Pixable Photo Book Review

Pixable is a new site that lets you print your Facebook content. Although they are geared toward Facebook you can also get picture from Flickr, Picassa, Photobucket, and Smug Mug. This review focuses on the Facebook application and you may have a different experience with other social media outlets.

The Pixable/Facebook integration begins when you go to sign in. You sign in with your Facebook account and it then gives you access to all of your photos along with the photos of any of your friends. The picture choosing process is so straightforward that you can choose your photos in no time. You also have the option of choosing who can see your book -- you can have your whole friend list, a few friends you choose, or just yourself.

Pixable has 7 different themes that you can choose when you start your book, but you can change your theme and background after you start your book. So, do not worry too much about this beginning choice. You next choice is whether you want to do "Quickmix" where the pictures are placed in the book for you or whether you want to start with a "Blank Canvas". Once again, this choice is not irreversable. If you start with the Blank Canvas you can choose the Quickmix once the book has been started.

There are only two different book size choices and this is probably due to the low resolution of the Facebook photos. If you have a concern about the resolution there is a warning symbol if you are using a picture in a way that would not have enough resolution. One picture I started with had enough resolution, but I enlarged the photo size and then zoomed into the photo and this resulted in low resolution. I was able to back off and it was fine.

There is a FAQ that answers many of your questions. I used Live Chat and was pleased with my answers. The Live Chat is available 9am to 8pm EST. Email help is available 24/7 and they will answer within one business day.

Even though Pixable does an A+ job of integrating with Facebook and other social picture sites, their software was graded on the same feature set that all the other photo book publisher printers were rated.

Specifications

Paper Weight	100# glossy
Max. # of Pages	365 for H/C 8x8
Mac Compatible?	Yes

Reviewed: June 15, 2010

Pixable Photo Book Review

Comparative Photo Book Software Review

Background Themes	Numerous backgrounds
Layout Variety	Minimal -- only 13 layouts, but adequate for the small book size.
JPG as a Background	No
Digi-Scrapbooking Friendly	No
In-book Editing	Rotate, move, resize
Text - variety and Full Page	Can add text to any layout -- no full page. Can change size, text color, and alignment.
Embellishments and Corners	Borders and stickers.
Full-Page Bleed	No
Final Grade	B-