What is the maximum number of pages in a Shutterfly photo book?

Just last week, we covered the topic of how many pages you can place in a Snapfish photo book. Today, we’ll have a look at a similar question concerning Shutterfly: What is the maximum number of pages in a Shutterfly photo book? The simple answer is not always the best one. While it is possible to place up to 111 pages in a Shutterfly photo book, your photo book may end up quite large. Let’s have a look at the possibilities right here.

Let’s take this book by book, meaning we’ll look at the different book types (in terms of size) available and see how many pages are included and how many pages you can add. Generally speaking, all photo books start out with 20 pages and can hold up to 111 pages. However, that doesn’t mean you should. There are six sizes to choose from:

1. 7×9

The smallest of the bunch is a 7×9 photo book. Now imagine a photo book this size with 111 pages. It simply seems a little too big. There should be a good ratio between the size and the number of pages. We believe a good number for this size would rather be around 40-50 pages. It’s not particularly small nor is it overloaded.

2. 8×8:

Pretty much the same applies for this photo book. The size is the same as it is fore the first one, only it is in a square format. 111 pages would overload it and let’s be honest: it would take quite some time to get through to the end.

3. 8×11/11×8

These photo books differ only in their orientation: one is a landscape version, the other is in portrait format. They are, however a little larger than the previous two and thus can still look nice with a few more pages. We recommend no more than 70, though. Of course, it depends on your preference in formatting and photo placement, but a 70-page photo book is quite large.

4. 10×10

This square format also has a little more substance to it than its little sibling. Again, depending on how you choose to design the book, you may want more or fewer pages, but we recommend between 50 and 70 overall. It will have a nice feel to it and not seem overloaded.

5. 12×12

The bigger we get, the more likely you’ll want to play with collages and show off full-page pictures more sporadically. That means that you may not even have that many pictures to fill 111 pages in the first place. Even if you did, when you look at a photo book with lots and lots of collages, page after page, you may not enjoy the experience any more as it is just too much to take in. That’s why we recommend around 70-80 pages maximum for this type of book.

6. 11×14

The cream of the crop, the biggest one Shutterfly has to offer. This photo book is for special occasions and extraordinary photos. You have a unique chance to tell your story here and there really isn’t any rule at all. Of course, 111 is still quite a large number of pages and you may want to be cautious when designing that many, but it is your story that rules the book’s design. A solid recommendation for this 11×14 photo book would be around 80-90 pages maximum. There’s no reason not to be content with 30 or 40 pages either. And here’s why:

A photo book is a story you tell with your pictures. If the story is finished, it’s finished. There’s no reason to artificially extend it. A larger photo book is not a better photo book. If your photo book somehow ended up at 111 pages with Shutterfly, you may even want to think about using more collages to shorten it and spice things up a little. A photo book with only full-page images (especially larger ones) doesn’t really make a very creative impression at all. On the other hand, a photo book made only with collages doesn’t give individual pictures the chance to stand out and make an impact. Choose the design of your photo book wisely and let your creativity take the reins.

We hope to have helped you not only answer your question “What is the maximum number of pages in a Shutterfly photo book?” but also give you a good insight into the possibilities you have when it comes to choosing a number of pages for your book.