I recently shared a video about how I’m personally using Digital Project Life as my preferred system to organize and document our family’s life and memories. And the kids’ art. I have proclaimed my love for this solution. You know how I feel about it. And I’m grateful – so grateful – that this format is helping many of you too.
I also know that there are many of you who want to dive in but you have some questions. I totally get that feeling of uncertainty when something is new or different. We have loads of helpful FAQs but there are still more questions. I’m glad you’re asking! I’m glad you want to give it a shot! I so wish that I could sit next to you at your computer and show you in person how easy it is so you can have all sorts of little ah-ha! moments.
But since I can’t, this is the next best thing. I hope this post will bring more clarity and motivation to drop some pictures into a Digital Project Life book and give it a try. You have nothing to lose. It’s free. No obligation to buy anything. If you like it, pay when you’re ready to have the book printed. If you want to pay now and save, the current 25% off sale goes through this Sunday, April 10.
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{ MAKING A BOOK }
Q: Will you please go further into how to be creative (not using the provided template)? I don’t understand how to do anything but drag + drop using the program.
A: Digital Project Life is set up as a template so as to simplify the process for you. Drag + drop your pictures into the photo spots. Add your titles and journaling to the cards. That’s it. However, if you want to create a photo book without the given template, you can certainly delete the template elements (background, journaling boxes, title cards, photo spots) and start from scratch with each layout if you prefer. Choose a colored background then drag & drop your photos. Make them any size you want, create the layout design that you want, add text wherever you want. Or create full-bleed layouts where the images cover the entire page.
Let me share an example of how I modified a layout in our current 2011 family yearbook. This could be applicable to a big occasion or holiday or some event where you just can’t say all you want to say with one picture and one little block of journaling.
Case in point: I’m doing a picture-a-day to document our life. In February, Porter and I were riding on a quad and we were in an accident. We rolled off a small bank and the quad landed on top of us. Please don’t get too caught up in this. We are completely fine. We were wearing helmets. Porter walked away with zero injuries and a strengthened testimony of prayer. I walked away with a bruised back and a greater appreciation for the tender mercy that we had experienced. We both learned a lot that day. (And yes, my phone is always on me, so that’s how I got pictures.)
Anyway — Because that experience deeply affected the two of us, I added a page to the book (by clicking on the blue + icon) and dedicated an entire layout to sharing what happened, what we learned, and even Porter’s entry in his own journal. I enlarged one of the journaling blocks so I had ample room for writing. I dragged + dropped photos, moved them around, enlarged, added a title … You get the idea. I made the format work for me.
Bottom line: There is flexibility if you want it.
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Q: Can you show us how you customized your family year book with the family photo on the cover?
A: Sure! Here is the step-by-step, using our 2010 family yearbook. (Turquoise Edition shown.)
Step 1: Crop your photo to a square using whatever program you usually use for cropping. Cropping the image to a square before uploading allows for that black edge on the left to remain. If your image is rectangular, it will cover the entire cover. This is an option and also a great look.
Step 2: After uploading your photo, drag + drop the photo onto the cover.
Step 3: Click on RESIZE and enlarge your photo.
Step 4: Click on MOVE and move your photo as needed.
{ NOTE } All photos will automatically have a thin, white border for a clean look. You’ll notice that I enlarged my image just slightly past the cover edges, which resulted in the white edge showing on just the left side.
Step 5: For our family yearbook covers, I add a year date stamp. You’ll find these under the CLIPART tab.
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Q: How do you get a vertical picture in the template?
A: You can upload photos of any shape, size, or orientation. It’s once you drag + drop your photo into a photo spot that you can start playing around with orientation, tilting, moving, enlarging, etc. Here is a layout in our 2011 family yearbook. You’ll notice the photos on the left page are all evenly sized squares. That’s the given template. I dragged + dropped photos into each spot and that’s it. On the right page, you’ll notice both horizontal and vertical pictures. That’s because I adjusted the pictures as needed.
Here’s how: When you drop a picture into a photo spot, a pop up menu automatically shows up. All the options are clearly labeled here.
It’s nifty, really. Play around with each one so you can see. Okay, so if you drop a vertical picture into a square spot, all you need to do is click on CROP. Grab the side(s) of the photo and move it in to create the vertical shape. Then click on EDIT PHOTO and you’ll zoom out to see your entire image. Continue adjusting as needed. I promise that if you haven’t already figured this out, you’re about to have a serious ah-ha! moment and you’ll love Project Life 10x more … just like that! : )
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Q: What is the page limit on the books? Is there a minimum as well?
A: The page maximum for a Week-at-a-Glance book is 110 pages while the minimum is 106. For Month-at-a-Glance, the minimum is 26 and the max is 100.
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Q: Is there any way to zoom in to be able to see things better? I do use the maximized screen, but the sizes of these things are still small.
A: The big screen option is really the simplest way to enlarge things, but really only pays off if you’ve got a large enough monitor to benefit. For instance, on one of the newer iMacs you can maximize the browser to the full screen then click the “BIG SCREEN” button in the top-right corner and it is really a better experience.
There is an alternative, which we don’t often recommend. Your browser has a built in zoom feature you can utilize. On most browsers you can zoom by using the Zoom option under the VIEW menu at the top of the browser. There are also some handy shortcuts for these functions. On a Mac the key commands are ⌘= to zoom in, ⌘- to zoom out, and ⌘0 to reset the zoom to normal. On a PC the keys are ctrl= to zoom in, ctrl- to zoom out, and ctrl 0 to reset the zoom.
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{ PORTER’S ART BOOK }
Q: Do you use a scanner for your artwork?
A: Yes, I’ve been using the Epson Perfection 4490 (flatbed) for years. We also have the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M which has helped us in our quest for going paperless in our home office and it does great scanning art and photos as well.
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Q: What do you do about large and odd sizes that will not fit on a regular-sized scanner?
A: Photograph them with good, natural light and a clean, simple background.
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Q: Do you still keep the original art?
A: Just the favorites. Not everything.
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Q: Where did you get the box that you store your son’s art in?
A: I love these White Punctuate Storage Boxes from The Container Store.
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Q: How did you get the scanned art to take up the entire space on the page?
A: See above for how I did the book cover. Same idea. Drag + drop the image then enlarge and move as needed.
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Q: How do you add text on a page if you take up the entire space with a scanned image?
A: See the TEXT tab at the bottom? Click on that then drag + drop a text block anywhere you want on top of your image. Then move it around, increase the width, change the size, font, color … anything you want.
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{ ORDERING A BOOK }
Q: Will this current sale (25% off) work to print multiple copies of the same book?
A: Yes definitely, but you must pre-purchase the quantity you want to print. So if you want 3 copies of your Week-at-a-Glance book at 25% off, then you need to pre-buy 3 of the “Pay now and save” Week-at-a-Glance books.
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Q: Can I apply this current discount to books I’ve already been working on? Or does this apply to only newly created projects?
A: This discount can apply to any project new or old. Just use the “Pay now and save” to purchase a voucher at the discounted rate. Later when your book is finished, you will redeem the voucher for your printed copy.
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Q: I don’t see where the digital books are 25% off as it said in the blog. I only see 10% off if you pre-pay.
A: 10% off is the normal, non-sale special price for the “Pay now” option. So long as the sale is active, you should see the sale discount of 25% off.
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Q: Why is the regular cost for a 106 page book $99.99, while an approximately 60 page book is $92? It doesn’t make sense to me.
A: This is because the 106 page book is being offered at a discounted rate. With the larger book you are getting a discount on what would normally cost much more. We are able to offer this because the two books are actually built totally differently. Normally it is very expensive to print such a thick book on-demand. We have to use a classical library binding method to bind the thicker book, which requires different equipment and techniques.
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Q: Can pages be subtracted from the book and thus a cheaper price?
A: Pages can only be subtracted down to the minimum allowable page count, or in other words: 26 pages for Month-at-a-Glance books and 106 pages for Week-at-a-Glance.
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Q: Is there a discount for ordering a LOT of books (more than just a few)?
A: Currently, the only discount this provides is on shipping if you are ordering multiple copies of the same book. The base price is not affected. Since our books are printed and made on-demand, for us each copy is just like doing an entirely new book over and over again, so we don’t save on manufacturing time or resources the same way that the traditional bulk book printers do.
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Q: Totally love Digital Project Life but I am not in the U.S. so how does that work?
A: You create your book online just like anyone else. You place your order just like anyone else. We ship internationally.
Tags: digital Project Life
Becky, you’ve almost talked me into it. But the make-or-break question- What country is the book printed in? Thanks.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Wow, I totally didn’t expect that. You win. I’m in.
THANK YOU for supporting the USA! 
You’re awesome. 
I use digital project life and love it but I really wish there was a spell check especially since the text is small and already hard to read on screen even with the larger view. Can that be added sometime in the future?
Andrea, My computer has a small box at the bottom of my screen with a magnifying glass symbol and 100% next to it. If I click on the small arrow next to the 100%, I get a menu that ranges from 50% to 400%. When I am done with my journaling, I zoom the menu to 200%. I can easily see my journaling and check for errors. I agree, spell check would be nice, but the option I just described has helped me immensely with being able to check out what I’ve written.
I wish there was spell check too. They’re working on adding that.
Happy to hear your working to add that. It would be a HUGE help especially when proofing a large book with 365 journal entries. I went over my last one so many times but still missed a couple typos that ended up in the final printed version and that drive me nuts!
Thanks also Valerie for the magnifying suggestions. I’ll try that too.
Becky,
Thanks for doing the Q&A on the digital. I did my 2010 basically by template but played around with the pictures and journaling some when my pictures did not fit. I loved the end result of the digital book so much I am using the book again for 2009 and 2008(still on the computer and not printed pictures) with the journaling cards but not the template. I did not do a picture a day for those 2 years. I guess I am going it similar to your layout with your quad experience.
My digital PL aha moment was when I realized I could move the base page so the dates did not appear at the top. So aha for me that it was my deciding factor for doing the other years using PL. I didn’t want the dates at the top for the other years and I figured out how to remove them. So happy!
amy
amy
If you pay now, how long do you have to complete your book and have it printed? Is there an expiration?
Thanks!
~Gina
Your code expires 2 years from the date of purchase. The exact date is on the printable code which you received a link to in your email.
Becky, I am considering paying for a digital version now and giving it to my daughter as a wedding gift in July. I seem to remember that you offered a “gift certificate” printout to be used when Project Life (or Project 365, maybe) was backordered. Is that still available?
You sure can! Just use the “Pay now and save” option on the site and you will receive a printable validation code in your e-mail which you can then gift to someone else. It is not tied to any specific account until the time it is redeemed.
Thanks for the post with pictures of your layouts. Up to this point I have been pretty much dropping and dragging my pics into their spots. I just recently discovered the ability to crop, resize and pan and it has helped tremendously. Seeing your layouts is giving me the courage to think out of the box so to speak and try some different things with my layouts! Thanks!
Becky,
I would love to try DPL but have they added the “Undue” editing button yet? I’m not a computer whiz and I tried it last year and made a mess of things on one page and the only way I knew to fix it was to start over. Please, please add this feature for those of us that are not as savvy.
Clare
I hear ya. Trust me — we ALL want an un-do button. They are working on it.
Hi Becky
This is my first year for Project Life (I am doing the traditional version) and I just purchased the digital version so I could make a surprise book for my husband starting with photos from 2005. I am starting to build it but I have run into a problem and I cannot figure out how to fix it. I put in some photos on a page and decided I wanted one of those photos moved to the page beside it. So, I deleted the photo from the first page and dragged it up to the second page. And then I noticed the picture box on the first page was gone! How do I get a new picture box there so I can import a photo in that empty space? Do I have to start over or is there a way to add a picture box? Any suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you for creating Project Life – both traditional and Digital! I’m loving the process of finally getting our pictures into books!
Maureen
I think I get what you’re saying. You don’t need a picture box to drop a picture into. Just drag + drop the picture ANYwhere on the page and then move it, resize it, do with it whatever you want. : )
Thank you Becky! I figured this out late last night (I just could not walk away from this book!!) and am so very excited about the possibilities that this digital book is offering! The program really is alot easier to use than I first thought – Just have to not be afraid to jump in and be creative with it!
Thanks again!
Maureen
Hi Becky
I had my Ah-Ha moment! I figured out how to do what I was asking about in my last post! I decided to just go in and try dragging and dropping a photo anywhere and then resizing it to see if the program would allow that and to my surprise – it did!! Woo Hoo! So then I got brave and started moving boxes around and resizing things and I must say – I am lovin’ this digital version!! I had a real sense of accomplishment tonight after just working on a few pages but it is a few more pages than I had done previously on those photos from 2005! Thank you again for providing such an awesome product!!
)
Maureen
Yay for ah-ha! moments and a sense of accomplishment. I love that!
Hi Becky:
Do you no longer have the transcripts for your videos?
Thank you!
We will be adding transcripts for the most recent videos soon. Stay tuned.
Loved this post. I plan to use the digital version for our family yearbook (monthly photos) and the physical albums for our children’s books. I love PL. Thanks Becky!
Hi Becky..it’s fantastic that you are delivering internationally but do you have any idea what the postage to Australia would be?
Thanks Angie
From our Digital Project Life FAQ’s: http://www.beckyhiggins.com/faq/digital.php
Q: How much will it cost to ship internationally?
A: We currently have the following international shipping options:
UPS Express Saver $49.99
DHL Mail Bag (Canada) $14.99
You can always inquire for further details by emailing support@ziblio.com
DPL is a win, any way you look at it! I’m definitely a fan! Thanks for the extra tips/help, Becky!! I do have a question… I noticed the 2010 digital edition has the embellished journaling spaces to look like the hard copy of the kit. Any reason why the turquoise (and amber) edition embellishments were left off? Still very cute, just curious. :}
I felt that those embellishments were a little busy/distracting. Cute? Yes. But I’m a fan of clean. So we simplified the look even more and yet retained the colors/patterns to keep the “flavor” in tact. This just means even more focus where it should be (the photos) instead of distracting elements.
Makes complete sense! Thanks for such an amazing product/concept, Becky!! It’s definitely changed our life!
Digital Project Life ROCKS!
Do this people, you won’t be sorry.
Is there a special for the month at a glance books? I am doing Project Life now (not the digital version) and absolutely LOVE it! I want to do the digital version for all my photos from 2010 back. Is the 25% of only for the weekly version?
Nevermind – I answered my own question
I just received my first digital Project Life in the mail today (perfect timing as it is my birthday!). I am blown away by the quality of the book! I have printed many photo books but this one takes the cake. The program is super easy to follow and doesn’t take forever to load pictures or to save. The book itself is beautiful. I have no doubt that the binding will last a lifetime and the pages are thick and feel great to the touch. My pictures look great and the journalling is easy to read (something I was nervous about as I found it a bit hard to read when I was editing). Once again, you have out done yourself Becky. The time and thought you put into this amazing product shines through in ever step of the process. You are a gift to busy families everywhere. Thank you!
Thanks, Kerrin. Thanks so much for the awesome review. I’m pleased that you’re pleased. ; )
Becky,
I followed your steps exactly, and cropped my photo to a square, but I am not able to enlarge my cover photo to still keep the black. I only have the option of a small photo on the front or having it cover the entire cover, what am I doing wrong?
In that little “Photo” menu that pops up when you click on your picture … you’ll see ENLARGE. Click on that and adjust as needed.
Becky–Really, just wanted to say thank you. Digital PL is my first attempt at a picture a day scrapbook….I’ve done digital family books the last 4 years, but you are so right in how this revolutionizes everything. It is beyond easy to do online, and I’ve gotten a little bit more experimental in moving/adding things around as the weeks have gone by.
My husband is traveling a ton right now, and he is really missing the every day stuff. I think he flips through the pages online almost daily…a little bit more than me, and I’m the one doing it. So thank you for just creating this experience for me and my family. The product I’m sure will be amazing, but digital makes it so much less overwhelming and intimidating, to commit to long term. I could go on and on, about how meaningful this whole process is, but you have to do it, to get it, and I KNOW, you get it…so just thank you again for opening my eyes a little bit more to our own life.
Seriously, Carrie — and everyone who has shared similar thoughts — that makes me SO HAPPY. So, so, so happy that you’re getting out of it what I’m getting out of it. It’s almost like your experiences are enhanced because of the way you capture little slices here & there and easily put them into a book.
Thank you for sharing.
I love the simplicity of project life, and I like the creativity that the classic version allows but I have so many photos to print to place in it! I also have several beautiful panorarmic photos that I know would be expensive to print at target and costco. Is there an at home printer you could recommend that can print a large amount of photos?
[...] Here is a really helpful post answering some questions about Digital Project [...]
I finished my first Year-at-a-Glance book last month, and I am officially addicted! I have started on 2 more albums, and my question is can you delete photo folders, or is there a way you can organize used photo folders into one folder to make it easier to work on new projects? Right now I have A LOT of folders and have to spend a lot of time scrolling through the old stuff to get to the new folders with the pictures I need.
Thanks for your help!
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