You know, I’ve decided something. Any hobby that celebrates its own craftiness is freakin’ awesome.
This weekend is [inter] National Scrapbook Day, and as part of the hoopla at Design House Digital, we’ve got an awesome collaboration kit from the Design House Digital designers, called Retrospect:
Did you know that you can grab it for free? FREE! And, to make it even easier, you don’t have to download eleventy billion little pieces, or mess with any of the file-sharing websites and their ridiculously slow timers. It’s right in the shop at DHD, and all you have to do is follow along on the blog hop to grab the coupon code, and then download at your convenience. Pretty darn awesome, huh? So, if you wandered in to my blog first, you need to stop (collaborate and listen!) right now and head back to the beginning.
I’d like to share a little bit today about layouts, and what to do AFTER they are finished. Just like with so many other aspects of digital scrapbooking, the possibilities are many, so we’ll touch on a few, and discuss the pros and cons of each.
Don’t print it. No one says you HAVE to print your layouts. (I have a friend who has never printed a single one, because she likes the way they look in her monitor!) Display them in a digital frame, post them to your blog, or carry them around on your iPad or cell phone. What a great way to show off some pictures of your loved ones, right? Cons: You definitely want to back them up, because if you lose your device (or it crashes) you are out of luck, since most of these will be displaying low-res versions.
Print it yourself. This one is pretty obvious, I know, but there is a benefit to printing at home, namely instant gratification. Unless you have a wide-format printer, though, your sizes are limited, and if you do have a wide-format printer, ink cartridges and paper aren’t super easy to find. (At least not for me!) There’s also probably a bit of waste involved, because usually your layouts need to be trimmed.
Have it printed, by page. Obviously, a nice feature of our digital age, and the fact that our layouts are already on the computer. You can upload, have it printed, and shipped right to your door – perfect for those hectic times when we get a bit behind. Or those lazy times, when you’re vegging in your pajamas all day. You do need to allow time for shipping, and not all companies do common scrapbook sizes like 8×8 and 12×12.
Have it printed, by the book. You can upload all of your pages and have them printed in a single, bound book. How cool is that? Again, delivery to home is a nice benefit. There are a few cons, though: Formatting them can be a beast, since you really do need to allow extra room along the spine. Also, you can’t have your books too full, or the stitching doesn’t hold. (Don’t ask me how I know.)
So, out of all these options, I’ve got to throw the one I like the most at you. Are you ready?
Have it developed. The one biggest con to the above three printing options is that they are printed, and not developed. That means fading, scratching, and water damage are all real possibilities. Plus, the visual difference between a layout where the ink is sitting on top and one where the image is actually developed into the paper are astoundingly different. Don’t believe me? Take a look.
The one on the left was done using a photographic print process (aka developed) by Persnickety Prints, and the one on the right was printed by me. (Excuse the winter layout… I’m out of ink and have to buy it online. A serious con.)
It’s hard to really demonstrate it on screen, but the difference is crazy. Here’s a closer look:
Don’t tell my husband, but it looks like the super-expensive wide-format photo printer I [used to] use just isn’t cutting it. The detail of the background paper is lost in the home print, but shows up nicely in the developed version. The whole thing is just richer and more vibrant, and my shadows look amazingly realistic!
I’m going to do a more extensive blog post soon showing you the differences (and discussing the speed, because HOLY COW! they were fast!), but trust me, the appearance alone was enough to change my mind… the rest of it is just icing on the persnickety cake!
Bottom line, though? We work so hard at preserving our photos, so let’s make sure we’ve preserved them all the way. Computers fail, external hard drives fail, our favorite sites (and their online galleries) have bugs or even go offline. Don’t take a chance with your memories.
And now, on to some fun stuff! I’m having a little contest here, and the winner will get a $50 gift certificate to my Design House Digital shop!
Comment here, and link a product from my shop that you like.
That’s it! Want more chances? Post a link to that same product on your own blog, Facebook, or Twitter, let me know once you’ve done it (one comment for each), and you will be entered into a drawing. You can enter daily, and every comment posted between now and 11:59 PM (MST) on Tuesday, May 8 will be eligible.
Don’t forget to grab your letter, because you’ll need that to get the amazing Retrospect kit free! Your letter is:
If you’re doing our Layout Challenge, my challenge is to rotate your title sideways.
Now, head over to Tiffany Bodily’s blog, where you can see what she’s thinking today: Tiffany’s Thoughts.
