Digital Photo Books

It is that time of year again, the sights, the smells, and the shopping! It is so exciting when you find the perfect gift for someone – you know when you have it. You can’t wait until they open it because you just know they are going to love it! But what do you get that person who has everything?  How about a digital photo book? These are great to give grandparents because they LOVE to show off their grandkids!

Here are some ideas to create the best photo book gift.  If you want to drop photos into a pre-made template and have it bound into a book, you can visit one of the many different online printing services like Tiny Prints. If you order a book through them by December 10 you get free shipping. Online photo printing services offer lots of options for your book – different sizes, page styles, etc. You can create a personal photo book very easily. Many online sites also allow you to upload scrapbook pages you have created and print them into a book.

Another idea is to create a fun book of the years events by using quick pages. Quick pages allow you to put your photos into pre-made scrapbook pages. These pages are darling and so easy to use. This is one of my favorites:
This quick page is created using the Adorable Leonardo – Quick Pages by Nandinha Menezes. This quick page set includes 10 8×8 quick pages and is available at Polka Dot Potato.

You can also use scrapbook pages you have created throughout the year and print them as 8×8 pages instead of 12×12. You can print your own with great results! I print my 8×8 pages on my HP Photosmart Printer with fabulous results! you will want to print on a good quality matte paper. I use Epson Matte Photo Paper (I buy it in bulk!). You will get a velvety smooth print with vibrant color. I like using matte paper when I am putting the pages in sheet protectors, I guess I don’t want a double does of gloss! Plus, I really like the way photos look after being printed on the Epson Matte paper – gorgeous!

If you want to make sure the ink doesn’t run, spray your print with Krylon Preserve-It Digital Photo & Paper Protectant when the print is dry. I gave this spray the test – after spraying a page and letting the spray dry, I ran it under water just to see if the ink would run. It passed! The page stayed perfectly printed – of course I wouldn’t recommend running your scrapbook pages under a faucet, but at least you know your prints will be safe from water drops! The Krylon Preserve-It spray comes in a matte finish or a gloss finish. This spray is good for protecting all your inkjet printed photos!

There are many different options for creating digital photo books for gifts. What is most important is you are giving a gift you created yourself – that is far better than anything you can buy at the store!