summer 2026 · from the studio
Do people print photos and make photo albums anymore?
Growing up, I cherished every photo album in my house: the themed ones that kept our baby milestone keepsakes or special photos from my parents’ wedding, the ones that were specifically set aside for my memories (vs my brother’s or sister’s), even the random ones that had no obvious or clear topic of focus, but contained gems that made me curious and wonder about what stories they held.
I would flip through them over and over and over again, even if I knew exactly what I’d see next. I loved seeing my parents as younger adults, I loved reliving fuzzy childhood memories I barely remembered, and I loved being able to study every big and small detail by holding the photos in my hands.
When I became a parent, I wanted to be able to recreate that same magic for my kiddo. I knew how much it meant to me, and I wanted it to be a habit that I built into our family norms so that she could grow up knowing how powerful and important physical keepsakes are in honoring cherished memories. But then life happened, and after months and months of feeling TERRIBLE mom guilt about not making my baby’s first year photo album, I finally decided to give up to the powers of my photo storage space.
It made me start to wonder: Where has this household tradition gone? Do people somehow still do it anymore?
Grandparents Still Print
Believe it or not: That same generation of parents who were diligent in keeping up with printed photos and album creations, are still maintaining that rhythm for themselves today. Through thick and thin, they deal with the hassle of their camera rolls, muscle through complicated layout tools, and faithfully and consistently print out books of latest travels, prints of their grandkids to stick on their fridge doors, and of course, photo calendars that hold precious gems on each monthly spread.
They have the discipline, time, and grit to make it through, and are continuing to gift their loved ones and themselves with physical keepsakes that ground them in what’s important.
Let’s give up a round of applause for this group of organized, diligent photo keeping folks!
Gen Z is Returning to Print
Kodak has reported that disposable and digital camera sales have roughly doubled over the past five years, with Gen Z leading that demand, and one 2025 market report pegged the disposable camera market at over a billion dollars, with Gen Z making up the majority of buyers. This is a surprising fact given that this generation is the first to grow up with the internet & online social platforms from day 1.
You’d think that they would be content with their camera rolls on their phone, but in fact, they’re not. They are the first generation to really feel and see how overwhelming digital content can be, and have a true resistance against it all.
They see the value of print and will spend the money and time to honor key moments in their lives with off device cameras.
Millennials are In Between
As a millennial, I can attest to the confusion that I feel about printing and not printing. While I grew up with the printed keepsakes, I am also aware of just how much work and effort it took to make them come to life. In this day and age, I am simply too busy or distracted on a day to day to commit to time consuming projects like this on a regular basis.
I also enjoy and appreciate the quality of photos that my phone captures, and appreciate the ease of being able to capture content 24/7, as long as my phone is around. The convenience factor keeps me from going to off device options, and also, the cost awareness that disposable cameras and film prints can add up quickly, if unmonitored. I like that my content capture isn’t capped at a certain amount of photos or storage space.
So basically, I want the best of both worlds: The routine, rhythm of print across time while also leveraging my phone’s camera roll to capture content - all while not overcommitting myself to photo admin with the time I don’t have (especially as a millennial parent).
What’s an In Between Solution?
Selfishly, speaking as a millennial who feels the most stuck on this printing problem, I want to build a habit like my parents’ generation, one that I can sustain over time. I also want to wield the wisdom of Gen Z in how they’re saying “less is more” in how they’re capturing and printing keepsakes. But I want to do it all as conveniently and quickly as possible.
njuta was built because I personally wanted to find a solution that was manageable in terms of effort, time, cost so that it could be a thing I could do routinely, for years and years, without being overwhelmed by growing mom guilt nor by my untamed camera roll.
njuta makes a lot of decisions for you so you don’t have to. It’ll take a first pass at capturing your top 30 memories from your latest season, you can edit it all you want, and then you have just those 30 memories go to print with a beautiful seasonal cover that’s worthy of a coffee table feature.
Outside of njuta, some other options to consider: a) build out a time based habit of looking at your camera roll, and doing something about it - even if it’s just printing one photo or building out a whole book, make it a point to actually enjoy your camera roll, and not just keep adding to it; b) you could literally hire someone to deal with all of your archival photos for you - they’re called “family historians”. Pricey, but maybe worth it? And c) even if you’re not printing photos, you could at least stick to a social post “dump” on a regular basis to have your special photos saved and appreciated somewhere off of your camera roll.
The options are, truthfully, endless. But what I will say is this: Don’t let parenting guilt take over. Just find something that works for you, and try to stick to it, just like you would with any healthy habit you’re trying to keep in your life. Future you and your kiddos (if applicable) will thank you!
-Kara (co-founder of njuta)