Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Scrapbook Design Services
If your question is not addressed here, please feel free to contact us!
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You love scrapbooks but your photos are disorganized or you just don’t have the time to create an album yourself. You’d like to give a scrapbook as a gift. You enjoy taking photographs and would like to have those photos, along with your memories, preserved in an archival safe manner that you can easily share with family and friends.
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Graphic designers are trained in visual communication and presentation. They use the elements of design—line, color, shape, texture, and more--to create a product that tells a story. You and your scrapbook will benefit from my 20 years experience designing award-winning children’s books.
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Acid- and lignin-free papers have a neutral pH to help preserve your photos and memories for years to come. If paper is not acid-free it can deteriorate your photos. Lignin-free paper prevents the build-up of acid in the paper fibers. Cheaper paper has a high lignin content causing the paper to discolor and become brittle (like in old newsprint). I use acid- and lignin-free papers.
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Journaling is text that tells the story behind your photos. Journaling can be brief—a simple sentence or two—or a paragraph that describes the memories that the photos bring to mind. Yes, you can include journaling! I can print your journaling from my computer or leave space for your handwriting.
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Absolutely! You probably saw examples of this when you viewed my homepage (the poems on the “Captain Robert W. Seebers” and “Mom” Pages). Memorabilia can be fun whether you have newspaper clippings, theater tickets, receipts or hand-written notes. It’s a nice way to be reminded of a memorable event. Paper memorabilia will be treated with archival spray to protect the documents and surrounding photos.
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There are two types of layouts: single page and double page. A single page layout refers to one side of a 8 x 8, 9 x 9, 8½ x 11, or 12 x 12 page. A double page layout refers to two side-by-side pages (a left page and a right page) that typically have pictures relating to a single event. Most scrapbooks have a beginning single page followed by a series of double page spreads that ends with a single page. Pricing is based on single pages. For a 20-page album you will have 20 pages fitted back-to-back in 10 protective sleeves that are provided.
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Many people like to begin with a “current” album containing pictures that were taken within the past year or for a specific event. I’ll give you a helpful book designer’s worksheet (called a roadmap or thumbnail sketch) to make it easy for you to decide which pictures to use in your scrapbook. Once your first album is complete you can continue to have me make pages for it over time. Some people like to add to their albums on a regular basis. Once your “current” album is complete you can go back in time to have scrapbooks created for previous photos or events.
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It depends on the size of your scrapbook. 1 to 6 photos fit comfortably on a 12 x 12 page. Smaller scrapbooks (8 x 8, 9 x 9, and 8½ x 11) fit 1 to 4 photos per page. The more photos per page the less decorative embellishments fit. I like to strike a balance between photos and embellishments.
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It depends on the size of your scrapbook. 1 to 6 photos fit comfortably on a 12 x 12 page. Smaller scrapbooks (8 x 8, 9 x 9, and 8½ x 11) fit 1 to 4 photos per page. The more photos per page the less decorative embellishments fit. I like to strike a balance between photos and embellishments.
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It depends on what your objective is. Is your scrapbook going to be a coffee table book that sits out all the time? Will it be given as a gift or is it something that you and your children will look at in the years to come? 12 x 12 albums fit more photos than the smaller sizes. However, the smaller albums are easier to hold on your lap. My favorite sizes for my own albums are 9 x 9 and 12 x 12. My daughter loves to pull out the albums to look at and share with company!
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Once you’ve had your free consultation and made the decision to hire me, I provide you with a written estimate. You’re required to sign a contract and pay 50% down before I take possession of your photos and memorabilia. Following receipt of your payment we’ll schedule a planning call to cover specific details and guidelines for me to follow while creating your scrapbook.
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I accept checks and money orders or payments through PayPal.
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The fee is currently $24 per page for a 12 x 12 album (the most popular size) and $18 a page for an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 album. A typical scrapbook is 20 pages. Packages start at $440 for a 12 x 12 album and $360 for an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 album.
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The following services and materials are included in your scrapbook: initial planning call to formally cover the details of your project, acid/lignin-free paper, protective sleeves, all embellishments including buttons, ribbons, brads, etc., adhesives, computer journaling (or spaces left for your handwritten journaling if that’s your preference), and review of a few sample pages so you can check the progress of your scrapbook. Not included: the cost of the scrapbook album, printing your photos from an online photo storage link, and shipping. You can provide your own scrapbook if you prefer.
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Not a problem! It's as easy to work with out-of-state clients as it is for local ones. Planning is typically done by phone and photos and memorabilia are usually sent by mail. I'll provide simple tips to help you prepare your photos for shipping. Sample page reviews are done via email. Completed projects will be shipped using shipping companies that have tracking services, such as FedEx and UPS.
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It will take approximately 3 to 6 weeks to complete a 20-page album once I begin working with your photos, depending on the number of pages and photos. If you have a specific deadline we’ll need to know about that at the beginning of the project.
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During the planning call you can reference specific scrapbook pages on my website that you like based on preference, color, technique, and layout. 7 to 10 days after I receive your materials and begin work I’ll email you photos of the first few pages of your scrapbook for review. This way you’ll be able to let me know if we are headed in the right direction or if adjustments need to be made to the design.
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It’s your choice. You can send your materials via mail or a tracked shipper (like FedEx or UPS) or you can send me a link to a photo sharing website. If you link me to a photo sharing website, we’ll cover specifics of how to organize your photos for the project and I’ll email inventory sheets that will need to be filled out.
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I recommend that you send duplicates of your photos in case of theft, accidental loss or damage. On the contract you sign you’ll note that I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items. However, once the photos are in my possession, I’ll handle them with the utmost care. But, if they become damaged while in my possession, I’ll cover the cost of reprinting. Please keep your digital copies or photo negatives.
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Absolutely! You can add pages to your album as more photos become available and more scrapbook pages are created. Naturally there’s a limit to the number of pages any scrapbook will hold, but its binder-like construction allows pages to be added or removed with little effort.
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Yes. If you’d like two or more identical scrapbooks just let me know in advance so can get your discount on the duplicate albums. Duplicate albums make great gifts!
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This is a simple personalized plan to help you keep up with your scrapbooks. Maybe you have a newborn and want to record his or her first year or you might want to have everyday moments captured regularly over the course of a year. My six-month plan is perfect for you. You send enough photos for 4 single pages each month and at the end of 6 months you have 24 completed pages for your album. After the first set of scrapbook pages is created, the album is sent to you. Then you add new scrapbook pages as they’re created and sent to you. If you happen to skip one month, you can send me photos for 8 pages the following month.
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