Canadian Photo Book Companies for Photographers
The dollar is low. How low, you ask? So low that photographers nationwide are now willing to break partnerships with their long-loved US photo book companies and find something within the country. Even at the time of editing this article, I”m betting the dollar will drop even further. Canadian photo book companies for photographers are surprisingly hard to come by. Other nations including the US and Australia have been in the pro printing game a lot longer which is why most photographers tend to go with the “tried and true” – after all, the Photo Book that we give to our clients will be the album that so many others will see and we want our work to look it’s absolute best; not only for the client but also for our own reputations.
Finding a Photo Book company in Canada has proven to be quite difficult as Canada has only recently begun to produce extremely high-quality products. While we may be newer at the game than our US counterparts, we certainly know what quality means, and once I found a few Canadian companies I was blown away with their quality and customer service, especially Dekora Albums.
Professional Photo Books in Canada
Below are some of the more popular and well-known Canadian Photo Book companies. Some of these companies offer only silver halide and/or giclée printing while others also offer press-printed albums. Take a peek at their websites and decide which one is right for you.
My personal favorite is Dekora Albums. Having known Chris, the current brand manager at Dekora, for almost half a decade, I know that Dekora is all about customer service. While there’s plenty to choose from in the list above, take a peek at this article to learn more about why Dekora is my favourite Canadian photo album supplier.
Photobook Design Companies in Canada
Pretty much every publicly accessible album company out there has built in design software and let me tell you – that is some cookie-cutter stuff right there. Not only do the designs leave nothing to the imagination but they leave SO much white space on your pages that you’ll end up having to double the size of your book just to get your images in. I started designing photobooks publicly in 2019; up until then it was a service reserved only for our clients. Our process is based on communication and understanding of the story you want to tell and the esthetics of the book you want to produce. I work directly with individuals to build the photobook of their dreams with a layout that is 100% custom and created by hand.
Photography Packaging in Canada
When it comes to delivering your product to your client, you want to be stylish without breaking the bank. Many photographers include some type of packaging whether it be bags, cardboard boxes, wooden boxes, or even handmade fine-art boxes. All of this, of course, has to be wrapped up and put in a bag to hand to the client. Finding photography packaging in Canada can be tricky, but if you take a look at our friends at Creative Bag as well as Luv 2 Pak, I think you’ll find everything you’re looking for. When it comes to adding unique accents to your packaging, check out Stella Wolfe for the gorgeous ribbon.
Wooden USB Boxes in Canada
While there are a plethora of companies worldwide that create wooden USB boxes for photographers, the majority of them are in the US. If you’re a US photographer, awesome! If you’re not… yikes. With a lot of hard work, I found Kraftsman, a Toronto based company that created beautiful USB boxes for photographers. If you’re into the more natural and organic look to your photo packaging, you’ll want to check them out.
Handmade USB Boxes in Canada (+ USB print boxes in Canada)
So you’re not into wooden USB boxes? That’s cool. As artists and business owners, we all have our own brand and it’s important to choose products that are in line with your brand. If you’re looking for handmade USB boxes in Canada (or USB + print boxes) that are either photo wrap or material wrap, look no further than our friends at Dekora again. Their handmade photo boxes are stunning and incredibly high quality. Want something with a photo wrap? Check out GTA Imaging for those.
USB drives in Canada
While a lot of photographers have been ordering bulk USB drives from overseas, there is an increasing number of Canadian photographers whose preference has changed to shopping locally. GTA Imaging began offering USBs in 2015 and they are absolutely lovely. Kraftsman also offers USB + box bundles as well as USB only options that are modern and stylish while USB Direct Canada offers a wide range of USB options.
Other Photography Supplies in Canada
The list wouldn’t be complete without a few shoutouts to our favorite Canadian companies.
Business Cards in Canada
While many photographers have purchased business cards from US sources, photographers (and all vendors, for that fact) have begun searching for local sources for business cards. GTA Imaging products beautiful luxe business cards (my personal fave!) and Jukebox Prints offers business card services as well. Both of these companies are based in Toronto.
Canvas, Acrylic, Metal Prints in Canada
If you’re looking for a professional photography lab in Canada, look no further than GTA Imaging. Not only do they offer a full range of sizes for RTP and Colour Corrected prints, but they also offer specialty finishes such as Canvas, Acrylic, and Metalic prints. While GTA Imaging is my preferred printing lab, Technicare, as well as Jukebox, also offers specialty printing options. Technicare offers a variety of products aside from specialty prints so make sure to check out their website.
Photo Editing Companies in Canada
Hands down, The Image Salon is the way to go. Founded by Daniel + Davine Kudish, The Image Salon is a step above any other photo editing outsourcing company I”ve dealt with. Your images won’t come back “generically edited”. Your editor works hard with you in order to learn your style and process your images just as you would have. I really can’t say enough positive things about The Image Salon. Try them; you won’t regret it!
This is what our research has provided us at the initial time of publishing; however, if you know of a professional Canadian photo album company or any other Canadian based company that offers supplies for photographers, please send a quick note to info@ten2tenphotography.com and leave us the tip so we can look into it. When we publish updates, you’ll get a personal shout-out for your generosity in sharing your information. Together, we can help build a list of awesome Canadian album resources for the Canadian photographer.
A few Thank You’s…
- A huge thank you to Chris Tausney from Dekora for not only being awesome at what he does for also for helping point us in the right direction to find CreativeBag and Luv2Pak
- Thank you to Sarah Nickerson for telling us about Stella Wolfe
