Digitally, yes. Physically, no. We do not post out sample books.
There are three genuinely different things you can look at before committing, and they prove different things. Most people ask for one when they wanted another.
The three, and what each proves
| What it is | What it proves | When | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site preview | Page through a finished magazine on a product page | What the format does | Any time, self-serve |
| Digital sample | We answer your specific question, with an example where we have one | That your specific idea works | Ask before ordering |
| Your proof | Every page of your book, as a PDF | That your book is right | After ordering, before printing |
The first is browsing. The second is a conversation. The third is the actual guarantee.
Start with the site preview
Several product pages carry a page-through preview of a finished book. It costs nothing and answers most format questions immediately — how many photographs fit on a spread, where captions sit, what a text page looks like. What a photo magazine looks like inside →
Ask for a digital sample when the question is specific
Worth doing when you are weighing something the site preview does not settle. Does a sibling childhood book actually work at 16 pages? What does a spread look like with only two photographs on it? How does a Hindi caption sit on the page?
Send the question rather than asking for “a sample” generally — a specific question gets a specific answer, and it is free. Can you print in Hindi or a regional language? →
Why no physical samples
Two honest reasons.
Nothing here exists before somebody orders it. There is no stock of generic books to draw a sample from, because every book is one person’s. A “sample” would be somebody else’s photographs — which tells you about the paper and nothing about your book.
It would cost more than the thing it demonstrates. Printing and posting a book to demonstrate a ₹499 book is not a sensible trade, and that cost would land on every order. Do you have a physical store? →
The one thing no sample shows
Weight and finish in the hand. That is the genuine gap and no screen closes it.
What is stated instead: 300 GSM matte cardstock cover, 170 GSM non-glare smooth inner pages, the same at every size. Matte rather than gloss, so a page stays legible under a ceiling light at any angle. Paper and printing explained →
Judging size with things you already own
Size is the other thing people want a sample for, and it is easier to settle at home than it sounds.
| Format | Hold this up for comparison |
|---|---|
| Photo magazine | A sheet of A4 printer paper — that is the page size exactly |
| Polaroid print, 3x2 or 2x3 inch | A little smaller than a debit card, landscape or portrait |
| Polaroid print, 3x3 inch | A square with sides a little shorter than a debit card’s long edge |
| Hard Cover Album, square | A 10-inch or 9-inch square — about the width of a large dinner plate |
| Hard Cover Album, A4 | The A4 sheet again, in a rigid cover |
| Photo card deck | Pocket-sized, in its printed box |
Put the sheet of A4 on the table where the magazine will sit, or tape a card-sized rectangle to the wall where the prints will go. Two minutes of that answers more than a photograph of somebody else’s order.
What you can see for each format
The magazines are not the only thing with a preview before printing. Every format we design comes to you as a digital preview first:
| Format | Before ordering | Before printing |
|---|---|---|
| Photo magazines | Product photographs, and a page-through preview on several | Every page as a PDF |
| Hard Cover Album | Product photographs; 250 GSM matte pages, lay-flat binding | Every page |
| Photo Diary, Persona Diary | Product photographs | The design preview |
| Polaroid pack | Product photographs | Your prints, with their captions |
| Photo card deck | Product photographs | Your cards |
| Get Your Magazine Printed | Your own file — you have already seen it | A file check, then you confirm on WhatsApp |
The last row is the exception worth knowing: a magazine you designed yourself is checked for page count, size and image quality, then printed exactly as you sent it, with no designed proof in between.
The guarantee that replaces a sample
You approve a full digital proof of your own book — every page, the cover, the captions — before anything is printed, and revisions are included. A shop lets you hold somebody else’s finished book. This lets you read all of your own before it exists.
Frequently asked
Do you send physical sample books? No. Nothing exists before it is ordered, so a physical sample would be another customer’s book — and posting one would cost more than the book it demonstrates.
Can I see a digital sample? Ask a specific question before ordering and we will answer it, with an example where we have a relevant one.
How do I judge the paper without holding it? By specification: 300 GSM matte cardstock cover, 170 GSM non-glare inner pages, identical at every size. That is the one thing a screen genuinely cannot convey.
What is the difference between a sample and a proof? A sample shows what the format does. A proof is your own book, every page, before printing — and nothing prints until you approve it.
Is there anything I can look at right now? Yes. Several product pages carry a page-through preview of a finished magazine.
Part of our questions people ask before ordering. See also: can I choose the paper?, the design proof and size, pages, paper and price.
Have a look: Photo magazines from ₹499 · Custom Magazine