Kiss Books Albums: The Heirloom Lab Now in SmartAlbums

By: Daniel Usenko

Kiss Books albums are heirloom wedding and portrait albums from a professional print lab founded in 2006. The lab is now part of the SmartAlbums lab network. Design a Kiss Books album, show your client a preview with real cover materials, and order it without leaving the app. Here's the story behind the lab and what the integration means for your album business.

Who is Kiss Books?

Kiss Books is an heirloom album lab founded in 2006 by Shaun Gordon, a photographer who shot around 500 weddings before turning to print. His goal was simple: make it easy to order albums.

Twenty years later, the mission reads bigger. In Kiss's own words: "We help photographers go from starving artist to successful creative entrepreneurs." The lab's 20th-anniversary tally (2026) counts nearly 150,000 books holding more than 2,500,000 spreads. Stacked in one pile, those books would reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Here's the part that surprises photographers who switch: Shaun still shows up. Kiss says new customers are "shocked when the founder and CEO shows up for them in person, online, or even direct on the phone." He helps photographers with pricing and workflow questions himself. That tells you a lot about how this lab operates.

What makes a Kiss Books album an heirloom?

A Kiss Books heirloom album starts with professional photographic paper and a curated palette of linens, suede fabrics, and Italian leathers. Kiss chose the paper for its dynamic range and durable, fingerprint-resistant finish. The pages are thick and feel luxurious in the hand.

Quality control is human. Every spread is looked over before shipping. Every cover customization gets cleaned and refined. If anything seems off, Kiss photographs the album and checks with you directly before it ships.

Then there's the philosophy. Kiss puts it plainly: "We don't design albums for the people who order them. We design them for their children and grandchildren." That's not a slogan.

When California wildfires destroyed a family's home, the couple called Kiss in tears about their lost wedding album. Kiss had a backup copy of the design on file and shipped them a new one.

Shooting family sessions or working with budget-minded clients? Kiss also offers a Press Print line, a more affordable album for everyday moments.

How fast is Kiss Books?

Every Kiss Books order ships in 10 business days or the lab refunds it in full with Kiss Credit (its store credit). Kiss says it usually beats that timeline, even in busy season.

Behind the guarantee is a real investment. Kiss moved production to its facility in Europe and revamped its cover color selection so materials don't go on backorder or get discontinued. No more falling in love with a linen that disappears mid-order.

Kiss also dropships to your clients without breaking your brand. Packages arrive clean: no invoices, no stickers, only a care card with storage instructions. The packaging is recycled cardboard with precision-cut bumpers instead of plastic fillers, and each album is wrapped in moisture-resistant coated paper instead of plastic film.

How does the Kiss Books and SmartAlbums integration work?

Pick Kiss Books as your print lab partner in SmartAlbums and the lab's specs load automatically, so every design is print-ready from the start. AI Auto Build creates your first layout in seconds. You refine it, show your client a realistic preview with Kiss's actual cover materials, and order inside the app. No file exports and no separate lab portal.

Why did Kiss sign on? Offering "the best desktop designer for free to our photographers" was, in Shaun's words, "a no-brainer." He sums up the fit in five words: "At Kiss we pursue simple." Kiss Books joins an open and growing network of professional print labs inside SmartAlbums.

What if you've never sold albums?

Kiss Books teaches photographers how to sell albums: for this lab, education is as much a part of the product as paper and leather. That focus shows up in three places.

The Album Academy is the lab's 10-module course on offering albums. It costs $149 and comes with a hands-on workbook and sales confidence training. Enroll and Kiss gives you a $149 sample album credit, so the course pays for itself in product.

And the results can be real money. Kiss shares the story of a photographer Shaun coached on adding albums to their business. The next year, that photographer did over six figures in album sales across 35 weddings and a boudoir business. SmartAlbums users report a median album sale price of $800, so a few yeses per year add up fast.

Pro tip: design an album for a past client who never ordered one, then send the preview link. When clients see their own photos in a beautiful album, it's hard to say no.

What do photographers ask about Kiss Books albums?

Here are the quick answers photographers want about Kiss Books albums, from turnaround times to cover materials to ordering inside SmartAlbums.

Where are Kiss Books albums made? Kiss produces its albums at its facility in Europe. The lab moved production there to speed up material delivery and keep its full cover palette in stock.

How long does a Kiss Books order take? Orders ship within 10 business days, guaranteed. If an order ships late, Kiss refunds it in full with Kiss Credit.

What cover materials does Kiss Books offer? A curated palette of linens, suede fabrics, and Italian leathers. You can add personalized cover text like names and dates.

How do I order a Kiss Books album in SmartAlbums? Choose Kiss Books as your print lab partner when you set up the album. The specs load automatically and you order from inside the app.

Do I have to design the album myself? No. Design it in SmartAlbums in under 30 minutes, or use Kiss's $49 design service and let their team work with your client.

What's coming next from Kiss Books? New products are launching this year, plus a partnership with The Album Assistant: an album sales concierge that sells albums for you and "feels like your employee."