The making of one is not the hard part. Choose a size, send the photographs, approve a proof — the step-by-step process covers all of it.
The hard part is the selection, and it is where the difference between a book someone keeps and a book someone thanks you for actually happens.
The four kinds of page
A magazine that holds attention has all four. Most first attempts have only the first one, which is why they flatten out around page eight.
| Kind | What it is | Roughly how much |
|---|---|---|
| The two of you | Posed, smiling, at cameras | A quarter |
| Him | Doing something, not looking up | A quarter |
| Places and things | The flat, the route, the table, his hands | A quarter |
| Text | One line per page, specific | Throughout |
The second row is the one people leave out and the one that lands hardest. He has almost no photographs of himself that he did not pose for. A page of him mid-sentence, or asleep on a train, or concentrating on something, is a genuinely unfamiliar object to own.
What to write
One line a page, and make it a fact rather than a feeling.
Good: You argued with the auto driver for eleven minutes over twenty rupees and won. Weak: You always make me smile.
The first is a story only two people know. The second is on a greeting card. Specificity is the whole difference between a record and a card, and it is free.
If you are stuck, forty examples of what to write works in either direction.
How big
About four photographs fill a page, which is the number that decides everything else.
| Together | Pages | Roughly this many photos | Ours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under a year | 8 | 32 | ₹499 |
| One to two years | 16 | 64 | ₹599 |
| Two to four years | 24 | 96 | ₹699 |
| Longer | 32 to 40 | 128 to 160 | ₹899 to ₹1,099 |
Flat ₹70 delivery anywhere in India. Full sizes and paper detail are in the buying guide.
Choose the smaller option when you are between two. A dense small book beats a padded large one every time, and padding is visible from the first flick through.
The order
Chronological is the default and it is usually not the best one.
Two structures that work better: by place, if the relationship has moved around, and by chapter, if it has phases — before the move, the long distance year, now. Both give the book a shape. A continuous stream does not, and a stream is what a phone gallery already is.
When not to make one
When you have been together a few months. There is not enough, and thinness cannot be hidden by a larger format.
When most of the photographs are screenshots or low resolution. Small images print badly and a soft page is the one thing nobody forgives.
When he has said he dislikes photographs of himself. Which photo gifts land and which misfire covers that case honestly.
When you are three days from the date. Gathering takes longer than printing.
Timing
5 to 14 days from order to doorstep, 5 to 12 to Delhi NCR, flat ₹70 anywhere. Dispatch is weekly on Mondays, so a Friday order catches that week’s dispatch and a weekend order waits seven days. Add two to four days for design and your proof approval.
Frequently asked
What should I put in a photo magazine for my boyfriend? Four kinds of page in roughly equal measure: the two of you, him alone doing something, places and objects, and one specific line of text per page.
How many photos do I need? About four fill a page. Sixty-four for a 16-page book, ninety-six for 24 pages.
What should I write next to each photo? A fact, not a feeling. Something only the two of you know beats anything that would fit on a greeting card.
Should I order the photos chronologically? Often not. By place or by chapter gives the book a shape; chronological order reproduces the phone gallery it came from.
Part of our guide to personalised gifts for a boyfriend. See also: gifts for a boyfriend who says he needs nothing.
Shop: Personalised gifts for a boyfriend · Photo magazines from ₹499 · Love Story Magazine from ₹499