Portfolio Content & Preparations | Print and Digital Portfolios | Web Portfolios | Sample Portfolios & Documents
Today you can present your work to clients in any of several ways. In practice, you're likely to have your work ready to show in each of these ways.
Printed portfolios are the long-standing tradition. Most portfolio binders are designed to allow you to add or remove pages at will, thereby allowing you to a) keep your porfolio up-to-date with samples of your latest works and b) allow you to customize your portfolio for review by a particular client or potential employer.
Digital portfolios don't incur the time or preparations for printing and binding, but they do require digital skills — you'll need to be able to lay out your work in a program such as InDesign, Illustrator or maybe even PowerPoint (or their competitor applications). A capable word processing program such as Microsoft Word can be used it you understand how to lay out graphics and text blocks.
Online portfolios may be the most accessible in our web-savvy world. Just create your site, update it at will, and make sure your business card includes your link — now the whole world can see you creations.
Each portfolio options has advantages and disadvantages. Each incurs various costs of time, skill and money. Which is right depends, ultimately, on your priorities and resources.
Today there are many online businesses that will print your portfolio and bind it into a leather-bound coffee table book that your mother would be thrilled to show off.
These web services vary — some allow you to select a page layout template, and then drop your images into each page. Most sites allow you to lay out your pages in Illustrator or InDesign (or other), export to a PDF, then upload the PDF for high quality printing and binding.
Where to get individual images printed:
Shutterfly | Winkflash | KodakGallery | SnapFish | MPIX* | Elco** |
Walmart and Walgreens offer web-to-print options locally with same-day pickup (or 1-hour pickup). Don't expect the same quality of image, though often they do quite well.
*Mpix has been my preferred printer when I want professional quality at a fair price. They offer various promotions that can lower their prices still more.
** Poster size photo prints: If you need huge images printed, I've used Elco Color for 30x60" photo prints (photos...not inkjet). They also offer canvas printing, archival printing on watercolor paper etc.
These sites review photoprinting web sites. They should have more up-to-date info that I'll post:
Note that most of the businesses linked above also do photobook printing. This is a fast-evolving type of business. So there will be many competing service providers and the most popular or most recommended sites may shift every few months.
( WinkFlash | SnapFish | Mpix | Elco | KodakGallery | Shutterfly | Walmart* | Walgreens* )
PrestoPhoto — they have very good prices on quality books and portfolio printing. Note their premium printing option — a bit more cost for very high quality, durable color. Book Pricing
*claims same-day pickup for some sizes of books.
Portfolio Content & Preparations | Print and Digital Portfolios | Web Portfolios | Sample Portfolios & Documents
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