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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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Disclaimer
The advice contained in this material might not be suitable for everyone. The author obtained the information from sources believed to be reliable and
from his own personal experience, but he neither implies nor intends any
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Copyright ©2010 All rights reserved
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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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Contents
Is Digital Scrapbooking Better?...............................................................9
Download a Trial of a Commercial Program.........................................................13
Download a Free Program from the Internet......................................................15
Benefits of Digital Scrapbooking ...........................................................16
Making Your Digital Scrapbook ..............................................................18
Editing Pages and Pictures ......................................................................23
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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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Editing and Enhancing Your Images....................................................27
How to Write Interesting Journal Entries ..........................................29
How to Choose and Use Fonts ................................................................33
Topics for Your Scrapbooks .....................................................................35
Forums – Help and be Helped.................................................................36
More Scrapbooking Tips............................................................................41
This is the Beginning, not the End!.......................................................47
Copyright ©2010 All rights reserved
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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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About the Author
Ellen Wardle has been making scrapbooks for several years.
Ellen started using a computer in her work and bought her first computer just a couple of years ago.
She started using a desktop publishing program for letters and also
stationery for a community organization which she belonged to.
Then, she realized that this could also be a great help with producing her
scrapbooks as well.
Ellen says that she is not interested in the technical aspects of her computer.
She just wants to use her computer to make scrapbooking easier and to
improve the results she gets without spending very much money.
This is her first book and she hopes it will introduce many people to the
delightful art of scrapbooking and also help many hobbyists, who have some
experience with traditional methods, use their computers to improve the
results they get.
Copyright ©2010 All rights reserved
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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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Introduction
I wrote this ebook to help scrapbookers to get better results from the time and effort they put into their projects.
Scrapbooking is a very enjoyable hobby and useful for recording and sharing the most important and interesting events in our lives.
I will show you how you can use your computer to improve your scrapbook
projects while saving time and money.
If you have been making your pages and projects without using your
computer, I will show you how you can use your computer to improve your
scrapbook projects while saving time and money.
This book will explain that it is easy for almost anyone to use their computer for their scrapbooking even if you don’t know much about computers.
I’ll answer your questions without any technical language because I am not
an expert at all aspects of this hobby and especially not with computers.
I will tell you what works for me. This book gives you the short-cuts and
plain explanations based on my own experience and what I have learned
from other scrappers I have met face to face or through the Internet.
The results you get will depend, as they do with the traditional methods, on the quality of the materials you use and, above all, the thought and care
which you give to your pages.
I have focused on computer programs which work on the Windows operating
system because that is what I use.
I will give references for Macintosh users where I got information from people I believe are reliable.
Although most of the explanations are done with my favorite programs, I
have looked at several others which might better suit you.
Some are quite expensive but there are some which are very low-cost or
even free.
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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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You don’t need a very fast modern computer to produce great results. My PC
still has the XP operating system because I can do everything that I need to with it.
If you are using Vista, Windows 7 or a different operating system, you will have to adjust the instructions at times.
The different computer programs will often have similar features with
different names and the way that their menus and screens are arranged will
differ. This can be a nuisance, but I was told that companies can take legal action against other companies which may have copied the layout which they
developed.
I’ve included a range of resources which I either use or have had
recommended to me.
Comments about sites, programs and services are just my own opinions. I
never make any comments which are negative about the quality or other
aspects of any company or its products. I don’t mention those programs or
companies in the book.
If I don’t like the results I get, I take it up with them directly.
You can print out a copy of this book for your own reference.
I hope that it will help you to get the sort of satisfaction and enjoyment
which I do from digital scrapbooking.
Copyright ©2010 All rights reserved
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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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What is Scrapbooking?
Scrapbooking is a popular way to collect and preserve our family history and other memories. Scrapbooks are records of people and events but they
include relevant mementos to enhance and give background to the pictures
and words.
Scrapbooks may focus a family’s history, a person’s life or a special event (such as a journey or a wedding), hobby, pets or other personal interest.
Scrapbooks become family treasures to be shared with relatives and
heirlooms which are handed down through generations.
Scrapbooks grew in popularity from the time when it became possible to
make multiple copies of photographs and more advanced but cheaper and
easier to use cameras were developed.
Computers are becoming more popular with scrapbookers (often called
‘scrappers’) for preparing and organizing their projects.
One drawback has been that the papers and inks used with computers did
not have the durability of the archive grade paper used for traditional
scrapbooking.
Some printer companies, such as Epson, have enthusiastically supported
scrapbookers. They produce kits of acid-free, lignin-free matte and semi-
gloss papers and low-cost Guides to help scrapbookers use their products.
Copyright ©2010 All rights reserved
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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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Is Digital Scrapbooking Better?
Digital scrapbooking is a different way to produce parts of your scrapbook
projects more quickly and often more cheaply.
You can even use your computer to produce complete projects.
It hasn’t replaced traditional methods but it is a valuable addition to any scrapper’s tool chest.
Our computers also make it possible for people like myself, with limited
artistic ability and limited time, to produce scrapbooks which are much better than we ever could do without them!
Even people that are very good with the traditional methods can use their
computer to organize their raw materials, enhance their projects, and save
time and money.
Your computer will not remove your personality from a project. It gives you more options for expressing yourself and presenting the information.
Let’s get started.
Ellen Wardle 2010
Copyright ©2010 All rights reserved
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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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What You Need
You need very little that you probably haven’t already got, to get started with your first digital scrapbooking project.
You need:
A computer with an Internet connection. The computer which you used to
buy this ebook probably has all the power you need to organize and create
your projects.
Photos and other material to make your scrapbooks from.
A camera for taking photos which you will use in projects.
If you have a digital camera, you can easily transfer your new digital pictures into your computer with the cable and program which came with your
camera.
Scanning Your Pictures
If you want to use photos which were printed from a developed film and not
taken with a digital camera, you will need to either to pay someone to scan them and then save them on to a DVD for you to use or get a scanner and do
it yourself.
You might get a scanner or a printer combined with a scanner and perhaps a
fax (usually called a multi-function printer).
Your scanner should have the highest resolution and bit depth (check the
information provided on the box) which you can get.
You may not always use the maximum settings available because pictures
produced at those settings are likely to be much larger computer files but
buying a machine which has low values means that you will find yourself
restricted from doing more detailed work when you have a project which
needs it.
It is also useful if your scanner has the accessory which enables you to scan photo slides and film negatives if you are likely to want to use them in your projects.
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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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Printers and Supplies
If you are going to produce printed versions of your scrapbook projects to
the same standard and specifications as traditional scrapbooks, you will need a printer which can print on twelve inch square paper, the traditional size for scrapbook pages.
Many of the printers available cannot handle that width of paper, but you can produce nice scrapbooks with them. A lot of people produce smaller books,
including pocket-size “brag” books or others with pages that can be printed on their printers.
The inks supplied for most computers printers are dye inks in four colors
which can produce good results and they are getting better all the time. But, they are not likely to last or give the results which can be obtained with the more expensive pigment-based inks
You have to decide if that is worth the higher cost to you.
Paper
You also need to consider whether you will pay the higher cost of the special archive quality paper which is suitable for use with computer printers. Epson has been supplying packs of this type of paper but there may also be other
sources.
This paper is expected to be able to be stored for over 100 years where most paper produced for computer printers may only last about twenty years.
With regular computer paper supplies, you might use gloss finish paper
where you are producing bright highly-colored pages. Paper with a matt
finish is possibly better for softer images.
Some suppliers produce papers with different textures. You might check
these out where you are producing commemorative scrapbooks about a
particular event such as the first year of your child’s life etc.
Copyright ©2010 All rights reserved
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“Quick and Easy Computer Scrapbooking” by Ellen Wardle
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Computer Programs
There are specialized computer programs available just for producing
scrapbook pages. This is probably the easiest way to produce and fill your
pages with your content.
These programs vary in price and features. There are even some which are
free!
I’ll describe some which are currently available later in this ebook. I’ll try to give you some general guides which you can use to compare the features
and possible limitations of other programs which are currently available or which could be released after this book has been published.
But, you don’t have to get one of those dedica