The Results

As you can tell if you've read this far, I've had a real up-and-down experience with Picaboo X; there are some really great things about the software, but more than a few things that were frustrating — and that's not counting the problems I had with my screwy images. So if the software experience wasn't great, what's the end product like? Keep reading...

Figure 14: The finished book comes with free bubble wrap. [Click the image above for a larger version]

When the FedEx package arrived, I excitedly ripped it open...and my first reaction was "Really?". For a book that costs almost $600, I was expecting a bit of...presentation! MPix puts the book in a box with a ribbon for an $80-ish book, so I was expecting at least that much effort for this very expensive book. Instead, it came in simple bubble wrap. This does a great job of protecting the book from harm, but I really think Picaboo can do better than bubble wrap; at this price point I'd expect to see something the owner could use to permanently protect the book when it's not on display. Or, at the very least, a nice envelope (which is what Kodak Gallery does) — basically anything other than bubble wrap. Since I've never ordered a book this expensive before, I have no idea if this is the norm for the high-end book industry or not. But enough of that: on to the book!

Figure 15: Plastic wrap adds an extra layer of protection. [Click the image above for a larger version]

After I removed the bubble wrap, the book itself was sealed in plastic - a nice touch to protect it even further.

Figure 16: Finally, a look at the book! [Click the image above for a larger version]

And, finally, we have the book in its full glory. I'm not an expert on leather, but it looks gorgeous on the book: glossy, pure black, and the random grain pattern gives it a unique look. The stitching is flawless as well; everything about it screams "Quality." In this case, you really can judge a book by its cover.

Figure 17: Hey, wait a minute... [Click the image above for a larger version]

One of the things I noticed right away was that the cover text wasn't in the lower right corner — remember figure 12? The text looked nice smack in the middle of the cover, but that's not what I ordered. I contacted Picaboo about this, and they informed me that there was a "recently introduced glitch" that caused this problem. They offered me the option of shipping the book back, in which case they'd replace the cover with the correct version, or to provide me with a gift card I could use toward a future order. See what I mean about excellent customer service?

Ultimately, I'm not too bothered by this particular glitch, and won't be sending it back for repair, but it's obviously imperative for Picaboo to deliver the book the way the customer designed it, so they need to get this addressed. This glitch is another in a fairly long list of glitches; Picaboo's quality control on their software isn't what I'd call inspiring. And it seems Picaboo's process is heavily automated, without much (any?) human oversight; that's the only way I could get a baby book that turned out this badly. Compare that with MPix or Treasure-Book with which the final product is inspected before going out to the customer, and you get a different approach to photo book making.

Bottom line? Picaboo's excellent customer service will ensure that you'll be satisfied eventually, but if their front-end process were more quality-based and less automated, odds are higher their customers would be completely satisfied with the first attempt. But back to the book...

Figure 18: Here is the ranch style book from the bottom. [Click the image above for a larger version]

I've never seen book binding quite like this before. It's extremely high-quality and looks built to last.

Figure 19: The ranch style book looks fine from the spine. [Click the image above for a larger version]

Figure 20: The ranch style book looks just as nice from the front. [Click the image above for a larger version]

Figure 21: Mmm. Leather. [Click the image above for a larger version]

With apologies to any vegans reading this review, the genuine leather cover on the ranch style photo book really takes the book to a whole new level; it feels and looks like a mystic tome from 500 years ago...beautiful and luxurious.