Viovio.com has made a lot of recent changes to its photo book software and service. Some of these changes have been for the better, but some haven't been all that positive.

VioVio's Photo Book Software

This photo book website has recently released its new software, Book Designer 2.0. But I'd say the release still leaves a lot to be desired. As I go on, I'll go over my major isues with VioVio's new software.

Issue 1: The Layouts

This software allows the average person to make a simple, plain photo book. The biggest "benefit" seems to be that there is more premium layouts than there use to be-- but those layouts are provided for a fee. The software only comes with a few layouts. In the past the quality of the layouts you could buy was fairly low. Now they are just expensive to use.

Issue 2: Pricing

One thing I noticed at this site was how hard it was for people to figure out the pricing. Pricing is usually given as $x.xx for a 20 page book, but a combination of a base charge and a page charge -- and the number of copies is somehow included in the calculation. I saw several comments on the site by other users who were confused, so keep an eye on this if you're thinking of buying a photo book from VioVio.

Issue 3: Software Isn't Easy to Use

Here are some comments from Another Frustrated Customer on Viovio's own wiki:

The Good Sides of VioVio

Of course, writing an honest review means looking some at the bad side of a company's service. But there are some great things about VioVio photo books.

For one, the software does have some advantages. Despite being confusing in places, The Book Designer software is very easy to use and is great if you just want a book with a few pictures per page and some captions. Adding pictures to the layouts was easy. It was truly drag and drop. Once the pictures were in place, they were automatically resized to fit the picture's size.

Some other good things about VioVio's photo books are:

They have a great interface for people who make their book in another software, but want to print with VioVio.

A great selection of photo book sizes

Lower pricing if you are making books with many pages or want several copies of the same book.

You can actually create a book for sale to others.

My Conclusions about VioVio

If I needed to make a book, I personally wouldn't choose the photo book printer Viovio, simply because they don't have many options for a book maker like me - someone who does not have extra software to do the design work.

Desipte the good things about this photo book creation service, I would say that, in my opinion, they aren't a good choice for the average user.

VioVio for Experienced Designers: That said, if you're a more experienced designer, have your own software to do your designs, and even want to put photo books up for sale, Viovio would probably be a great option.

VioVio Photo Book Specifications

Paper Weight	80# text coated Xerox Digital Silk paper; premium products use 100# text Futura
Max. # of Pages	500+
Mac Compatible?	Yes

Updated: May 13, 2010

User Viovio Photo Book Reviews

This page really only covers the usage of the photo book software itself, not the quality of the photo books that VioVio prints for you. Have you used VioVio and want to add your own review, or read the reviews of others? You can review and read reviews abotu VioVio at the bottom of this page.

Comparative Photo Book Software Review

Background Themes	No themes or backgrounds offered.
Layout Variety	You can either use the very bland limited layouts they provide, purchase layouts, or make a layout of your own.
JPG as a Background	No with Book Designer
Digi-Scrapbooking Friendly	No
In-book Editing	No
Text - variety and Full Page	Not with the limited layouts offered.
Embellishments and Corners	None
Full-Page Bleed	Yes
Final Grade	D-

For an explanation of the Feature Set Review

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Photo Book Sizes

The prices given are based on a 20 page book with printing on both sides of the pages unless otherwise noted. Additional pages are available for an extra charge. The price given is the lowest price for that size category.

Hard Cover
9x7	20.79
12.5x10 (wire-o binding)	31.99
11x8.5	22.99
8.5x8.5 (24 pages)	22.19
10x10 (24 pages)	23.59
12x12	29.99
8.5x11 (24 pages)	22.19
Soft Cover
3.75x2.5 (min of 4 books)	$14.99/4
5.25x3.5 (min of 3 books)	14.99/3
7x5 (min of 2 books)	14.99/2
14x11 Wire-O Binding	17.49
3.5x3.5 (min of 3 books)	14.99/3
5x5 (min of 2 books)	14.99/2
6x9	9.99
Comic Portrait - 24 pages	10.99
A4 Portrait	9.99

For a more detailed pricing, please visit VioVio's Photo Book Covers and Sizes

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