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My wife is a Pastry Chef, and I would like to create a portfolio with photos of the pastries that she has created so far, so she can show it to potential employers.

Can someone recommend me a software that allows me to create the pages for a physical photo album, based on some photos that I have on my computer of her pastries?

Here are my specifications:

  • For Windows.
  • Works offline (nothing on the cloud).
  • Free (if Office has something that allows to do this, then is fine, since I already have it).
  • Allows me to choose a background for the page (or usage of templates).
  • Allows me to freely arrange the photos on the page.
  • Allows to create a cover page.
  • Allows to add text to the pages, so it can give explanations of the pastry on the photo.
  • Allows automatic page numbering.
  • Works in USA.
  • Allows me to print the pages from my home printer (I expect the pages to be 8.5 x 11).

I checked this question already posted here, but one of the recommendations is a paid app, and the other one it looks like it does not fit what I am looking for (I would like something more professional).

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  • A bit off topic: what printer do you have? Commercial books have really good quality. Not close to what I can print at home or in my office
    – Thomas Weller
    Dec 19, 2015 at 10:16
  • I have a HP Photosmart D110
    – scubaFun
    Dec 19, 2015 at 18:47
  • Could Microsoft Publisher work out for you? It comes with Office (or at least depending on what type of Office you bought) and it should be very easy to create physical photo albums in it.
    – Tom
    Dec 19, 2015 at 18:56
  • I have Publisher, so this might work form me. Will look into it. Thanks!
    – scubaFun
    Dec 19, 2015 at 19:05
  • If you want a professional look, spend the money on professional printing. Photos of food need to look appetizing, and that's very hard to achieve with a home printer. And it's much less expensive than you might guess. My wife and I are both into photography and travel a bit, so we print albums to give to our parents every couple of years. It's in line with what we might otherwise spend on a Christmas present, and it seems to delight them.
    – CPerkins
    Feb 2, 2016 at 22:10

1 Answer 1

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Depending on the country that you are in many of the places that print such albums off free software to download and compose the album and some will not accept any other format. The nice thing in such cases is that the software often includes:

  • Templates &/or Free Form
  • Details of the services offered
  • Price Calculation, (after updating online),
  • Ordering Deadlines for Christmas, etc.
  • Upload and Ordering
  • Not every such provider only offers cloud based solutions

One such example, in the UK, Spain, France, Italy & Netherlands is Lidl Photographic, just click the link for your operating system they offer Windows & OS-X on that page but I am sure that I did find a link for Linux on the site a while ago.

Opening Screen (on the run up to X-MassIn Progress

Their software:

  • Is Free (Gratis)
  • Knows about products and Prices
  • Works offline until you order
  • Permits templates or Freehand
  • Allows text & Captions
  • Can auto page number
  • Can even add QR Codes to provide links to web sites, on-line content, etc.
  • Can give a nice professional layout
  • You can select page background colours or images
  • You can overlay images on each other
  • Depending on the product selected you can have images &/or text on the cover.

I don't work for Lidl or the company that writes their software but have used it.

A quick Google turned up MyPublisher in the USA which offers similar software but as I am in the UK I cannot comment on the quality and pricing of their products and have not tried their package.

Note on printing portfolios at home

Unless you have a serious professional printing rig at home for other reasons you will find that you will be unable to match the quality of services such as these and from personal experience I have found, with a little shopping around, that the cost of getting a really professional looking, bound 14 page A5 booklet with double sided pages and a printed exterior produced by them, (Lidl in this case), was £5.32 including shipping, significantly less than the home printing costs of just 4 sheets of A4 single sided photo paper, colour ink, etc., which on an inkjet can run to £1.50/per page, (4x£1.50 = £6.00). I have also seen some services which off a same or next day service on some of the books which for a larger book might even be quicker than you could print it out yourself.

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  • This looks like what I am looking for! Unfortunately, I am in US. I assume it will not work for me.
    – scubaFun
    Dec 19, 2015 at 6:18
  • Also, I would like to print it on my home.
    – scubaFun
    Dec 19, 2015 at 6:19
  • Maybe you should add both to the question. You should look around for a similar offering in the USA - Printing on a house is tricky - you can get wall paper printed to order, giant posters both are a little more specialised or get an artist to do it.
    – Steve Barnes
    Dec 19, 2015 at 6:23
  • 1
    I think "print it on my home" meant to be "print at home". The question title and the content don't indicate that it shall be a giant print.
    – Thomas Weller
    Dec 19, 2015 at 10:14

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