That’s a contrast with Kodak Gallery, which is free but requires viewers to go through a registration process to see your online photo album. On the plus side, this allows you to control who can see your stuff (you invite people via email), and Kodak, naturally, offers myriad ways for viewers to buy copies — not just photo prints, but holiday cards, calendars, coffee mugs and even ties that for $29.99 are custom-printed with the image of your choice. Shutterfly, another family-friendly site, offers a similar array of services and products.

Photobucket, aimed at the younger members of your clan, is integrated with social networking sites like Facebook and Blogger; a single click will post photos to your profile page. It can also host videos as well as still images, and is free — though there are limits to how much you can post before you need a for-pay account.

Whatever site you choose, keep in mind that you can go high-class old-school by skipping the photo album and jumping straight to the custom-printed book. The web is packed with options here, from hoity-toity binders like Couture Book, to ones that are shockingly inexpensive for those of us who still think of bookbinding as a rarefied craft. Kodak, among other online photo services, will make a hardback that you help design for as little as $29.99. They have a range of binding options, from a mini book for under seven bucks to big leatherbound volumes that start at $69.99, but the quality inside is consistent — as the site proclaims, “all photo books are printed on heavy, archival-quality, acid-free photo paper and are professionally bound” — and ordering is easy: You just go through your online gallery, select the photos to use and make some decisions about style options, and place the order. Soon after, your lushly arranged memories arrive at your door.

Now that’s a way to feel like you’ve put a cap on a successful holiday season.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

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