What is a lay-flat photo book?

The printing industry, and especially the photo-book world, can be pretty complex and overwhelming for ordinary people. Indeed, if you search on-line, you will quickly realize that the quality of a lay-flat photo album can highly change from one producer to another. Indeed, if we stick on the definition, “a lay-flat photo book is a photo album that allows pages to lay completely flat when open.” But what does “completely flat” really mean? What about the quality of the paper, the colors, of the binding? Are all lay-flat albums the same? Why are some much more expensive than others?

The goal of this article is to flatten what’s a flat photo book (sorry for the bad word game), and give you our recommendation for your own wedding album.

We will discover what the different photo albums on the market are, and what precisely a lay flat photobook stands for. Then we will learn the different versions of it, how it’s made and what the customizable options are.

It’s part of the Flush Mount family.

Let’s start with a quick reminder of all the different kinds of photo albums:

What does “Lay flat” mean for a photo book?

In conclusion of this first part let’s keep in mind that “lay flat” refers to a kind of special binding allowing the book to open totally flat on a table, each page flush with the other: no bump, no issue with the folding line;

Quick Anatomy of a Lay-flat Album

Understanding how an album is made allows us to be aware of its quality. Are you buying a cheap product that will last 2 years or something that will last forever?

Let’s see what the different parts of such an album are.

A Cover

End pages

Endpages (or fly pages) have more than a decorative function. They bound the cover and the text block (the pages), so they need to be made of solid material.
For some basic lay-flat albums, the end pages are skipped, and the photo paper is glued directly to the cover.

Text-Block

That represents the content of the book, the pages.
In a lay-flat album, each page is glued to the next, with thin cardboard between each.

The lay-flat binding

Because most of the books can totally open flat with a continuous image spreading on both pages, Photolabs have developed an amazing new binding called lay-flat binding.

This technique reminds us of the concept of end pages that attach the book’s cover and the text block.

First, let’s remember that the best lay-flat photo book will have the back of each photo sheet mounted on a thin cardboard. But this card board is not attached to anything else and moves independently, in opposition to a book where it would be bound into a signature or other binding method.

A cheap lay flat photobook would use any cardboard and will have each page attached to each other.

So, the main idea of a lay-flat binding, is that, instead of having all the pages sewn, or staples, or glue all together to the spin, they are individually attached to each other by the crease. Each spread’s crease is the physical part that bound the two pages (respectively left and right). In other words, each photo-sheet is part of the binding.
Or put it in another way, the sturdiest of the photobook will depend on the quality of the photo paper used.

7 different kinds of printing technology and types of photo paper used for lay flat photo books?

A lay-flat photo book can be printed on many different papers, using many different printing technologies, and of different quality. And that’s where things become complicated.

First, let’s remember the purpose of a wedding album (given we are photographers and that is the type of album that matters the most to us).
In the best scenario of a happy family, the photo-book would be open and read quite often. At least once a year for the wedding anniversary! And much or often, in 40 years, when the grandkids will want to know more about their family history.
So, a wedding photo-book is something that is made to be manipulated: touched by “dirty” fingers (acidity), and receives tension on the pages. It must be something strong to resist all those aggression.

So, let’s see here which are the different type of printing technology used, and how that would impact the durability of the album.

Inkjet

Today Inkjet paper is heavily used to print photo books. Papers are made of fibers that would absorb tiny drops of inks. If the Inkjet printers you have at home use 4 colors (CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black), professional ones can use up to 12 different cartridges. As a result they give extremely vibrant colors to the pages.

Ink pigments are often marketed to last forever (which is probably true). Inkjet Photo paper is often marketed to be archival quality, which means it will last 100 years in a museum environment. But most of the homes don’t have a museum environment. As a result, the pages, made of fiber, will tend to absorb the moisture and the molecules in the air, and they might turn yellow in a few decades.

Pro:

• Vibrant color
• wide choice of papers for different aspects (mat, glossy, etc.) and textures.

Cons:

• paper made in fiber so it can be damaged by continuous movements
• paper tends to absorb liquid (would turn yellow in a few years)
• paper is not protected from dirt on fingerprints, so colors might react
• dirt cannot be cleaned on paper
• ink at the surface of the paper makes it sensitive to scratching

Regular Paper used for Offset & Indigo & Laser

Both of those printing techniques use regular (cheap) paper.
Offset printing and Indigo printing are quite similar in that several liquid inks are applied several times.

Offset

Offset uses plates (that need to be created for each image), which pass to a bath of liquid ink, and then transfer the ink on a rubber blanket (the ink if offset), and then the rubber applies the ink on the surface. This process makes it pretty expensive, so it’s reserved for mass production.

Indigo

Indigo also uses liquid ink, but instead of plates, a toner is used to attract the ink on the printing surface.

Heat or UV is then used to dry or cure ink.

Laser

Laser uses a dry powder for ink. Then a laser beam electrostatically charges and melts this ink to transfer it on the surface.

Those 3 techniques produce very sharp results, but nuances in tones are poor. That makes them great for photos that need a lot of detail (such as architecture), but not for skin.

What’s more, the ink being at the surface of a media, which is made to absorb liquid, makes this technique not suitable for wedding photo books.

Pro:

• Sharpe images
• Cheap cost of production

Cons:

• Poor nuance in the tones (not suitable for skin tones)
• paper made in fiber so it can be damaged by continuous movements
• paper tends to absorb liquid (would turn yellow in a few years)
• paper is not protected from dirt on fingerprints, so colors might react
• dirt cannot be cleaned on paper
• ink at the surface of the paper is sensitive to scratches.

Dye-Sublimation

Dye-sublimation is slightly different from the three previous techniques but has some advantages due to the kind of paper and ink used.
An electromagnetic system will melt the ink on the surface of the paper. When melting, the ink goes from solid to gas to transfer into the surface of the media. The surface then becomes mostly permeable.
The media is composed of plastic elements.

Pro:

• Sharpe images
• Mostly permeable
• Mostly moisture resistant

Cons:

• papers tend to absorb
• ink is heat-sensitive
• paper is not protected from dirt on fingerprints, so colors might react
• ink at the surface of the paper is sensitive to scratch
• ink at the surface might result in fading color in the future

Silver Halide (RC paper)

Finally, we kept the best for the end, the RC paper used by the traditional Silver Halide printing.

RC paper is composed of 5 layers. A first layer of plastic, then 3 layers of chemical products (silver halide crystals) that are photosensitive and who would each one react to colors, and then a 5th layer of plastic.
The photo paper is exposed to the image (traditionally a negative film), and is then developed into several baths where each color is revealed. The last bath washes away all the emulsion that has not reacted, resulting in a stabilized product.

Pro:

• Perfect in the nuances of the tone
• Sharp images at an atomic level
• Moisture resistant
• Dirt can be cleaned
• Scratch resistant
• Stabilized images that would not turn yellow in the future
• Resistant to manipulation (thanks to the two layers of plastic).

Cons:

• Despite high-definition, it exists higher-definition printers.
• Saturated tones are not as saturated as pigments from inkjet printing

Conclusion: which is the best photo paper for a wedding lay-flat photo album?

In conclusion of this part, we believe that the best photo paper is the one offering great colors, sharp images, and durability when the album is manipulated. Thus we decided to choose the RC photo-paper as the best media to use for a lay-flat album.

Conclusion: Which type of Lay-Flat album is the best for quality and durability?

If you are looking for quality that lasts forever, the best technology will be a lay-flat photo album printed on RC paper. Indeed, the RC paper offers mange advantages:

• A higher range of colors
• Super sharp definition
• Protection against fingerprints
• A lower level of oxidation of the page in the future, so they don’t turn yellow
• A solid biding.

Finally, the best cover to choose from is a solid stain-resistant hardcover.

FAQ: Other Questions and Considerations around the lay-flat photo book

What is the difference between a lay-flat photo book and a standard photo book?

A standard photo book uses a different binding technology than a lay-flat album, as a result it cannot lie flat. That creates a pretty deep crease that does not allow images to spread on both pages. The layout of those albums would be different, with often a white space left at the crease.

How does the lay-flat design of a photo book improve the viewing experience?

Being able to print one unique big image on both pages creates an improvement in the appreciation of the images.
If multiple images are printed into a layout that allows printing those images bigger. Thus it creates one unity across both the pages. The final result is modern.

Are all lay-flat photo books custom-made, and what design options are available?

Yes and No.
Top lay flat photo books with custom covers are handcrafted by craftsmen. They require a long and precise process to be built, which explains their price. There are multiple design options, such as the cover and the gilding.
Cheat internet-quality lay-flat albums are not always handcrafted and offer fewer options for personalization.

Can I add additional pages to my lay-flat photo book, and at what cost?

Yes, it’s totally doable. Most of our albums can be upgraded up to 80 pages. The cast would vary depending on the album size, but estimate something like $10-$15 per spread.

Does a lay-flat photo book come with a dust jacket cover or with a box?

All our wedding lay-flat albums come with a box to protect them from moisture and chemical components in the air. A dust jacket is usually reserved for cheap albums.

What is the optimal number of photos to include in a lay-flat photo book?

For a 40-page photo book, we recommend 120 images (3 images per page).
That being said, some people would prefer an art book layout and print only one big image per page.

Can I include foil details on my lay-flat photo book? And what colors are available?

Yes, some covers, such as leather, can be upgraded with embossing with foil. Gold and silver are available.

What is the average shipping time for a lay-flat photo book?

Your beautiful album is delivered a maximum of 2 months after the order.

What is the most popular wedding album size?

We love and recommend the 12×12-inch wedding album, which is large without being too big and can still be easily manipulated.