Squiglet vs general photo book makers for children's art
General photo book services are brilliant for holiday photos. Do they suit a year of crayon drawings?
The short version
Great for photos, fiddly for drawings
General photo book services give you endless templates and are excellent for holidays and weddings. For children's artwork, the hard part comes before the book: getting each drawing scanned straight, evenly lit and in order, with the right captions.
Squiglet does that part in the same app that makes the book, so the pictures arrive in the designer already tidy, labelled and sorted by child. If you want total freedom over complex layouts of mixed photos, a general service gives you more templates. If you want a clean book of drawings with minimal effort, a purpose-built app is quicker.
A general photo book service compared with Squiglet
Photo book services differ a lot from one another, so this compares the typical features of a general-purpose service with Squiglet.
| Feature | Squiglet | General photo book services |
|---|---|---|
| Scans and tidies drawings for you | YesBuilt in | NoYou prepare the pictures yourself |
| A library of all the artwork, by child | YesPictures are already filed and labelled | PartlyUsually a photo upload per project |
| Pages laid out for drawings, with captions | YesFramed pages with captions from your library | PartlyTemplates for general photos; you add captions |
| Wide choice of themes and layouts | PartlyA focused set of page designs | YesOften hundreds of templates |
| Add other kinds of photos | PartlyDesigned for artwork | YesAny photos |
| A flip-through preview before you pay | YesYes | YesUsually |
| Family sharing of the artwork itself | YesPrivate invitation-only library | PartlyUsually only the finished book |
| Other gifts from the same pictures | YesPrints, phone cases and more | PartlyVaries by service |
A category comparison: individual services vary, so check what your chosen service offers.
Which should you choose?
Choose Squiglet if you...
- Are mostly making a book of drawings and paintings
- Want the scanning, filing and captions handled
- Want the grandparents to see the library too
Choose a general service if you...
- Want complete control of complex layouts
- Are mixing in lots of ordinary photos
- Already use one and are happy with it
Photo book questions
Can I use my scanned drawings in another photo book service?
Yes. You can export your whole family library from Squiglet at full size and use the pictures anywhere.
How many pages can a Squiglet book have?
From 30 to 200 pages, hardcover or softcover.
Try Squiglet free
Join the waitlist and be first to scan, share and print your child's artwork.
Free to start. No card needed.