The Foldpic collection / Photo booklet
Make a photo album online and print it at home.
Most online photo album makers will design your book but not give you the file. Mixbook's own help page says you cannot download your project as a PDF, and Blurb's PDF is marked not for printing. Foldpic is the opposite: the PDF is the product.
Your sheet, before the magic
At a glance +
- Pages
- 8 · 12 · 16 · 20 · 24 · 28 · 32 (up to 16 free)
- Sheets
- 4 for 16 pages
- Printing
- Both sides, flip on short edge
- Time
- about 15 min · stapler, ruler or bone folder
- A4 sheet
- A5 pages · 149 × 210 mm
- US Letter sheet
- half Letter pages · 140 × 216 mm
- A3 sheet
- A4 pages · 210 × 297 mm · needs an A3 printer
- US Tabloid (11×17) sheet
- Letter pages · 216 × 279 mm · needs an 11×17 printer
Pages are half the sheet, so an A5 book comes off any A4 printer, an A4-page book needs an A3-capable printer, and A3 pages would need A2 — no home printer offers that, so it is a copy-shop job.
Why make a photo booklet at home
You design the album, download it, and print it on the printer you already own.
The default album is a stapled booklet of A5 or half-Letter pages, printed two-up on both sides of each sheet and folded in the middle. Foldpic works out the page order on each sheet, tells your printer how to flip, and walks you through stacking, folding and stapling with diagrams.
There are no per-page charges, no shipping, and no waiting a week for a box. Print one copy tonight and another for your parents tomorrow.
You keep the file
Download a print PDF, a reading PDF of the spreads, and the instruction sheet. Reprint as many copies as you like, whenever you like.
Templates for real occasions
Pick a style, drop in photos and the pages fill themselves. Change the style at any time and your photos re-flow into the new look.
Made for home printers
Every layout keeps a safe margin so laser and inkjet printers can print it, and the guide explains 100% scale, flip edge and collate in plain words.
Nothing is lost mid-project
Your work is saved on your device as you go. Close the tab, come back later, and the album is still there.
A few folds from finished
6 steps, printed on both sides. The full instruction sheet with checks and a common-mistakes box comes with your PDF.
1Print 4 sheets, both sides. Print 4 sheets on both sides, flip on the short edge.
2Check the back side is the right way up. Turn one over: the back page shares the same top edge.
3Stack the sheets in order. Stack the sheets in order, side A facing down.
4Fold the whole stack in half. Fold the whole stack in half. Page 1 is on the front.
5Staple the spine. Two staples on the crease.
6Trim the edge (optional). Trim the open edge if you want it flush. Done.
1Print 4 sheets, both sides
2Check the back side is the right way up
3Stack the sheets in order
4Fold the whole stack in half
5Staple the spine
6Trim the edge (optional)
Templates for this format
Around the Table
A magazine-style family booklet: big serif titles, hairline frames.
Photo booklet · Editorial · Family
Paper Vows
An ivory serif wedding booklet: full-bleed pages, a collage, the vows.
Photo booklet · Wedding
Quiet Pages
The all-purpose minimal photo booklet: white pages, no fuss.
Photo booklet · Minimal
Field Notes
A kraft-paper travel booklet with journal pages and a contact sheet.
Photo booklet · Kraft · Travel
Before you print
- How to print a booklet at home (duplex, flip edge and collate explained)
Print a saddle-stitched booklet on a home printer: exact settings, which duplex flip edge, how to stack and fold, and how to check the first sheet.
- Photo book at home vs Mixbook and Shutterfly: honest cost comparison
What a 20-page photo book costs from Mixbook, Shutterfly, Snapfish and Artifact Uprising versus printing at home, what you give up, and which to pick.
- Best paper weights for printing zines and photo booklets at home
Which gsm to buy for zines, booklets and accordion albums on an inkjet or laser: 80 to 250 gsm explained, tray limits, glossy vs matte, scoring and grain.
- What resolution do photos need for a printed album? (the dpi maths)
Pixels needed for an A5 page or a zine panel at 200 and 300 dpi, why phone photos are fine and screenshots are not, and what a low-res warning means.
Photo booklet questions
How is this different from Mixbook or Shutterfly?
They print and ship a bound book and do not let you download a printable PDF. Foldpic only gives you the PDF, plus instructions, and you print it at home. If you want a hardcover, they are the right choice; if you want the file, Foldpic is.
Do I need special paper?
No. 100 to 160 gsm matte paper is enough for the booklet. Heavier card or photo paper is nice for the accordion, which prints on one side only.
Will my photos be sharp enough?
The editor warns you if a photo will print soft at the size you have placed it. As a rule, a 12-megapixel phone photo is far more than an A5 page needs.
Make your photo booklet now
Your first project is free, up to 16 pages. No sign-up. Just you and a little creativity.