When I took my new portfolio from the wrapper the above word was what I exclaimed. Hit the jump for the nitty-gritty.

First off, let me say that AdoramaPix offered me this book free of charge due to a previous review I had written on AdoramaPix’s normal print services, which are still my primary print outlet. They contacted me and offered me one, they did not ask for a review, and I am doing this of my own volition. As a side note, this is the first review on Three Five Photo of a product that I did not pay for myself. Kudos to AdoramaPix for promoting their products in a very lassiez-faire attitude and for giving me this chance to try out their Book offering.

Ease of Creation: 8/10
AdoramaPix has an online software suite that allows you to create custom book designs, edit/use their pre-designed templates, and an option to create a blank book so you can import pages created in an layout suite like Pagemaker, Quark, Photoshop, or InDesign. The software is a little slow running, depending on your machine, but VERY in depth. The only thing I wanted to do but couldn’t was to have a round/oval clipping mask on my logo on the front. Aside from this one thing using the book software was excellent and offered much more stability and options than the Blurb Booksmart software I used in the past. Another plus to using an online suite is that the book saves to Adorama’s servers protecting your work from being corrupted or lost in the event of a hard drive failure. It took me right at 2.5 hours to compile my book using the software. Normally, I would have used InDesign but I wanted to be able to give a full review of the process.

Quality: 9.5/10
When I first opened my book, as I mentioned before, Wow was all I had to say. The cover is heavier than most typical book covers. The pages are thick and the paper used provide excellent color rendition. Pages lay flat as advertised and the finish is just the right balance between gloss and satin. Overall, the book feels very well made. The only thing I have against it is it shows fingerprints, so carry a soft cloth if you are using this book as a portfolio as am I.

Shipping: 10/10
As usual Adorama’s shipping packaging was excellent. The piece was well protected and shrink-wrapped inside its protective shipping carton.

Note: Below are a few things I would suggest Adorama to add in.
1. Template pages. I used a predesigned book and the edited it as I needed, however there were several page layouts that I liked better. I had to create those from scratch. Had there been a page layout template it would have been much easier.
2. A paper that is slightly more fingerprint resistant. This isn’t a big complaint at all, the paper is excellent as is.
3. More predesigned book. The selection is excellent, but there could be more.

Conclusion: While priced slightly higher than other POD bookmakers the product delivered is more than worth the increase in price. This is a product you will be happy to received for yourself and to deliver to your clients. I am looking forward to seeing how well they can shrink my current 8×12 book to a 6×9 book to use as a portable portfolio that fits in my messenger.

A few months after my order with Mpix I was in need of some more prints. Having just purchased some gear from Adorama, they had hit up my Inbox with an email detailing their print service. I ended up ordering several prints on their True B/W Paper (Ilford) and Metallic paper (Kodak). All I can say is WOW. The prints were excellent, richly colored and the paper just felt better in the hands. Having a background as an Art Director in Graphic Design, I know paper quality when I feel it. No need for a caliper here! Overall, the only Con I have for AdoramaPix is their sizes in True B/W Matte paper are a little too limited in my opinion. I’d like to see a solid 11″ x 14″ and maybe even a 16″ x 20″.

My prints arrived via USPS (although faster methods are available) in seriously sturdy packaging. In fact, I often deliver my prints to buyers in this packaging (always be sure to recycle them once you’ve worn them out!). Each print job was individually wrapped and back boarded. Larger prints include corner protection “bumpers” to eliminate crushed corners.
Overall, packaging from AdoramaPix get a 5 out of 5. The boxes get a 6 out of 5, 1 extra for being able to reuse them.

Other than the one small issue of True B/W Matte print sizes, I have had no serious issues with AdoramaPix. If you DO need larger True B/W Matte prints, drop AdoramaPix a note asking them to carry bigger sizes, until then you’re stuck with going elsewhere. All in all, I HIGHLY recommend you try out AdormamPix. I use them as my primary source for prints and Im sure you’ll be happy with your results as well.

UPDATE: I’m getting some increased web traffic after being mentioned on AdoramaPix.com’s blog. I just thought I would update this review with my most recent dealings with AdoramaPix.com. Three weeks ago I placed an order which included a 20″ x 30″ print on Kodak Lustre paper.

In all honesty, this print was a bilateral test. One, I wanted to test just how far I could push some of my earlier, lower megapixel/resolution, shots. Two, I wanted to see the 20″ x 30″ quality from AdoramaPix prior to offering the option for a project that I hope will turn into some name recognition within my home state. When I received my order it was perfect, as usual, however the 20″ x 30″ print had been creased during shipping.

I was literally on my way out the door for a shoot in a neighboring state when I dropped AdoramaPix a quick email detailing what had happened. BEFORE I GOT OUT TO MY SUV, I had a response from AdoramaPix telling me they would reprint the image and ship it out, Rush Order, at no charge. By that evening I had a shipping notice and the print was sitting on my porch when I returned home.

I can’t begin to explain how impressed I have been with AdoramaPix. From quality prints, excellent color correction (by request), top notch paper (the Kodak Metallic is simply breathtaking), and now super customer service. AdoramaPix is an excellent choice for all those needing prints, from a mom needing prints for Grandma, to the casual photographer, and to the dedicated professional. Nothing from my original review has changed and I continue to highly recommend AdoramaPix.com for all your photographic printing needs, as well as Adorama.com for everything else. Cheers!