Printing Digital Layouts

by Andrea Sampson

Now that you have taken the plunge into digital scrapping, what are you to do with all these layouts hanging out on your hard drive?  Print them!!!  Print an album for yourself, give an album away.  I have given several albums as gifts, and they are always a huge hit and are very much appreciated.  What are your printing options?  You have a vast amount of options to choose from.

One very good option is to burn your layouts to a CD or store on a memory card and take them in to your preferred photo developer.  I have had many layouts printed at Walmart.  The largest size that Walmart can print in an hour is 8x10, so your rectangular layouts should be sized accordingly, or if your layouts are 12x12, you can reduce your layouts to 8x8 before taking them to your developer.  Don’t waste those extra two inches of space you’re paying for, though.  Make your file 8x10 and stick a bookmark or some small photos on those extra two inches.  Expect to pay around $2.50 at Walmart for an 8x10 in an hour.  Sam’s Club charges about $2.  Costco is another option, they can even print up to 10x15 in an hour for $2.99.  Don’t forget about online print services such as SnapFish, DotPhoto, and Ofoto. 

Many people prefer to take their layouts to print shops such as Kinkos or Office Depot.  These shops use color copiers as opposed to a developer or printer.  I have heard of some of these services charging outrageous file preparation fees, and the one that I have tried resulted in unfavorable lines throughout the layout.  You may consider having one test print done at one of these places just to see the quality.  I paid 99 cents for the layout I tried at Office Depot. 

One new option is to have your layouts made into a hardbound album such as the books available from www.scrapbookbooks.com.  You send your digital layouts to them, then they are print and bound in a beautiful, professionally made book.  These books are available in a variety of sizes and vary in price.  This is certainly the most attractive way to display your layouts, and make for beautiful gift albums.  This is a wonderful choice for a professional looking album for special occasions.  Prices are available at the Scrapbook Books website. 

My final option is my current method of choice.  You can print your layouts at home on an inexpensive inkjet printer.  To cut down on printing costs, make sure you choose your printer carefully.  I own a Canon i960.  It contains six separate ink tanks that can be changed out independently.  This is an important feature.  Many inkjet printers combine multiple colors of ink into one cartridge.  This is flawed in that when you run out of one color, you must replace the entire cartridge, regardless of how much ink remains in the other tanks.  I always use generic ink.  Always.  I have wonderful success using generic ink from www.private.abacus24-7.com.  The price is very affordable (at $1.85 per cartridge!), and allows me to keep my printing costs to a minimum.  Also research how your printer of choice handles generic photo paper.  I use generic photo paper, and it gives me great quality prints without costing an arm and a leg.  I would be very disappointed if I bought a printer, only to find that I was required to buy name brand paper and ink. 

A standard printer won’t print a 12x12 layout, but I prefer to reduce my layouts to 8x8 and print at that size.  These layouts can then be slid into 8x8 albums with full page protectors, or you can mount them nicely in a 10x10 spiral album with photo mounts.  They can even be mounted in a traditional 12x12 album, leaving a 2 inch border around all the edges.  I always keep my original 12x12 file, though, because I know that some day I may have a wide format printer and may choose to print at that size. 

However you choose to print and display your digital layouts, take the time to explore all your options and find the solution that best fits your budget and needs.  This may include investing in a printer, you may be pleased with the cost and convenience in the end.