A Digital Scrapbooker

[Marti]

Hi All Digital Scrapbook Lovers!

I'm thrilled there's a special place for scrapbookers to exchange ideas in a forum at MP. I have discovered that my digital scrapbook layouts look far more professional and are far more impressive in a book format than they were in any traditional scrapbook I have made in the past. The bookmaking process is cleaner, easier, quicker, and you don't need a room full of expensive supplies. I've even decided that, in some cases, the price is comparable. The books take up far less space on a shelf and are much lighter. Okay, have I sold everyone on using books over scrapbook albums? Maybe not, but I love this process and haven't gone back to my old paper and embellishements in months.

I even asked the professional photographer who took our twin granddaughters' 2-year-old poses to send me a CD/DVD of all the proofs instead of my ordering a handful of prints in various sizes for over $150. She charged me $75 for the CD and now I have all the poses and can manipulate them as I please. A real deal, I figured.

Anyway, thank you, MP, for listening to us and following through!
Marti

[mypublisher]

Thank you Marti! I am excited you found innovative ways to use MyPublisher :o)

[Cruiser]

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[Marti]

I'll tell you what, Cruiser, I have a book coming early next week that was just shipped so now I have the order # and password to view the book. I haven't seen it myself except on-line, but in this particular book about my 2-year-old granddaughter, Lauren, every page is a scrapbook layout done on PP, and not on the large size slides, just the regular 11x14 size slides. I'll include the link for this book in my private message to you. If you like what you see, I'll be more than happy to explain how I create the layouts.

I don't know how sharp and crisp it will all look in the real book until I receive it, and maybe my level of satisfaction with the reproduction is less sophisticated than others, but I thought it looked pretty good on-line. One thing I would do differently though: I had trouble deciding how much margin to leave because of trimming and I ended up leaving waaaay too much. There's a white space around each layout on each page and I was trying to avoid that. I'm now finishing Lauren's twin sister's book and can't decide whether to make the margins in Justine's book just like Lauren's with the white space (for matching books) or whether to increase the size of each layout in Justine's book and reduce the white space. Oh boy, decisions, decisions!

[Cruiser]

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[defiantjm]

You said you did a scrapbook layout on PP. What is PP?

Thanks for your help,
Justin Moore :)

Nevermind I found it in another thread. You were talking about Power Point.

Message was edited by: defiantjm

[mblazes]

Please share your scrapbook with all, it sounds amazing. I wish they would put real albums from customers online.

[Marti]

Okay, mblazes, the following link should take you to a recent book I published of my 2-year-old twin granddaughters. Please keep in mind that I am not a designer or artist or anything like that. My scrapbook layouts are just things I like to do for me. Also, I do not keep track of the papers and elements I use because I never really publish publicly anything I create. It's all only for personal use. Remember, the layouts in this book are not works of art by any stretch.

http://www.mypublisher.com/bookstore/book_viewer.py?order_id=M434562&sp=x

Thanks for your interest, though. All of the layouts on the pages were done in PowerPoint (PP) at the 10 x 7.5 size and saved as jpg's.

Happy scrapping and bookmaking,
Marti

[mblazes]

Thank you so much for sharing. My favorite page is the many faces (expressions) - what a great idea.

[Marti]

I love looking at other people's layouts, so I'm glad if one of my pages gave you an idea or inspired you in some way. I'm not a photographer, so I do what I can with what I have; of course one's own grandchildren are precious and special models! I should mention, however, that on the pages that had a scrapbook layout, I could have increased the size of those layouts on the page. I allowed too much room for the binding margin, but that's a tricky call, I think.

[scraphappy]

Have you checked out scrapgirls.com? this is an excellent website to teach you digital scarpbooking, you can do your pages and then make you book using MP. I love it.

[Marti]

That's a great idea, and there are so many wonderful digital scrapbooking sites out there for ideas and inspiration, not to mention all the freebie papers, kits, and elements that are available for immediate downloads. I started making books using my scrapbook layouts a couple of months ago. The link to a book I made for my twin granddaughters is shown above.

When my son and daughter-in-law received this book two days ago, they couldn't believe it! My son said he can't get over how these layouts are now in a "real" book and they look so perfect; clear and beautiful. He said everyone they've shown the books to (one of three I sent them) can't believe them - have never seen anything like it. So scrapbooking and bookmaking are perfect for one another. The only question: Will the images in the books fade over time and is the paper on the pages archival safe? I believe that Julia from MP is checking on that.

[Jackie]

Marti,

I am a working mother who is way behind in creating photo books for each of my four children. I am about to begin and would love any advice you could offer. I viewed your southern cities book and liked the general look of the pages. How do suggest I begin my project? What do I need in terms of software and equipment or other? Importantly, do you know what is involved in creating pages to fit into a book not purchased from MP? I would like to use very high end leather covers that I just don't see offered by on line photo sites. Lastly, in terms of size, what is the largest book size you have come across in terms of inches and pages? I am thinking the book will cover birth through high school and want to maximize capacity without creating something too heavy and bulky. Feel free to refer me to any previous messages you have already posted. THANKS

[Marti]

Hi Jackie,

Nice to hear from you. Let me begin by saying that I'm no expert on anything, but I'll be happy to offer my opinions. I have three adult children myself and would like to make books for each of them, too, from birth through their marriages, and in one case, children. I haven't started anything yet because I have hundreds, if not thousands, of non-digital photos, making the whole process more complex and time-consuming, with the end result having a possible quality issue.

But let me address your questions: In terms of software, I use almost exclusively Microsoft PowerPoint, but most people use Photoshop Elements. I'm not familiar with other bookmaking companies who offer high-end leather covers. However, most scrapbooking software allows you to make scrapbook pages in an 8.5 x 11 portrait style, or in a 12 x 12 size. I use PowerPoint because I like the landscape style of the slides. I would think, though, that you could use any scrapbook software that allows you to save your pages as .jpgs under "My Docs", as long as the size is comparable to the size of the book pages you are planning to use. I have uploaded 12 x 12 scrapbook pages to the Classic MyPublisher (MP) book, and it worked fine. The left and right margins are wider than the top and bottom margins, but it looks okay.

In terms of size, I have only used the Classic size book in MP, which is basically a landscape 11.5 x 8.5. I have ordered books from Shutterfly, Picaboo, Creative Memories and York, but again, all in the basic 11 x 8 landscape size for uniformity on my bookshelf. Blurb offers a landscape book (as well as other sizes), but their book is slightly smaller than 11.5 x 8.5 and if you search this forum under the words "blurb.com", you'll find that most people believe that the quality of the Blurb book is less than a MP book.

As far as other messages I've posted, they are mostly under the forum heading "Scrapbooks", so you could scan those quickly to see if there's any other information that might be helpful. You may also seek replies from other people, too. Cruiser has done a number of beautiful books in the larger Deluxe size in MP, as have others. I'm not sure, other than myself, who is creating scrapbook pages and then uploading the pages to MP, but they're probably out there.

I hope this has helped some, Jackie. As I say, you might want to open up your questions to the general "Scrapbook" forum and see what suggestions other people might have. In any case, I certainly agree with you that it's nice to have a book that isn't too heavy or bulky. That's exactly one of the reasons I'm converting many of my traditional scrapbook albums to books. The books are smaller, lighter, more manageable, and take up less storage space.

Let me know if I can offer other suggestions for you and let me know how you're doing on your project(s).

Happy bookmaking,
Marti

[Jackie]

Marti,

Thanks for your suggestions:)

Jackie

[Cruiser]

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[Jackie]

Cruiser,

Thanks for the advice. My children are very young and I want them to be able to handle the books. So since the scrapbooks will be manhandled and will need to expand as the children age, my expectation is that I will need to "publish" new additions over time rather than add pages incrementally. Therefore, I probably don't need the industrial strength covers that I had initially thought, which makes things simpler. Hopefully, by the time they finish high school, MP or another service will offer a ridiculously expensive but gorgeous Vera Wang leather cover for the final print. Now the only thing left to do is begin. Yikes!

[Cruiser]

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[alwaysbehind]

So, when you do the "Scrapbook" photobook through MyPublisher, do you get to choose from all those little doo-dads (colorful labels, clipart, etc.) you have in your book or did you create your page in full using photoshop or some other similiar program and upload the completed page to MyPublisher for printing?

There's so much detail...many more "extras" on the page than I have seen in the "storyteller", "travel", etc. book style choices by MyPublisher.

Your book is great and so fun to look at. Great job!

[Marti]

Hi alwaysbehind,

In answer to your question, all of the labels, clipart, titles, etc. used in my scrapbook photobooks are created on a slide in PowerPoint, saved as a .jpg, and then uploaded onto a MyPublisher full-bleed page for printing. Unfortunately at this time, MyPublisher does not offer embellishments in their choices. And thanks for your kind comments about my book. It takes more time the way I've described, but when I have the time to spend, the results are more satisfying.

Have fun,
Marti

P.S. I frequently feel "always behind" too.

[adventure.trek]

Thank you so much for sharing your book online!!! I am just getting started and this was SO helpful!!! It is amazing that the tedious hours spent on scrapbooking are no longer a budget breaker!!! I have been debating what online company to use, and worried about the quality. You are so blessed!!! Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!! adventure.trek

[Marti]

Hi adventure.trek,

Thanks for your wonderful comments. I have more scrapbook-type books to post on the forum and I've got to get that done. I'm having a ball making these books and you're absolutely right - making books is so much better than scrapbooks for so many reasons, but three are: time, supplies and cost. I love to make scrapbook layouts and I love the look of books, so the combination of being able to do both is perfect for me. And I have to say, after trying a number of other publishers, MyPublisher is the best - hands down! And if you ever have the money, order a Deluxe imported leather book. It is nothing short of phenomenal!

Happy scrapping and happy bookmaking,
Marti

[kristieL]

Marti,

I am so glad I got to view your book. It is so adorable. I am in the process of doing my first book and am also into digital scrapbooking so I am glad I got to see an example before finishing mine. What size did you end up doing? I have chosen the deluxe size, but it's because it is a travel scrapbook I am doing for a friend who visited this summer. I am really nervous about the trim area so any times that you have would be greatly appreciated! This is about the third time I have had to redo pages because I started off using blurb and got that book back and it turned out pretty good, I just had ordered the wrong size. So I was going to redo it to a bigger size, more like the 12x12 standard scrapbook size and then I found this site. So any tips you can share with me would be greatly appreciated.

BTW, your grand daughters are absolutely adorable and I love how you did some pages as scrapbook pages and other pages as full bleeds or just using the publisher templates. It made for a nice mixture and very interesting to look at.

[Marti]

Hi Kristie,

I'm glad you enjoyed my book. And thanks for all the lovely comments. This is a great medium for showcasing digital scrapbook layouts, and having a book makes it all look very professional. I have ordered both the Classic and the Deluxe sizes. I like both, but have learned that the images in the Deluxe book print very large - the pages are about 11.5x15.5. The images need to be high resolution. I'm not into numbers, and I don't know how particular you are, but I feel that my PowerPoint layouts, without any adjustment in size, are fine on a full-bleed Deluxe page. However, having said that, my satisfaction level may not be as high as someone else's.

The trim area is tricky. I've read all the suggested calculations, but find it a bit difficult to follow. I've tried 3 approaches:

1. I use PowerPoint to create my layouts, so they are already a landscape orientation. I place a layout on a full-bleed page and reduce it until I have about 3/4 of an inch to an inch of margin on all sides. Then I move it slightly away from the binding or gutter side, leaving more margin there. I use the page numbers as a guide on the outside edge, knowing that the page numbers aren't going to be trimmed off. If I'm using a 12x12 layout, then I have to make allowance for the top and bottom margins, too.

2. When I create the layout, I don't put anything important within about 2" of any of the four edges. Then I can place it on a full-bleed page and don't have to reduce it because the trim will only cut off background paper, or the ends of an element, like a horizontal or vertical ribbon, that won't matter.

3. I drop the layout into a single-photo template that is the next largest to a full-bleed. I believe the Bestseller style has a template that works well, then I don't have to worry about sizing the layout on the page.

I've used Blurb as well and the book I ordered was smaller than MyPublisher's Classic book. I decided I liked more "real estate" on the page. And when I place my Blurb book and my MyPublisher book next to one another, the photos in the MyPublisher book appear more vibrant and eye-catching.

As far as putting full-bleed layouts on both sides of a two-page spread, I've learned that it looks better to separate them, unless they all follow the same theme, colors, and patterns.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, just let me know.

Have fun,
Marti

[ThePhotoPro]

Oh my goodness! Your book is beautiful! I have never seen such an amazing work of art in a scrapbook layout! Have you ever considered doing it for other people for a fee? I'd be first in line! I'm a professional photographer and your designs are top notch! Your twins will cherish that book forever. Did you purchase one for each child? They are such beautiful children I'm sure they'd both want a copy.
Robert

[Marti]

Hi Robert,

Thanks for the generous compliments! I have considered making books for other people using the scrapbook layout technique, but decided it would be quite labor intensive and sometimes the quality that I find acceptable might not be acceptable for someone else. Plus, the compensation aspect would put the whole thing on another level that would make it "work" and not fun anymore.

I have made so many books for my twin granddaughters, Robert, that I can't keep track anymore. In most cases, the book was designed especially for one or the other twin with only photos of that one twin in the book. The few books that I've done of both twins together have been given to my son and daughter-in-law. I guess someday if each twin wants one, we'll have to order another copy.

You're very kind. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.

Marti

[randaryan]

Hi Marti,
Your twins' photo book is inspiring! I also have twin granddaughters and have made several albums through Picaboo. But I wanted a large album for Hawaii and just made one through MP. Am anxiously awaiting delivery.
My question for you: I am familiar with PP but where do you get the embellishments?
Thanks!
Randa

[kmk_01kmk]

I'm not Marti, but I can point you to her response... Links for free stuff are previously posted in the following topic (scroll down a ways thru the responses to find the links):

http://community.mypublisher.com/jiveforums/thread.jspa?messageID=6476

I think I found most of what I'm using from 3 of the sites, but sorry, I don't remember which ones!

[Marti]

Hi Randaryan!

kmk kindly stepped forward and answered for me - she IS the sweetest thing!! Check out that link because there are some great freebies shown and then search the net - it's amazing what designers offer for the taking. Even if you decide to pay for something, my experience has been good. Have fun.

Marti

[Marti]

Hi Kmk!

You really are too good to be true!!! Thank you ever so much for offering the info to randaryan. I'm not even sure I would have found that link. You are definitely on top of things. Much appreciated and step in whenever you wish, okay?

Marti

[Marti]

I checked this site out a couple of months ago, but never made a book. It all looks quite wonderful, and I'm sure it is, but the books were expensive. I make a lot of books and don't want to break the bank - but that's just me!

Heritage Makers:
A 11x8.5 Storybook is $69.95 for 21 pages. Extra pages are $0.99 ea.

MyPublisher:
Size: 11.25" x 8.75"
Pages: 20 - 100
$29.80 ? 20-page book in linen
$49.75 ? 20-page book in leather
$00.99 ? each additional page

I took these prices off of each company's website today. Plus, with frequent 40% discount coupons from MP, I couldn't beat their price.

[Marti]

Sorry about the question marks on the above - don't know where those came from. Anyway, they should be ":" or "-".

[Marti]

Oh, no Annieann. I am in favor of both budget and quality and that's why I have been using MyPublisher. I'm quite happy where I am, thank you.

[kmk_01kmk]

Yeah, it's a little pricey, but it doesn't look like Heritage Makers would work for me anyway. It looks like the "Studio" is web-based & you have to upload your pictures to put the book together. I have dial-up and a single phone line at home, so I have to create my project off line.

(Truth be told, I haven't exactly figured out how I'm uploading my MyPublisher project when I'm done, but I'll be figuring that out soon hopefully!)

Anyway, glad you found a product you like!