Make Your Digital Memories Last In Print (Win!)

Photography is so important to capturing and preserving life’s big (and little) moments, but with most of us snapping away with our phones and tablets these days, how do we make those digital memories last? One of VistaPrint’s most popular items is its custom photo books, which turn digital images into tangible keepsakes. We chatted with senior director and head of marketing of VistaPrint Erin Shea to learn more. —Noa Nichol

Hi Erin! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

Hi Noa! I’m the head of North America marketing at VistaPrint, the one-stop shop for customizable products to celebrate all of life’s moments and milestones. On a personal level, I’m in the middle of moving, and once settled in, we plan to get a new puppy. I know I will be the ultimate dog mom! I already plan on investing in all the personalized products for my pup. I will be creating a photo book when we hit our one-year milestone with the new addition to our family. 

In this digital age, we’ve all but stopped printing out photos; rather, they’re stored on our phones. Why is printing/compiling photos into a photo book a good idea, practically and otherwise? 

I never know what to do with the thousands of photos I have stored on my phone. (How do you get them from the cloud?!) Printing a photo book allows you to have all of your favourite photos from that recent vacation or special event at your fingertips to look back on without endless scrolling. It’s timeless. Technology can evolve, but there is no real replacement for a physical embodiment of that special moment. The reality is you want both. It also helps you create a storyline of your theme that is difficult to get across when merely flipping through photos. In addition, it’s something you can gift to others that will last longer than an IG story. 

Take us through the process of creating a VistaPrint custom photo book.

Head to our site where you can choose from seven different photo book sizes. You can also take advantage of our Smart Assistant to create your photo book with ease. After you’ve selected your photos, our Smart Assistant will pick the best images and create high-quality page layouts. Feel free to customize from there! People are often worried about the time commitment of putting together a photo book, but using the Smart Assistant, is a seamless experience. 

What are some examples of “themes” for photo books? Have you seen any truly unique ones?

Some customer favourites include vacation, baby’s first year/yearly memory book, recipe book, pets, moving memories, wedding album, or even a guestbook. In addition, I’ve seen proposals via photo books where it’s a story of a relationship and the last page is a proposal. Such a thoughtful approach. Other unique ideas include: photo books organized by school years to showcase everything from their first day of school photo to their last; photo books featuring our furry children and their favorite puppy moments; and photo book themed around pictures from family dinners complete with complimentary family recipes. 

How can we personalize your photo books to be the perfect keepsake for a special life moment?

We offer seven size and layout options, two paper stocks (standard glossy and standard matte), and three different cover options (black linen, silver linen, and photo). Smaller photo books are perfect gifts for kids and grads to take to college, and the larger options work well to display once-in-a-lifetime events like a wedding or milestone birthday. We recommend taking the time to share those special pictures but adding notes to remember them by locations, funny stories, dates, etc. 

Can you speak a little more to the importance of creating a quality memento of a special life event, to look back on and share with family and friends? Why don’t our iPhones cut it?

We can all use a break from our phones! A movie night with family and friends flipping through a beautiful hardcover photo book beats scrolling through phones any day. I think it would be silly to say that our phones aren’t convenient to take and house photos. (Of course, they are!) The reality is that you need both. While phones present a sense of ease, there is a permanence and legitimacy to a physical representation of your best memories. In a sense, they hold a weight of personal importance and permanence that is unmatched by a phone album. Two years from now, your photo book will represent an easy way to take you back to that moment while your photos on your phone have long since moved on. 

What other customized gift options does VistaPrint offer?

VistaPrint offers a wide variety of gifts for everyone on your list including a great selection of wall décor, personalized drinkware, calendars, and other keepsakes for the home including custom pillows, blankets, and acrylic blocks.

vistaprint.ca

Win! A Customized Photo Book From VistaPrint!

Congrats Andrea F. of Whitby, ON, who will receive a customized photo book from VistaPrint! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.