When I have no idea what to buy, photos are my favorite custom gift idea (and these are my favorite print labs and sales right now)

A stack of various photo books on a desk

(Image credit: Hillary K Grigonis / Future)

Every year, it feels like I always have someone on my gifting list that seems to have everything – and one of my favorite ways to get out of the I-have-no-idea-what-to-buy rut is to brainstorm custom gifts. While I love a good Etsy custom handmade item, my favorite way to create custom gifts is to give photography.

Gifting photographs doesn’t necessarily mean just handing over prints in an envelope. I’ve gifted engagement photo wall blocks to my newly-engaged brother, photo books to new moms, photo puzzles to puzzle fans, framed prints to family remodeling, and my parents have more than a new custom photo Christmas ornaments on their tree.

The trick to creating custom photo gifts, however, is that quality can differ from lab to lab. If you print your photos in the same place that you buy groceries or pick up prescriptions, you’re likely to get some unexpected colors, for example. As a pro photographer and self-proclaimed color nerd, however, I’ve found that some labs offer better quality than others. And, as the Black Friday camera deals approach, the deals on photo gifts are steep.

Here are some custom gift ideas from my favorite photo labs.

Printique

Ships to: US, Canada

Printique is one of my favorite US photo labs because they have excellent colors, a wide selection of papers and the prices are still reasonable.

Gift ideas: I just recently ordered a photo book from Printique, and the quality was fantastic. They also have an excellent selection of wall art and even puzzles.

Mixbook

Ships to: US, UK, Canada, Australia

Out of all the print labs that I've used, Mixbook's app is among my favorites. Designing a photo book was incredibly simple and quick, and the final print quality is impressive. I recommend trying the lay-flat books, which have a lovely soft textured feel to the matte pages.

Mixbook has printing facilities on several continents, which means you don't have to pay for higher international shipping or face longer wait times.

Gift ideas: Mixbook is most known for its photo books and albums, but it also offers wall art, including metal and canvas prints.

Saal Digital

Photo books from Saal on a desktop — (Image credit: Hillary K Grigonis / Future)

Ships to: UK, US (excludes Alaska, Hawaii, and Virginia)

Every time I've ordered something from Saal, I've been blown away by the final print's colors and detail. Saal Digital is a high-end lab with excellent print quality and a wide range of papers, plus most gifts only take 24 hours to print before shipping.

Gift ideas: I just ordered a wall calendar from Saal, and the quality is excellent. I also highly recommend the Pro-Line photo books. The print lab's custom photo gifts also include ideas from custom cutting boards to Lego-like building bricks featuring your photo.

Cewe

Ships to: UK

Cewe has a good balance between quality and price. I've ordered a photo book and calendar from Cewe, and the quality is quite good for the price point.

Gift ideas: Cewe also has a handful of unique ways to print your photos, including custom advent calendars, photo phone cases, plush and custom notebooks.

Chatbooks

Ships to: US, UK

Chatbooks specializes in photo books, available either as subscriptions or one-time purchases. I just gifted a Chatbook album with photos from my baby nephew's first year – and his mom really loved it.

Gift idea: If you don't already have the photos to put in an album, you can gift a Chatbooks subscription and enable the recipient to create a new photo book every month – which is a great idea for parents of young kids. Year-in-review photo books also make a great gift for grandparents.