When a photo becomes a portal: Why physical photo products matter more than ever in a digital age

If you grew up with film, you remember the count: 36 exposures. They came in a paper envelope from the photo lab: a few duds, a few perfect frames. The keepers went into an album or a shoebox. You could pull them out on a Sunday and feel the whole scene again.

Now most of us carry thousands of photos on a phone, plus more in clouds and old drives. Important moments sink under screenshots and receipts. The images exist. But often, the core memories drift.

Print fixes that—and not just because we say so.

Why print helps your memory

Here’s the short science behind why printed photos stick.

Cognitive research shows that the way we select, sequence, caption, and handle images changes how well we remember them. Print forces deeper thought and gives the brain concrete cues to hang onto.

Deeper processing makes stronger memories

When you choose, sequence, caption, and place a photo on paper, you engage in deep (semantic) processing, which strengthens long-term memory.

Paper supports deeper comprehension than screens

Across large meta-analyses and controlled studies, readers often understand and remember content better on paper than on screens due to slower, more focused engagement and less skimming.

Snapping photos isn’t the same as remembering

When you shoot on autopilot, it weakens recall. Thoughtful selection of the photos and printing them on paper forces your focus and makes the moment easier to remember down the road.

Mixbook partners with leading memory scientists to translate their research into our product choices—how you select, sequence, caption, and print—to strengthen recall and deepen connection. The goal isn’t only better products for you; it’s better memory-keeping for families and communities that outlasts devices.

The emotional power of the physical

In early 2025, Sundus Abdi, a young woman who took up film photography as a “rebellion against the digital age,” wrote about her experience for The Guardian. Abdi was inspired to make the digital-to-analog switch after experiencing the emotional resonance of looking through old family photos.

Responses to the story reveal a broader appreciation for film photography as well as physical photo prints and albums. Readers noted the benefits of a slower, more deliberate approach to picture-taking, the delayed gratification of waiting for prints, and the timelessness of physical prints compared to their digital counterparts. Here are some of our favorite comments:

• “Hard-copy prints take on their own existence as part of a continuing historical narrative.”—Julius Smit
• “Accessing images stored in a cloud is soulless exercise compared with leafing through a photo album and sharing the memories, however imperfect the pictures may be.”—Roger Foster
• “Also, prints that you can hold are far nicer to view and can easily be kept in albums.”—David Baugh

While Mixbook depends on digital—or digitized—photography, our photo keepsakes are fundamentally physical products. You hold them in your hands and get a sensory experience that amplifies the emotional one. Photo books have weight, texture, the sound of flipping pages, and even that new-book scent.

In addition to this tactile realness is intentionality. Mixbookers take their time and put a lot of thought into photo selections and design decisions. Finally, there’s the anticipation of waiting for the delivery of a photo creation. In an age of instant gratification that so often feels hollow, this is another callback to more mindful modes of satisfaction.

Commentary from David Newhoff, CPO at Mixbook

In discussing the power of physical photos, Mixbook CPO David Newhoff said, “There’s a kind of magic in the physical. A photo book isn’t just a product, it’s a portal... Tangible memories hold emotional weight. They make us feel seen, connected, remembered. And in a time when loneliness is quietly rising all around us, we believe these touchpoints, these love letters to the lives we’ve lived, are more important than ever.”

With the ascent of digital technology that dominates all facets of our lives, it can feel like we live in an overwhelming world of impermanence and noise. We read daily about digital burnout and emotional disconnection in parallel with an increasing desire for grounding experiences.

Endless streams of digital images don’t allow us the time necessary to reflect. This is not true of physical products like photo books. Instead, they’re a portal to memories and emotions in a way that cannot be matched by infinite content on screens.

How Mixbook prioritizes emotional resonance

Mixbook’s suite of tools, themes, and features are designed for ease of use and a streamlined transition from the spark of an idea to a completed project. We often emphasize time-saving tools that help busy Mixbookers overcome time constraints.

However, we always want to encourage connection over just completion.

Here’s how:

• Thoughtfully designed themes that align with real-life life milestones and events like birthdays, graduations, retirements, weddings, and more
• Storytelling prompts that help Mixbookers capture memories with more nuance and detail
• Collaborative features for inviting friends and family to share in project creation
• Editing tools that allow users to write meaningful captions or add handwritten notes
• Premium papers and print quality to elevate the keepsake experience

A shift in memory preservation culture

It’s interesting (and probably something to be studied by future sociologists) that younger generations are the ones driving the physical photo product trend. Gen Z and Millennials perhaps have reached a saturation point with digital dominance and want more than just fleeting moments of connection.

When you’re seeking an emotional anchor, that anchor needs to have some real, physical weight to it. Photo books and prints offer that trait, bringing captured moments out of the digital realm and into the real world.

What we hold onto, holds onto us

The power of touch and tangibility cannot be underestimated. Mixbook connects all the benefits of fast-moving, innovative digital technology with the timeless emotional and cultural need for tangible memories.

In a world that moves fast, sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do is pause—and print.