An album is the heaviest thing we make and the one people commission least often, usually because they have not worked out whether they need one.
The answer comes down to a single number: how many photographs you actually have.
What an album is here
A rigid hardcover book with lay-flat binding — each spread printed as one piece and mounted, so the pages hinge open with no gutter down the middle. Inner leaves are 250 GSM matte, heavier than a magazine’s, because an album is handled differently.
| Album | Magazine | |
|---|---|---|
| Pages | 20 to 100 | 8 to 40 |
| Holds | 80 to 400 images | 32 to 160 |
| Binding | Lay-flat hardcover | Saddle-stitched |
| Inner paper | 250 GSM matte | 170 GSM non-glare |
| Price | ₹1,299–2,299 | ₹499–1,099 |
| Opens flat | Completely | Nearly |
The archive test
About four photographs fill a page, so:
Under 160 images — a magazine. An album at this count is a heavier object holding the same thing, and the extra money buys weight rather than room.
160 to 400 — an album genuinely earns it. This is where a magazine would have to be split into several books.
Over 400 — an album, or several magazines by year. Both are right; they are different gifts. Which format suits a huge archive →
What lay-flat actually buys you
Not just flatness. A photograph across two pages arrives uninterrupted, which is the thing a stitched or glued book cannot do — and it changes what images are worth including.
A wide group shot, a landscape, a room: those work across a spread and are cramped on a single page. If your archive is full of them, that is an argument for an album independent of the count. Designing for the full spread →
The decisions, in order
Format first — square or A4, and they are genuinely different objects. Square or A4 →
Then page count — 20, 40, 60, 80 or 100, decided by your photograph count. Page counts and what each holds →
Then lamination, which is optional and costs per sheet. Is album lamination worth it →
Then the cover. Choosing an album cover →
Everything else in this guide
Album pricing, step by step · How heavy an album is · Your album or the photographer’s · Albums as heirlooms · A second copy for another household · Album or coffee table book · What goes wrong with albums · When an album is the wrong choice · How to brief an album
Frequently asked
What is a hardcover photo album? A rigid book with lay-flat binding, so spreads open completely and a photograph can run across two pages uninterrupted. Ours are 20 to 100 pages, ₹1,299 to ₹2,299.
How many photos does an album hold? About four per page, so 80 at 20 pages and roughly 400 at 100.
When is an album better than a magazine? Above about 160 photographs, or when your archive is full of wide images that need a full spread.
What paper is used? 250 GSM matte inner leaves, heavier than a magazine’s 170 GSM, because an album is handled more.
How long does one take? 5 to 14 days from order to doorstep, 5 to 12 to Delhi NCR, same as anything made to order.
See also: album, photo book or magazine and how to choose a photo gift format.
Albums from ₹1,299: Hardcover albums · Hard Cover Album