What do the layouts look like when printed?

We are often asked what our layouts look like when they are printed, what size the photos are, why there is left over space on the page, ect. Well, the books are landscape - 8 1/2 x 11. As far as the layouts, you can view the actual print ready version of each page by using the preview button in the book editor section. There is some variation on photo sizes depending on the size of your picture, if you have cropped it, ect. There can be a lot of room on a page depending on what layout you choose and the number of words in your blog post. Our layouts are designed for words and photos because it is for bloggers, not a digital photo book. Below are a few sample screen shots of actual pages for you to look at.

Merging Posts

Q. I was wondering if I could combine two short posts onto one page without merging them into one post? I am over the page limit you offer and am hoping to reduce the number of pages by consolidating pages and eliminating some wasted space.

A. You have two options.

1) merge in the post manager section (which you can go back to at any time using the tabs at the top of the page), or

2) you can cut and paste the text using the text boxes. You can also cut and paste from your blog (in a separate window) into the SBB text box - I think that way is easier. If photos are involved you can drag and drop them. If you are in the book editor section you hit manage photos. That brings up the photos associated with that page's posts in the left column. If you look at the top there is a link for all photos. That will allow all of your blog's photos to appear. If you want to use a photo drag and drop it into the left column. Then x out of the all photo box. Your book editor page will reappear. Then drag and drop the photo back into the page. It is much easier than it sounds.

Q. Another question about the cutting/pasting....is there a formatting tool to use inside the edit box so I can make the heading on the cut blog larger than the text....I see a header box on the template at the top but cant find any other options in the text area.

A. The text area has limited options. When I merge two small posts this way I usually add the title and then add 4 spaces so there is a clear space. I have also merged three small posts with one photo each and then aligned the text with the photo. Kind of like the example below. If you are trying for this type of layout always click on the preview tab on the book editor page -- This will ensure that your monitor settings and the pdf print settings do not conflict -- this only tends to be a problem when you are trying to line words and photos up exactly.

Book Covers

Q. I'm in the process of turning one of my blogs into a book, and I was wondering if the cover is hardback or paperback. I can't tell from the site.

A. The covers are hardback. Each cover is black with a cutout that shows the first photo in your book. When making your cover page you will be prompted to use the 1-photo large layout. The cover looks best if you use a photo that is NOT cropped. That way, the photo take sup the entire space without leaving anything around the edge.

Date Range Box

Q. I am trying to load a different date rang in and it is not letting me-any tips? After I had made book 1 I decided I wanted to make the book cover all of 2007 so I tried adding the last few months of 2007 to the existing book but it won't let me. I imported book 2 to see if it would let me import all of 2007 at once and it did but the problem is I have already edited the first 6 months in the first book so I wanted to add to that one so I didn't have to start over. I have kept trying it but it still doesn't let me add-is that just how it works?

A. Unfortunately that is right. You can only pull your blog feed into Scrapbook Blogger one time per book. You can cut down your date range by deleting posts but you can not add more posts once you start making a book.

Book Size

Q. How big are the books? 12 x 12 or what?

A. The books are 8 1/2 by 11 in a landscape orientation.

Q. Also I was confused on how big they can be-how many pages? On the price list it shows up to 250 is that right?

A. Yes- a book can be up to 250 pages-- but... that is a very big book. Most of our users are happiest with books that are 75-125 pages. In the importer page there is a place where you can limit what part of your blog you pull in by date range. Also, some posts on your blog may be more than one page depending on how many photos and text you have and which layout you choose.

Can I resize my photos?

Q. I'm wondering whether it is possible to resize photos or change where the photos go in the layouts. I have mostly photos with little text, and my pages look a little absurd with three little photos and lots of blank space. I'd love to have the option of making the photos bigger.
I see in the photo editing area that it has the X andY coordinates of the photo and the scale of the photo,but it seems to be impossible to change those.

A. You can crop photos but you can't make them bigger. If we allowed photo enlargement we could not guarantee print quality because the photo pixels would enlarge. I wish I had a better answer. You may want to consider changing layouts to see if that works better for your style of blogging. The 1 photo large is a good option or the 4 photo layout has a larger photo on top. You can also use the text box to add new text even if you did not have text in your blog.

Slides

Q. How does your program handle Slides?

A. Unfortunately SBB does not handle slides or videos. It does allow you to import photos from your hard drive. So, if a post has a slide show in it you can upload those photos if you wish. Maybe in the future we will be able to handle slides.

Customer Questions Answered -- SBB is only pulling my post title

Q. I am trying to import my blog so I can create a book, but for some reason it only imports the titles of my posts and not the text or photos of each post. Is there something I'm not doing right? I am using a Mac, does that make a difference?

A. The information gets pulled via RSS and it sounds like your RSS settings are set to just publish headlines.

If you use Blogger - you go to Settings> Site Feed. In your admin area there should be an option for "Blog Post Feed" to publish "Full". Make sure that is checked. This should solve your problem

New Interview

We are very excited to share this great article with you about Scrapbook Blogger! Please check out Ann Marie's blog and see what she has to say! There is even a contest to win a $10 Starbucks card!

http://afriedrick.blogspot.com/

Here is an excerpt of the article:

We mom bloggers spend a lot of time and effort blogging. We record everything from first steps to family squabbles. Within the confines of our little blog spheres we are queens and we weave a tapestry about our lives for others to rejoice with as well as to commiserate with. Pictures, recipes, crafts, stories are all carefully placed leaving an indent in history. Blogs are the diaries of our lives.Imagine my glee at stumbling across a site that turns your blog into a scrapbook. Seriously folks, it’s too cool for words. With Scrapbook Blogger you can easily turn your blog, photos and text, into a beautiful coffee table size, scrapbook. Simply follow the directions at the site and download your blog. It’s so easy, even a child could do it.

Scrapbook Blogger- Turn Your Blog into a Printed Scrapbook

I invited Ashley Cuttino, creator of Scrapbook Blogger, to visit my blog and tell us about her awesome and very useful site.

AnnMarie: Ashley, thanks so much for joining us today!

Ashley: Thanks, I am very glad to be here to talk about Scrapbook Blogger! I hope all of your readers, who are bloggers, will take a look at our product. It is a new and innovative way to turn your blog into a printed scrapbook to keep forever!

AnnMarie: Tell us a little bit about YOU:

Ashley: Well, I am the mother of two little girls. Grayson is 2 ½ and Anna Parker is 3 months old. I began blogging about my life in late 2005. A college friend sent me a link to her blog when I was pregnant. She had a baby and I found myself hooked on her blog. I read it every day and used it as a guide to my pregnancy and a way to look forward to what was to come. I started blogging when I was eight months pregnant and loved it! I found it to be a great way to express both the joys and frustrations of being a new mom and it was a great way to connect with other friends who read my blog and commented when I needed help. Plus, our extended families live several hours away and loved getting daily updates on the grandkids by checking out my blog. Feel free to check us out at Ashleynewmom

AnnMarie: I visited your blog, it’s adorable! And you’re right, many of us use our blogs to keep family members who live far away updated on our lives. When I came across Scrapbook Blogger I was thrilled. How did you come up with the idea?

Check out the link to Ann Marie's blog to read the entire article.

Answers to Your Questions - New Pages and How to Delete a Page

Question 1:

Why does one sometimes have to delete the whole post and not just the page? Currently, on my page 178, I have removed all the photos (and consolidated them on page 177) yet, I can’t delete just page 178!! Help! How can I prevent this??

ANSWER:

This problem is caused when the post runs over onto two pages and you want to delete the second page. The program often does not realize that you have moved all of the text and photos to page one due to the page breaks in the text. Go to the second page -- p. 178 and click on the text box. Hit the delete key to make sure any line page break is gone. This should delete the second page. If it does not work please let us know. We are still working to correct the bug.

Question 2:

I’m trying to add just one page. It’s not part of a post. How can I add a ‘fresh’ page with a new photo and text?

ANSWER:

To add a page you can click on the "+" sign on the book editor page. The "+ "sign is located at the top of the page where it tells you have many pages are associated with a post. This will add a page. Once added you can upload new photos or add text. BUT, the new page will be linked to the post before it. It must have the same title. Everything else can be changed. The program requires all pages be associated with a post. Basically, by adding a page you are adding a page to a post.