There is nothing that says "I love you" more than unique photo gifts-- you know... that one gift that has a special picture of a child, a shared moment, or a favorite pet.

Whether it's a mug, a key chain or a mouse pad, this sort of gift is something that can be used every day to remind that special someone that you are thinking of them.

Your Photo Gift Options

What kind of unique photo gifts can you create with your digital photos? The possibilities are actually almost endless.

Each company that provides these photo gift printing services will have its own list of products and options for customized photo gifts. The most popular photo gift ideas are probably: coffee mugs, key chains, totes, t-shirts, mouse pads and calendars.

But these aren't necessarily the most unique photo gifts out there! So don't let your inventive nature stop with the obvious.

Getting Creative with Your Photo Gifts

You can do a lot with your photos, and there are a lot of photo gift printing services that offer unusual and unique gifts. Some of these companies offer anything from "green" cloth tote bags with your photos, photo collage posters, personalized photo binders, and even throw blankets and pillows.

It never hurts to be creative with your gifts. Thinking outside the box and beyond the usual mug or key chain makes your gift stand out and mean something more. Both Kodak Gallery and Picaboo offer such a wide variety of photo gift choices that it's hard to choose. Some of the more unique choices with these companies include keepsake boxes and jigsaw puzzles, as well as throw blankets and jewelry.

Creative Photo Gifts at Shutterfly

Shutterfly is another photo gift printing service where you can create everything from mugs to Christmas ornaments. It also offers online hosting and sharing sites for photos, which is a nice bonus. While their photo books are probably their most popular item, you'll also find things like custom invitations and cards.

Along with the usual selection of customized photo gifts, Shutterfly's more creative photo gift ideas include:

Photo notepads and notebooks

Photo cooking aprons

Photo luggage tags

Photo playing cards

Photo stickers and puzzles

Visit Shutterfly's photo gift section to see what kinds of photo gifts they offer.

Or go here to read our Shutterfly reviews.

Unique Photo Gifts at PhotoWorks

PhotoWorks is probably most famous for its photo printing and cards. But they also offer some great and very unique photo gifts that are a bit different, and a lot of fun.

Their offerings go even beyond the norm and some really fun items that you won't find anywhere else, including:

Photo cutting boards

Photo wall clings

Photo Christmas ornaments

Photo porcelain commemorative plates

Photo wine storage boxes

Photo clipboards

Visit PhotoWorks Photo Gifts directly to see their unique ideas for photo gifts-- there are some really neat ones.

Or go here to read our PhotoWorks photo book review.

Unusual Photo Gifts at Kodak Gallery

The best companies are the ones that you hear the most about, are easiest to navigate and are the easiest ones to upload your pictures to. Kodak Gallery, with its venerable name in photography, has become a huge player in the online photo sharing market. Like many companies in the specialty photo gift market, Kodak Gallery offers all of the standard photo gifts, like mugs and mouse pads. But some of their more unique photo gift ideas include:

Photo Fleece and Woven Throw Blankets

Photo Collage Mouse Pads

Keepsake Boxes

Photo Throw Pillows

Photo "Artist Canvas" with Brushstroke Effect

You can check these out at Kodak Gallery photo gift section

Or read through our Kodak Gallery photo book review.

Finding Photo Gifts On- and- Off-Line

Remember, however, that Kodak Gallery, Shutterfly, and Picaboo are not the only companies out there that let you design and print photo gifts. They are just the ones with the widest reach! There are also companies in your local area that can create your special gift, so take the time to shop around if you like.

What You Need to Create a Photo Gift Online

Sometimes, with creating a gift like this you have to think about the realities of creating the gift iself, and the photos that you have to work with.

Photo Sizing for Making Photo Gifts

One thing you'll need to think about is the size of the picture that you want to use. It maybe that the picture is too big or too small, you don't want cropped at the point or blurred so out of focus, where you lose the idea of the picture.

Check out this page to learn a bit about how to edit photos (coming soon!). Or check here to learn how to take better digital photos.

Photo Dimensions for Making Photo Gifts

Another thing to think about is the dimension of your photos. You don't want a picture that is going to wrap around a mug so far that it's going to be lost in the handle! You also don't want your picture too tall or it will get lost in the lip of your mug. Many times the company that you are dealing with will help you by resizing the picture for you. However, being aware of the size and dimensions yourself --and learning about things like cropping to change your photo's shape-- is useful for future reference.

If you have great photos, you'll always end up with wonderful unique photo gifts!

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