Lesson 12: Uploading your Book

UPDATE: The Cherishbound site is no longer available. I now use Mypictales.com. However, some of the information in this post is still useful and applicable for other publishing websites.

Ok, yes, this is a shameless plug for my favorite website for digital scrapbooking. But this company has given me so much with my beautiful books, plus I wanted to demonstrate how to upload a page into a book, and this is the only way I've ever done it! Now, usually with Cherishbound, in order to create a book, you have to have a consultant. I've contacted the company, and they have provided me with a special URL--if you click on this link, it will allow you to create a new account and get started right away! I'm not sure how long this will last--so even if you aren't ready to create a book, get a login today.


So, here's a little more about Cherishbound, and then I will have a video for you!

To see pictures of my new 2010 yearbook, click here!

First of all, Cherishbound is NOT a digital scrapbooking site. At least, that is not their focus. They focus on learning to write your story. And they have some fabulous products like Story Starters, that will give you help in writing your story. There are different starters for different subjects, and they are full of questions and ways to format your story that can really help you. My sister (also a digitial scrapbooker--in fact, she got ME started) used them when she created a book to honor my grandmother and her life. The story starter really helped her know what questions to ask and how to organize the book. The way I see it, there are a lot of great stories hidden in your family that you can only bring about by asking the right questions. Story starters help you find those questions. It's pretty amazing. Cherishbound is what helped me switch my style of scrapbooking from a collections of photos, to a journal with photos. I do a lot more writing because of it. If you are creating a book for a special event, that's when story starters can really help. To see some of their story starters, go to http://www.cherishbound.com/products/sscatalog.php?c=53_21.


You'll find that scrapbooking can go a lot faster if you do the writing first. Then it's just copy and paste. Here's an example: My sister has three children. She wants to make a baby book for her third child, just like she did the first two. But--when does a mother of three ever have time to sit down and scrapbook? But then--if she waits, she'll forget all those special moments, the mile markers, when he walked, his first word. So, she writes it first. She just adds to it little by little in a Word document. And then, when she DOES have a few minutes to work on her book, part of it is already done. Just copy and paste what's needed.


Here's another example: A few years ago, a friend of mine wanted to make a book for her adopted daughter. She just wanted it like a little storybook she could read to her, that would tell her the story of her adoption--so she'd grow up knowing all about it. Not being a digital scrapbooker herself, I told her I'd help. So she came over one day, and we got that book done in one afternoon. She'd already done all the writing, typed it up, and emailed it to me. Then I just picked one kit, and quickly put out a good 20 pages, cutting and pasting her text, and adding a few pictures and elements. It was a short book, and a mini one--not a full size 8 1/2 x 11. And it's very much loved. And it was done in ONE DAY. Yes, writing first can be useful!


In Cherishbound, you can also make a book without using Photoshop at all. There are templates that you can use where you choose the location of your text and photos, and then just choose a border for the whole book. And it looks very nice--though I ten times prefer to do it in Photoshop! They also have a new thing called StoryClub. Honestly, I don't know a lot about it, but it's a great way to get discounts and deals when publishing. You may want to look into that when you are on the site. Its still a very new program.


Ok, now for a video that explains

• How to save your files to be ready to upload
• How to create a new book in Cherishbound
• How to upload pages in Cherishbound
• How to use templates
• How to insert your pages
• A quick look at my current book

Using_Cherishbound(click to view)

Lesson 11: Printing Options for Digital Scrapbooking

So--you're making this really great book and then you realize the problem--you gotta print this sucker. How do you do this??


Printing is the price you pay for the ease of making your scrapbook on the computer. And it can be difficult finding an affordable option. My first suggestion to cut down your printing cost is this:

STOP DOING PAGES WITH ONE DINKY PICTURE ON IT SURROUNDED BY A MILLION ELEMENTS!!

Ok, I just don't get it. Maybe someone can explain it to me. It just REALLY bugs me. I know, everyone has the right to scrap the way they want. But whenever I go to galleries, it's all the same. Beautiful pages--pages I am not sure I could ever put together so beautifully--but SO impractical!! I have a MILLION pictures and I want to use them. And since I have to print this thing, I can't afford to do a million pages all with one single picture! So, I fill up the space as best I can. I just did 10 pages on my Oregon trip. Yes, ten pages was a lot, but MAN did I fit a ton of pictures in there! Here's a couple of pages from it:





These are actually a spread--two 8 1/2 x 11 pages I combined together so you can see how they will layout on the page. Anyway--do you see how many pictures I stuffed in there? Granted--this is more than I usually do, but I had so many goo dones! And it's still great to look at and you can read it and it's artistic--but it's also practical. Occasionally I'll do a full bleed page of a really great photo--like you see above. That's the only time you'll catch me doing one picture on a page! And it's still not impractical--it looks freaking awesome, thank you very much.


So, my first tip in printing: Remember you will have pay for every page you make. Plan on about $2.00 per page. That can really add up fast.

Now, where do you print? As you read this section, if you have a website or location or any other tips for printing that I haven't mentioned, PLEASE add them in the comments section! My problem is that I found my printing option right off the bat. I've never tried any other way, though I've talked to people who have. The way I see it, you have three basic options:

Print them Yourself


This is for those lucky few out there who can actually afford their own fancy printer and can print at home. The most convenient but undoubtalby the most expensive option. And please, for the love of all that is holy, don't try to print on an inkjet printer! It MUST be a laser printer. If you do this option, plan on spending A LOT of money for ink (my $1,300 laser printer at work costs $800 to replace all four cartridges!) and then of course, you'll have to buy good quality paper. You'll also have to convert to 8 1/2 x 11 pages, unless you happen to have a 12x12 printer. Well, if you've got that, you could probably start your own business! So no, this is not the most practical option, but it sure would be awesome, if you have that choice! I know there are some really high quality photo printers out there that are probably not that expensive, so if you can do that, great! You'll also have to buy an album with page covers to slip your pages into. Those albums can cost anywhere from $20 - $50, depending on where you go.

Print in a Bound Book


This is my option. To me, it's the only option. Because it looks SO GREAT! Now, there are a lot of websites out there that offer this service. There are A LOT of companies out there!

And here's how little room they take up in my shelf:

Man, that's awesome. I can fit them in my purse. Easy to take with me to family gatherings. Not some huge massive album that you chuck on someone's lap and say, "Look at my scrapbook!" in that tone of voice we all dread. They're thinking, "I'm gonna be here a while." But these sleek little things aren't quite so intimidating, and I'm amazed how much people love to look at them!

Mypictales - I just recently switched from Cherishbound (now no longer online) to this company. And I LOVE them. MUCH cheaper than what I was paying before. The blue book above cost $90 (pre-coupon) to print, and it's hard-bound with 112 pages! See more here: Mypictales Review

Blurb.com - I have never printed my big year books or baby books with them, but I have done several smaller projects. Overall, the quality isn't quite as good, but their prices are VERY reasonable and they are especially good if you are printing a very large book--they go up to 400 pages! A lot of people print novels and stuff there. They have a downloadable program that is really user-friendly and easy to work with. You can use templates or upload full-bleed with your pages you've created in Photoshop. Another strength of this site is that you can send links of your finished books to people and share your book online. You can three of my books on this site--one is Afton's ABC book, and another is my Announcing Pregnancy book. That's another thing I love , and then also my second ABC book.

Mixbook - I haven't used this site for digital scrapbooking per se, but it's where I get my calendars printed that I do for my Mother-in-law each year for her birthday. Easy to use, and great if you would rather just use their elements rather than scrapbook it in Photoshop. You could throw a book together pretty easily. I tried to use them for my yearbooks, but my 8 1/2 x 11 size pages I made didn't fit in their book right, even though they listed it at the same size. The print quality of the calendar is great though. I would use them for other projects, but for me personally, the 8 1/2 x 11 size if very important to me so I won't use them for my yearbooks.

Heritage Makers: This site is more expensive, but has a lot more options as far as book size goes. You can choose from A LOT of different sizes, including 12x12. A 12x12 album is $80, for 21 pages. Additional pages are $1.99. Oddly enough, though they had several sizes, I couldn't find an 8 1/2 x 11 size. This site DOES have a lot of other cool things you can make there--but again, they are a little pricier. I've seen a printed book from this site and it was beautiful. Looked like a coffee table book. Expensive, but very impressive!

Shutterfly: This is a very popular site--I saw a REALLY great book from it on a digital site. It was cool--you could tell someone the URL and they could look at your book online. I have to admit, that's pretty awesome. This is also a great site if you don't want to bother to learn Photoshop or any other editing program. You can easily drop your photos in on templates. They also have a lot of choices on the cover, like leatherbound and stuff. Pretty cool. For an 8 1/2 x 11 book, its $29.99 for 20 pages, plus $1.00 for each additional page. The 12x12 is $54.99 plus $1.5o per additonal page after 20. Pretty reasonable, I think! Also, they are always doing promos and you can get great discounts on your books if you look for coupons.

Pros of Printed Books:

• Sleek, beautiful, impressive
• Thin, easy to store
• Easy to replace--you can just order another one!

Cons of Printed Books:

• Cost is all at once--you have to drop $80-$120 at one time
• Can't see it "as you go". You have to wait until it's finished to print
• If you tear a page, you can't replace it. You can only replace the entire book
• Pages CAN tear, since they aren't in sheet protectors

I'm sure there are many other great companies for printing books--please let me know in the comments!


Print Page by Page



The other option is to print your pages through a company, one at a time. I have a good friend who does this, and her book is beautiful. This would require you to buy an album and page protectors like you did with old school paper scrapping. There are many places you can go to print your stuff.


Costco/Sam's Club


Both places will print 12x12's. A friend of mine said it's a good idea to put three 12x12 pages into one--create a new page that is 12x36, and drag three pages in. They will print 12x36, and it's cheaper than printing 3 12x12's separately. Gosh, I hope that made sense...

A 12x12 at costco is $2.99 a page. That's all I could find here--their website doesn't give a whole lot of helpful information here! You may have to call for exact prices.

Scrappingsimply.com - I've just recently discovered this site, and it's really great! You can upload your prints and order what you want, and they ship it to you. Shipping costs $5.00. They charge $1.99 for a 12x12 print, and $1.89 for an 8 1/2 x 11 print. They also print them full bleed--which means no white borders around the edges. That's very important. This site also has freebies every now and then which are great!

Persnickety Prints - I have never used this company myself, but it's name comes up A LOT when people mention where they print. Their prices are quite reasonable--listing $1.99 for 12x12, and they also do 10x10 pages, which is hard to find. AND they do 8 1/2 x 11, so I love them for that. So few places do!
Pros of Printing by the Page

• Overall it's not necessarily cheaper, but it allows you to spread out the cost so you don't have to pay a lot all at once.
• You can have your book as you go--you don't have to wait until the whole thing is printed, so your book is more a work in progress that you can show people
• If a page is damaged, you can easily reprint it
• You can do another print of the same page to go in another book, like one of your kids' book. (though, technically, you can also do this in a printed book)

Cons of Printing by the Page

• You have thicker books, like the old paper scrap books
• They aren't quite as impressive--or maybe that's just my opinion!

So there you have it--a short discussion on printing a scrapbook. Please, leave comments on this one. I know this is an area I am not a huge expert on, and I'd love to hear how other scrapbookers cross the barrier!

Lesson 1: Where Do I Start?

Ok. Let’s talk money. That’s what you really want to know, right? What’s it gonna cost me? What do I need? Now remember this: old-school scrapbooking had a cost, too. You had to buy the books. You had to buy the page protectors. You had to buy paper, expensive elements, and don’t forget the expensive cutting and punching tools. You bought the big massive bag to carry it all in.

Well, Digital Scrapbooking has costs, too. In the long run, I think it’s still cheaper and has a LOT less waste—you don’t buy stuff you don’t use all that often. But, you will still have to fork out a bit of money to get started. As you get into it, you’ll be ready and willing to spend more on what you know you need. But to start, there are a few things you’ve got to have.

1. Photoshop. You’ve just got to do it. Take a deep breath. And BUY IT. You will never regret it! (unless, of course, you never use it!) At the very least, Photoshop is a great program for cropping and editing photos, changing the size for emailing, etc. I use this program EVERY DAY, and not just for digital scrapbooking. It’s worth every penny. But—how many pennies? Well—yeah. It’s not cheap. Still, there are a lot of ways to get around paying full price—which I believe is in the $600 range!

 

• Free Trial: If you would like to try out the program before buying it, you can always download the free trial. You can get the Free Trial for Photoshop Elements here. If you want the free trial for the full version of Photoshop CS5 (which I recommend if it's in your budget to buy it) get it here
• Older Versions: You don’t have to get the newest version. CS5 is the newest version and just BARELY came out. I haven’t used it. The differences in versions is slight—you can use an older version just easily as the newest. Using CS4, CS3, CS, or even Photoshop 7, is just fine. You can find these on ebay or search on websites.
• Photoshop Elements: Photoshop also has a “watered down” version called Photoshop Elements. I haven’t used it myself, but for the normal user, it’s just fine. Sure, it doesn’t have all the features that the full version has, but who uses all those advanced features? Elements is just fine for digital scrapbooking. I think you can get it for about $100.
• Student Discounts: If you have a college student in your family—BINGO!! Just have them contact their university bookstore for discounts. They can usually buy it for about $250.
• Ebay: Check Ebay for people selling older versions. Just read carefully and make sure you are not getting an upgrade or a tutorial cd or something—make sure you are getting the actual program. I used the old Photoshop 7 up until two months ago, and it worked just fine for me—even if it DID come out in 2002.

Many people argue that there are cheaper programs than Photoshop that you can use. I don’t know about those programs. That’s your choice. But this blog is about Photoshop, and it really is the best. As I show you tutorials, they will be done in Photoshop CS4, but most of what I teach is the same in older versions.
2. Printing. I will have a later post that goes into a lot more detail about where and how you can print your work in Lesson 11. But let’s just say this for now—printing is, of course, an unavoidable expense in digital scrapbooking. It’s the price you pay for the ease of using a computer and not having to deal with all the other crap. The way I see it, there are basically three ways to handle printing:

• Print it yourself: If you are a lucky rich person who has a great printer, you can print it yourself. If you choose this option, you will need a LASER color printer-don’t use a crappy ink jet! You will also want to buy nicer paper—not just regular cheap printer paper. And you will have to create your pages in 8 ½ x 11 and not the traditional 12x12—unless you have a 12x12 printer and—if you do—can I be your friend?
• Print it page by page: Another option is to pay as you go—print pages as you can afford it. You can go to places like Costco, Sam’s Club, or online places, and print your pages one by one. This is great if you can’t afford to print the whole thing at once. You must buy some sort of scrapbook—even the old traditional ones will work—and after you have printed the pages, just slip them in the page protector. Costco and Sam’s Club allow you to print on 12x12, 8 ½ x 11, 8x8 and other sizes. We’ll discuss actual prices later, but bank on about a dollar to two dollars a page.
• Print it in a bound book: This is the option I use. There are many companies online that allow you to upload your book, choose options, and then they print it and mail it to you. This probably costs about the same, maybe a little more, than printing it yourself. And you have to pay it all at once in a lump sum. My last book cost about $120 to print. But that was 100 pages long! I like this option the best because the books look so nice. Still, be careful. Some online companies charge A LOT for their books. Make sure you shop around for the best deal.

3. Kits and Actions: Again, we will talk about kits in Lesson 8, and actions in Lesson 10 , but here’s the basics. Kits are basically a file full of matching papers, elements, ribbons, tags, etc, that someone creates and sells online. Kits are not necessary for digital scrapbooking, but they make the job MUCH easier. You can buy kits from $2.00 to $15.00, depending on where you go and what you are looking for. In my opinion, they are WORTH it. I never buy the expensive ones—I usually only go as high as $5 or $6 if they are really good or have a lot in them. Remember this though: once you buy a kit, it’s yours. It doesn’t get used up. You can use those papers over and over. And if you want to get rid of it, delete it. No more boxes full of papers and elements you never used! (just file folders…) There are also a lot of sites that have freebies. As you get better at scrapbooking, you start to pick up on what is high quality and what is made by an amateur. Not all freebies are good, so be careful. Still, I’ll show you a few websites that have great freebies in Lesson 8. Actions are more advanced—I use them all the time, but they are by no means necessary. I’m not going to go into what they are right now—they will be covered in Lesson 10.
4. Storage Space: When you start out, you’ll probably be ok. But just know that eventually, if you get really into it, you will probably need to get more storage space. Kits take up a lot of space, as do Photoshop files. Eventually you may need to buy an external hard drive to store all your scrapbooking stuff on. This isn’t so bad—then you can take it with you if you want to scrap at a friend’s house with your laptop. External hard drives cost in the neighborhood of $100. I actually got a terabyte of storage and I love it! (no idea what it cost—it was a gift!)
Here are a few examples of some pages from my first two books. Sorry—I didn’t keep the original .jpg files because I didn’t foresee that I’d need them. But these are just photos of some of the pages. I wanted to show them here because these pages were done in Photoshop WITHOUT buying kits. You can create great and simple pages without putting out money for kits.




















INTRODUCTION:
It’s overwhelming to think about how to get started in Photoshop. It’s a HUGE program, and not particularly user-friendly. It’s not something you can just figure out without some guidance or help, or at least some background knowledge. I already knew Fireworks when I started using Photoshop, which gave me a solid background on vocabulary and basics. But if you are totally new to this, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. What I want you to realize is this: If you know how to do FIVE THINGS in Photoshop, you are ready to start digital scrapbooking. From there you can learn and improve more, but these five things will get you started. In lessons 2-6, I will be discussing these five things. They are:
1. How to open and manipulate files in Photoshop
2. How to manipulate layers
3. How to manipulate photos
4. How to add text
5. How to change layer styles
Lessons 2-6 will address each of these five things. Continue reading realscrappy! From here on out, make sure you own Photoshop and are ready to actually try what I’m teaching!