How to Create Coffee Table Picture Book

Coffee table books get their name from the high-quality images within them and attractive photographic covers, making them suitable for display on a coffee table. Traditionally hardbound, coffee table books used to be put out strictly by major publishing houses. With recent advances in technology, though, you can create your own coffee table book using simple online tools and have a professional-looking hardcover result to display at home or to share with others.

Instructions

1

Set your digital camera to always take the highest resolution photos it is capable of. Digital photos are made up of tiny increments called pixels and measured in pixels per inch. The higher the pixels per inch, the better the quality of the image and the larger it can be. Ideally, you want a photo that is at least 300 dpi (dots per inch) at a size of eight by ten inches. Consult your camera's manual for the appropriate setting.

2

Select the images you would like to place in your coffee table book. It is best to organize the images around a theme and group them either by the logic of the theme or in chronological order. For example, if your photos are from a tour of Alaska, you might group together photos from each day of your trip, or you might have a section of wildlife photos, one of plant life and scenery, and one for action shots.

3

Write captions for each photo. These can be simple descriptions such as the place and time each one was taken or more information about the subject in the photo. Thoroughly edit each caption for grammar, spelling and clarity. If you do not trust your editing skills, ask someone else read through the text with a red pencil in hand.

4

Select a reputable online creator of photo books. According to a review in Slate.com, Shutterfly, Photoworks and Kodak Easyshare rank highest for overall book quality. Go to one of the companies' websites, and select the size, cover and style you want for your book. Each selection affects the cost, so start with your ideal coffee table book, and then scale it back if the price goes over your limit. As of 2010, a five by seven-inch book of 20 pages is in a range of $30 to $40 (depending on the service). Larger, more traditional coffee table-sized books average $55 for 20 pages and get more expensive as you add pages or other options.

5

Upload and arrange your photos and paste in your captions as directed by the online software. If you have a specific layout in mind, check out multiple software options, as some will allow full page images without borders and others won't. Some may have limits on photos per page or give you options to choose background colors to enhance your book.

6

Finalize your purchase by making payment via one of the site's approved methods, including credit and debit cards or PayPal accounts. Your coffee table picture book will be printed, bound and mailed to you, usually within six weeks.