Ease the Season - Sending Cards, Giving Gifts with your computer

It's a week before Thanksgiving and on the way home tonight I caught a glimpse of the first set of lights lining the rooftop of a house in the distance. We're on the threshold of the holiday season. No wonder my last few home visits involved getting photographs scanned, mailing labels printed and photos uploaded to the internet.

So I thought I would put together a list of the websites that I use to upload people's pictures then help them to order photo cards, photo books, and prints:

Kodak Gallery - The Kodak photo book arrived as a true 5x7 with a glossy heavy cardstock cover that had a matte finish that felt more like vinyl. Images were as crisp as any 5x7 print you’d get from Kodak. Watch for specials here too. Every now and then Kodak offers a low price on making copies of prints. Great opportunity to make a gift with a special picture frame.

Snapfish - HP’s Snapfish has come a long way, greatly expanding its sizing and binding options, while adding additional customization features to bring a personal touch to your professional published photo book. And the selection of photo cards is outstanding. Once you upload your special photos to the site, you have the option to pick between photo cards from .29 cents each and up.

Shutterfly - Shutterfly combines quality, creativity and versatility to make for an exceptional product. Shutterfly offers more sizing and design options than most other photo book publishers, providing all the tools, embellishments and binding options to help transform those priceless memories into timeless, professionally-crafted keepsakes.

With hundreds of themed and un-themed template choices to choose from, designing and creating handsome and memorable photo books is intuitive and fun.

Viovio - I love this site. They have a portfolio/spiral bound 11 x 14 photo book starting at $20. Make sure you order your book a few weeks ahead of time because they take a little longer than other services but the quality is worth it. If you have a last minute album you need printed, you might want to try Shutterfly. Viovio offers A LOT of different shipping options, but their production time is longer than Shutterfly.