MyPublisher vs Shutterfly Comparison
2017 Update: MyPublisher will be closing down as of May 8, 2017. Some features previously available on MyPublisher such as hinged lay flat binding is now available on Shutterfly. For more details and an update on whether Shutterfly is a good alternative for MyPublisher fans, be sure to check out my in-depth comparison post.
2013 Update: Shutterfly has bought out MyPublisher. MyPublisher still offers photo books but calendar, card and canvas orders are now directed to Shutterfly.
MyPublisher and Shutterfly are two well-known companies in the photo book industry. MyPublisher began offering photo books in 1995 and in more recent years, added on custom photo cards, calendars, canvas prints and scrapbook pages. Shutterfly was founded four years later. The company currently offers an ever expanding choice of custom photo gifts as well as photo sharing websites.
In terms of photo book offerings, MyPublisher's product line includes both softcover and hardcover landscape oriented photo books. Paper upgrades and lay-flat options are some of the features available. Shutterfly's product line includes softcover and hardcover photo books in square and landscape orientation. Shutterfly also offers two different lay-flat upgrades, hinged binding and a deluxe seamless lay flat binding, as well as a premium photo book line featuring genuine leather starting at $144.99.
In terms of software, MyPublisher's is downloaded while Shutterfly's resides online. Both allow for full-customization of page layouts. Shutterfly's is more digital scrapbooking friendly, featuring a number of attractive pre-made designer themes with lots of clip art and embellishments. MyPublisher's themes in contrast are typically more clean lined. Its themes focus more on photo layouts instead of clip art and additional design elements, so it just depends on your personal taste and type of project you're looking to make. Basically in short, if you're looking for a lot of fancy backgrounds and do-dads Shutterfly is your choice. If you favor clean design with mostly photos and a few captions, either company will work, but streamlined design is more a strength of MyPublisher's.
(Update 10/2013: MyPublisher has just started to offer a selection of clip art, but not as extensive as Shutterfly's.)
In terms of print quality, in my opinion MyPublisher's colors appear more accurate and more vibrant than Shutterfly's and I like having paper options. MyPublisher's deluxe paper is one of my favorites in terms of thickness and finish. With that said however, both companies are very good when it comes to print quality and I print books with both companies on a frequent basis. For me, the choice often comes down to the type of book I'm making. If I happen to see a cute book theme I like, I go with Shutterfly. It's very easy to drag and drop photos into a pre-made Shutterfly template and end up with a very nice photo book. If I want the focus to be on the photos, I choose MyPublisher. Additionally, whichever company is offering a deal is also a factor for me. If you prefer to stick with one company for all your custom photo gift needs (you want to upload your photos once and be able to create lots of different types of photo products), then Shutterfly will probably be the better choice for you as they have a larger product line.
This is intended to be just a general overview. I've written about both Shutterfly and MyPublisher extensively including specific reviews and photos of new features and new products. You'll find links to those reviews at the bottom of this page as well as the latest deals from both companies below.
Quick Specs for MyPublisher vs. ShutterflyNew to photo books? Learn the lingo
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| Book Type | Hardcover & Softcover | Hardcover & Softcover |
| Book Shape | Landscape | Landscape & Square |
| Types of Covers | Die Cut Linen or Leather, Dust Jacket, Full Photo Cover | Full Photo Cover, Fabric, Leather, Suede, Satin, Cloth, Padded, Glossy and Matte options |
| Min/Max Pages | 20 - 100 | 20 - 110 |
| Paper | 120 lb. (Classic); 170 lb. (Deluxe); Super Gloss | 65 lb glossy acid free, lignin free, archival paper stock (110 lb acid free softcover covers); photo paper (lay flat) |
| Binding | Hardcover - case bound; Softcover - perfect bound | Professionally bound (glued) hardcovers / Perfect bound softcovers |
| Lay Flat | Yes | Yes |
| Fully Customizable Layouts | Yes | Yes |
| Themes | 10 | 100+ themes |
| Layouts/Templates | 200+ | 270+ layouts, unlimited with customization |
| Backgrounds | 30+ colors (depends on theme) | Yes |
| Image as Background | Yes | Yes |
| Full Photo Cover | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable Spine | Yes | Yes |
| Full Photo Back Cover | Yes | Yes |
| Full Page Bleed | Yes | Yes |
| Captions/Fonts | Can use your own fonts | 30 fonts in 60 colors |
| Embellishments | Yes | Yes |
| Mac/PC | Both | Both |
| Download or Online | Download | Online |
| Special Photo Importing | No | iPhoto |
| Share Online | Yes | Yes |
| Sell Online | No | Yes - friends & family may buy; pro gallery |
| Collaboration | No | Yes |
| Logo | Yes (can pay to remove) | Yes - on last interior page |
| Photo Editing in Program | Rotate, Size, Auto-Enhance | Rotate, Zoom, Red eye, B&W, Color tone, Saturate, Soft focus, Vivid Pics, Fade |
| Digital Scrapbooking Compatible | No | Yes |
| See my MyPublisher review. There are 20 photo books available from MyPublisher, with sizes ranging from 3.5x2.75 to 15x11.5. | See my Shutterfly review. Shutterfly offers 25 photo books, ranging in size from 7x5 to 12x12. |
Current deals from MyPublisher and Shutterfly
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