Photo books are a great way to preserve memories and share photos with friends and family. Two popular services for creating photo books are Mpix and Mixbook. But which one should you choose? This comprehensive guide compares the key features, print quality, customization options, ease of use, and pricing of Mpix and Mixbook to help you decide which is best for your needs.
A Brief Comparison Table
| Feature | Mpix | Mixbook |
| Print Quality | Very good, professional Fuji paper and HP Indigo printing | Very good, Fuji paper and HP Indigo printing |
| Customization | Basic layouts and templates | Extensive design options and scrapbook themes |
| Ease of Use | Simple drag and drop editing | More advanced customization tools |
| Pricing | Starts at $19.99 for 20 pages | Starts at $15.99 for 20 pages |
| Turnaround Time | Estimated 2 days production | 4 business days production time |
| Guarantee | 30 day money back guarantee | 100% satisfaction guarantee |
Overview of mpix and Mixbook
Mpix and Mixbook are both online photo printing services that make it easy to turn your digital photos into professional-quality photo books.
Mpix is owned and operated by Miller’s Professional Imaging, a company with over 70 years of photography experience. Mpix offers a wide selection of photo book styles and sizes, from small travel-size books to large coffee table books with layflat pages.
Mixbook takes a more creative, scrapbook-style approach to photo books. They offer themes and unique book layouts for events like weddings, vacations, and holidays. Mixbook’s editing software makes it easy to customize pages with text boxes, stickers, backgrounds, and more.
Also Read: Comparison Between Mpix And Printique
Key Differences Between mpix and Mixbook
Both services offer premium photo paper and professional binding options for the pages. The finished products are high-quality photo keepsakes built to last. Let’s explore some key differences between them:
- Print Quality
Photo book print quality comes down to the paper, inks, and printing technology used.
Mpix photo books are known for their excellent image quality and clarity. They use a professional Fuji crystal archive paper with a luster finish. The pages have a thickness that minimizes show-through from images on the other side. Mpix books are printed using the latest HP Indigo digital printing technology for rich, accurate color.
Mixbook also uses Fuji film paper with a semi-gloss finish for their standard photo books. Upgrades to premium papers like Bamboo Silk or Pearl are available for an additional cost. Mixbook prints with state-of-the-art HP Indigo presses for vibrant, long-lasting photos. Their lay flat binding allows pages to open completely without damaging the spine.
When comparing print quality side-by-side, Mpix has a slight edge over Mixbook. The luster paper Mpix uses gives photos a brighter, crisper look. Mixbook’s matte and semi-gloss finishes have a softer effect. However, both provide excellent professional-grade print quality suitable for gift books and displaying your best photography.
- Customization and Design Options
Both Mpix and Mixbook offer user-friendly editing software to customize your photo book. However, Mixbook provides significantly more design flexibility with themes, backgrounds, and editing options tailored to creative projects.
Mpix uses a drag-and-drop Bookbuilder program that makes it easy to upload photos, arrange them on pages, and add text boxes. There are some basic layout templates to choose from, but customization is limited compared to Mixbook. The focus is more on printing high-quality photos, rather than scrapbook-style creativity.
Mixbook has an expansive Design Tool for creating fully customized pages. It provides complete control over photo filters, arrangements, text boxes, backgrounds, clipart, and embellishments. Mixbook has templates for most occasions including birthdays, weddings, holidays, and vacations. You can also start from a blank canvas to build a theme from scratch.
If you want a basic photo book showcasing your pictures, Mpix is the simpler option. For photo books with elaborate themes and designs, extensive customization options make Mixbook the better choice.
- Ease of Use
For creating a photo book quickly and easily, Mpix has better workflow. Their Bookbuilder software is intuitive with straightforward tools for uploading, arranging, and editing photos. The autoflow feature automatically populates your book with images once you assign them to pages. Creative options are limited but sufficient for basic photo books.
Mixbook’s expansive design capabilities require more time and effort to master. Building a theme from scratch or applying creative edits across multiple pages can be time consuming. However, Mixbook offers 100s of templates, backgrounds, and design assets to speed up the process. Their manuals and inspiration galleries help you get the most out of the advanced editing tools.
Mpix is the easier platform for beginners making simple photo books. Experienced scrapbookers and DIY crafters may prefer Mixbook’s creative flexibility despite the steeper learning curve.
Also Read: Comparison Between mpix And Artifact Uprising
- Cost and Pricing
Mpix and Mixbook both offer good value for the high-quality products they provide. However, Mixbook tends to be more affordable for basic softcover photo books.
Mpix pricing starts at $19.99 for a small 5 x 5 inch book with 20 pages. Standard sizes like 8.5 x 11 inches are $29.99+ for 20 pages in softcover. Additional pages and premium upgrades add to the costs. But Mpix regularly has sales and discounts on photo books.
Mixbook standard photo books currently start at $15.99 for 20 pages in a 6 x 6 inch size. An 8.5 x 8.5 inch softcover book is just $17.99 for 20 pages. Cover upgrades, extra pages, and premium options have additional fees. Mixbook also runs frequent sales and special offers, especially around the holidays.
Mixbook’s base prices tend to be lower than Mpix across all standard sizes. However, with sales and promotions, the pricing is comparable. Both deliver good value for beautifully printed photo books.
- Turnaround Time
How quickly you receive your finished photo book depends on the service.
Mpix provides an estimated production time of 2 days for most standard size photo books. If you pay for expedited shipping, you can expect to receive your book within 4-7 business days from order confirmation.
Mixbook production times are 4 business days for standard shipping. Expedited shipping brings your photo book delivery time down to 6-10 business days. Mixbook production times increase during peak holiday periods.
Mpix gets the edge for faster turnaround speed on most orders. It’s ideal when you need a last minute gift book printed quickly. Both services deliver within a reasonable timeframe, but Mpix is quicker overall from order to delivery.
- Quality Guarantee
Mpix and Mixbook both provide happiness guarantees if you are unsatisfied with the final product.
For Mpix photo books, you can request a full refund if you are unhappy with the quality within 30 days. Contact their customer service who will work with you to re-print or re-make any books with issues.
Mixbook also offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. You can get revisions, reprints, or a complete refund on damaged or defective books. Contact their 24/7 customer support who aim to address any issues promptly.
The two brands provide similar assurances of quality and service. This gives you confidence that the photo book will meet expectations or can be fixed or refunded if any problems arise.
Also Read: Comparison Between Artifact Uprising And Shutterfly
Frequently Asked Questins (FAQ)
Yes, Mpix photo books are known for excellent quality and clarity. They use professional Fuji crystal archive paper with a luster finish and HP Indigo printing technology. The images have vivid accurate color with minimal show-through. Mpix books are beautifully printed and bound.
Mixbook provides very good print quality and durable construction. They use either Fuji film paper or upgraded bamboo and pearl paper options. Mixbook books are printed with HP Indigo for vibrant, accurate photos. The lay flat binding allows pages to open fully. Overall Mixbook books have excellent quality for photo printing.
Most photographers prefer the image quality of Mpix over Shutterfly. Mpix uses more professional-grade printing and materials optimized for serious photographers. The paper, inks, and color accuracy is superior to Shutterfly’s standard consumer-focused books. Mpix also specializes in photo products whereas Shutterfly has a broader product line.
Mixbook delivers higher-end photo book quality compared to Shutterfly consumer books. The paper, binding, and print quality is significantly better. Mixbook also provides far more customization options for scrapbook-style designs. Shutterfly offers quick and easy photo books while Mixbook excels at creative, personalized themes and layouts.
Conclusion
Mpix and Mixbook both provide exceptional quality photo books with pro-grade printing and materials. Mpix offers a streamlined book-making experience focused on surface finish, color accuracy, and crisp images. Mixbook opens up more creative possibilities with themes, backgrounds, and scrapbook-style designs.
For most consumers, the affordability and extensive customization of Mixbook makes it the best choice for gift-worthy photo books. Mpix is ideal for photographers wanting the highest print quality without advanced editing features. Either service will produce beautiful photo books that properly showcase your images while preserving memories for years to come.