Why black-and-white prints need extra care

A print is not a screen. Light bounces off paper instead of shining through it, and that changes how colours, darks and fine detail look. Knowing a little about paper and size helps every book look the way you hoped.

This is how the two pictures sit together on one spread.

One more thing

Most of this is invisible when it is done right. You only notice it when it goes wrong.

If in doubt, print a single test page first. It is cheaper than a whole book.

• Leave the cover for last
• Pick a fixed day each month
• Keep one photo per day at most

Try it this month

Hand the phone to someone else at least once a month. It is the only way the photographer gets into the book.

If you have too many photos of one day, that day probably mattered. Give it a spread of its own rather than cutting it down to one.

Picking is a skill. Like any skill, it gets faster.

Priya Nair, Paperleaf print room

What we got wrong

Leave a little space. Not every page needs to be full, and an empty corner gives the eye somewhere to rest.

If you miss a month, do not try to catch up all at once. Start again with this month and fill the gap later if you feel like it.

Good to know: every Paperleaf book has room for thirty photos, so there is no prize for keeping more.

A few small rules

Keep the phone charged and the lens clean on days you expect to matter. It sounds small, but a flat battery or a smudged lens has cost more good pictures than any missing piece of equipment.

Think about how the photos sit next to each other. Two busy pictures side by side can fight; a busy one beside a quiet one usually works.

• Include at least one place, not just faces
• Pick a fixed day each month
• Star photos as you take them

Why it works

Try to include everyone. It is easy to end up with a book full of the children and none of the person holding the camera.

Do not be afraid of imperfect photos. A little blur or a stray elbow often tells you more about the day than a tidy, posed shot.

My mum reads the captions more than she looks at the pictures.

Leila, who writes every caption by hand

Make it a habit

Keep a note of what happened that month as you go. A few words beside a photo are worth far more than you expect a year later.

When a month has a big event in it, such as a wedding or a first day at school, let it take over. There is no rule that says every week needs equal space. The book should feel like the month felt.

Before you start: make sure your phone is backed up. Deleting is easier when nothing can be lost.

What to look for

Share the book when it arrives. Leaving it on the kitchen table for a day is often enough for everyone to have a look.

If two photos are nearly the same, keep the one where someone is doing something. A raised hand, a turned head or a half-finished sentence gives a picture life that a perfectly still pose rarely has, even when the still one is technically better.

• Leave the cover for last
• Include at least one place, not just faces
• Star photos as you take them

Keep it simple

Set aside a fixed time for it. The last Sunday of the month works for a lot of readers because the week is quiet and the month is complete.

Faces matter, but so do places. Include at least one picture of the room, the street or the view where the month happened.

We don’t take more photos than we used to. We just look at them now.

Ana, a reader since the first year

Start with what you already have

Most people find the first month the hardest. You are learning what you like, and every photo feels important. By the third month you will notice yourself moving faster, trusting your first reaction and spending your time on the handful of close calls instead of on every single picture.