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Montage is the little brother of Mixbook. It is a photo book service launched by Mixbook in 2013 as a faster and easier alternative. With this new service you can create a personalized photo book in less than 15 minutes.
It is a good choice for less experienced users who are new to this whole photo book business.
As we previously mentioned, Montage is a simpler photo book service than Mixbook, but don’t let that full you. There are plenty of features available so that your final result will be a professional book filled with unforgettable visual memories.
With Montage you can only make square photo books with a hardcover. They specialize in leather-covered, lay-flat hardbound books and there are 4 available sizes: 6X6, 8X8, 10X10 and 12X12 inch. The leather is Italian and it’s eco-friendly. The fact that the formats and sizes are way too limited makes all the photo books look quite the same, so if you want something unique, this publisher may not be for you.
The photo books can have maximum 80 pages and you can upload a total of 500 photos: 350 at the beginning of the project and 150 more once you start editing. Montage supports JPG, PNG and TIFF formats.
The printing paper is archival, silk, semi-mate 120 lb., acid and lignin-free. The pages look thicker than those in most of the other photo books. If you opt for the premium printing, your book can be printed on real silver halide photo paper (Fujifilm Crystal Archive photo paper).
You can also add text to your book, up to 120 characters per page.
The interface is very easy to learn and compatible with both Mac and PC. Because it is a faster and simpler version of Mixbook, the projects aren’t as customizable as with its big brother. There aren’t as many design tools. The layouts are not fully customizable, there are only 13 predesigned templates available and they come with predesigned layouts. After you upload your pictures, the program automatically arranges them into the predefined layouts. As far as the photo editing goes, there are just a few available tools: rotate, zoom, pan. You don’t get any font, style, size or color options with this online editor. There are no clip art or effects available, but you can add a logo on the back cover.
The layouts are designed to go better with single-event photo books, so it is better if you don’t mix a lot of them in the same project. Choose single topics for the entire book: a birthday, a certain vacation, a wedding, etc.
You can upload your photos directly from your hard drive or from other online sources: Instagram, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Cloud Drive, Dropbox, SmugMug or Flickr.
The layouts are creative enough to compensate for the other shortages and you can shuffle your photos through the different layout choices. And even though Montage is not preferred for its infinite design features, it is popular and appreciated for the quality of the pictures.
Prices vary depending on the printing type (standard or silver halide) and the size of the book.
Shipping and returns
The shipping options are above some competitors. Montage offers international shipping. All orders are usually delivered in 7-8 business days. A tracking number is also included. Standard shipping prices start from $6 for 6X6 photo books. Any additional book in the same size will only cost $4.
You can return your product free of charge if you live in the US.
A standard 6X6 book with 20 pages starts at $29. This is the cheapest option. Each extra page will cost you one more dollar.
Silver Halide photo books start at $49 for a 6X6 project with 20 pages. Extra pages are $2 each.
For more information on pricing, follow this link:
The customer service offered by Montage needs some improvement. You can only contact them via live chat or a form. There is a FAQ section but it’s not pretty dull. They also have some tutorials on their website.
On the other hand, soon after you receive your product, you will receive an email from them asking you if you are pleased with the result, if you have any questions and if everything is fine, which is a nice gesture on their part.
Our editorial staff evaluates products and services independently, but Best Review Guide may earn money when you click on links. Read our advertising disclosure.
By: Hailey | Last updated April 12, 2017 
