hardback or fabric photo book gives photographs room to make an impression – and looks rather good left out, too. What goes inside is up to you. A summer well spent, a favourite city, the wedding, the year in pictures. The sort of photographs you’d happily have someone flick through while you make the drinks.
A coffee-table book should earn its place there.
What is the best photo book size for a wedding?
For wedding photographs, a large hardback or fabric photo book gives the day the scale it deserves. Landscape works particularly well for wide shots – group photographs, tablescapes and a dance floor in full swing – while square is an easy choice for a gallery that moves between portrait and landscape photography.
And while the main album might go big, mini or medium versions make thoughtful gifts for parents, grandparents or anyone else who’ll want their own copy.
You may have hundreds of photographs from the day. The book doesn’t need all of them. Keep the ones that take you straight back.
So, what photo book size should you choose?
Start with your photographs. For a small, personal gift, look to mini. For an all-rounder with a little more room, medium is an easy choice. For weddings, big adventures and coffee-table books, large or fabric formats give photographs more space to shine.
Then consider shape. A varied camera roll sits happily in square; sweeping horizontal photographs feel at home in landscape.
Print your story
- 6 sizes
