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Cost Of Digital Scrapbooking


krisby11

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Hi

I have had traditional scrapbooking supplies for years but I havent gotten very far.

I was thinking of moving to digital scrapbooking with the pictures I have stored in my computer.

What is the most cost effective way to digital scrapbook? I am thinking of getting photoshop 7 and the software program offered on this site.

Is it better to print on your own or send it in somewhere?

Then I had the thought maybe I need a seperate laptop just for scrapbooking , it seems like there is alot of downloading.

I have alot of pictures cataloged(sort-of) in a box, and all the pictures in my computer

I need to get up to date.

Thanks for any insight

Krisby11

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once you have a graphics programme like PSE7 you can spend as much or as little on supplies as you like. There is a free starer kit that you can download to get you going - if you look for the freebies in the boutique there are usually a few othert hings there too. Also if you sign up for the daily and weekly newsletter there is a designer freebie every day.

 

There are also numerous other websites and designers who offer freebies and they are certainly handy - I used freebies almost exclusively when I started out.

 

My own experience is that its much cheaper than paper scrapping as once you have a kit you can reuse it as many times as you want and change the colours of any of the elements. Alsp there is no fear of spoiling that precious paper or sticking something in the wrong place.

 

Ro's secrets are great if you are using a programme thats new to you as you can get started in minutes.

 

 

Regarding printing theres a whole range. Some don't print at all, some print 8 x 8 or 12 x 12 at home. I personally get my 12 x 12's printed at Costco on a 12 x 18 sheet and get 2 6 x 6''s at the same time. There is also the option of photobooks which are pretty cheap nowadays. Really its your choice depending on what you are scrapping for I suppose (I mean to keep, give as gifts, post in galleries for instance.)

 

Should warn though, its addictive and so much more convenient than paper scrapping. Oh, and don't feel that a laptop is essential. As many use desktops as laptops. Just make sure whatever you choose that you backup your data on an external hard drive, discs and preferably an online service too. Its soul destroyong to loose everything if your pc crashes - and they do sadly.

 

Anyway, after all my rambling, welcome to scrapgirls and happy scrapping

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Hi and welcome to Scrap Girls! There is TONS of great information here to get you started! :)

 

Most of us use either Photoshop Elements, the full Photoshop, or Print Shop Pro for digital scrapping. Where you are just starting out you may want to download the trial version of Photoshop Elements 7.0 (the newest version) which will let you try it out free for 30 days before buying.

 

Make sure that you sign up for the Scrap Girls newsletter and also check out these great freebies:

 

15 Things You Need to Know to Become a GREAT Digital Scrapbooker

 

Scrap Girls Refresh Free Starter Collection

 

If you are looking for help learning PSE, etc Ro has GREAT educational videos for sale in the boutique. They are especially helpful if you are a visual learner.

 

I don't usually print out layouts at home. Generally I will just keep everything in electronic format until I have enough layouts to print out a bound book. Personally I prefer this to printing out individual layouts and then putting them in albums. BUT, that's just me and everyone definitely has their own preferences! :) Also, some love to print out 8 x 8 and others prefer 12 x 12.

 

If you have any questions, just ask! Everyone here is very helpful!

 

Good Luck!

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Wow! Catherine really covered your questions well. I think the general consensus is that digital scrapbooking is less expensive. The major factor being that once you buy a collection you can use it over and over again as Catherine stated.

 

Besides printing pages out, there are digital methods for sharing your layouts with family and friends. You can post your layouts here in Scrap Girls gallery and give your family a link. If you have a blog, you can post your layouts there. You can create slide shows with software on your computer or at one of the photo hosting sites. You can save your slide shows to a DVD to send to family members.

 

I have printed out one 8x8 album here at home with good results from my everyday Canon printer, have done a couple of 4x6 albums where I uploaded the layouts to Walgreens and have the prints ready to pick up the same day. There are several sources for printing 12x12's on the internet. I have used three of them and have had wonderful results from all three. Their regular prices range from $1.99 - $2.49 with sales frequently offering $.99 12x12s.

 

I'll add an hello and welcome too!

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Ooooh, I almost forgot - If you are worried about storage space on your computer, an external hard drive can be a wonderful thing! Storage is very reasonably priced now and would definitely be less expesive than purchasing a new laptop :) "Backup, Backup, Backup" - the motto of digital scrappers, LOL :)

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A warm welcome to you! Glad you joined SG.

 

Catherine gave you some great information.

 

I also wanted to add that I make 4 x6 LOs which

I can print at home or send out to have printed and they are relatively

inexpensive. I sometimes send to Walmart or Walgreens and make

mini albums. You can pick those 4 x6 albums up for sometimes $1.00 at Walmart.

There are great freebies that come in the Newsletter six days a week. I keep mine

in a separate folder and I am always amazed how many we get free here at SG.

 

Welcome again, hope to see some of your LOs soon.

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Welcome to scrap girls!!! I tried to get into paper scrapping and never really could. Doing it digitally is a thousand times better!!! Within two months you will be amazed at what you can create digitally. I like to do 4X6 pictures as they are really cheap and you can find a book for them everywhere for very little.

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Hi, and welcome to Scrap Girls! I never did paper scrapping, so I can't make comparisons but I sure do love this digital thing! It's highly addictive, and Scrap Girls is the best place on the web to learn how and to share what you create.

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Welcome to Scrap Girls! Many of our customers like the cost-effectiveness of digital scrapbooking, the reduction of mess and supplies around the house, and the high-quality products that we provide at Scrap Girls. It sounds like you have already gotten great advice today! I'm so glad you're checking it out here at Scrap Girls!

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Krisby,

 

I see so many people have already answered... so who knows if this even adds or not. I'm brand new to digiscrapping (just started after Christmas) and I wondered most of the same things (though I got PSE6 as a Christmas gift hehe). I work on a laptop and have everything backed up on my desktop and burned to CDs (mostly to keep a hard copy somewhere). I prefer to work on my desktop actually, because the screen is bigger and its easier for me to see what I'm doing. I also find that downloading all of the stuff I have (and i'm still mostly on freebies!) has taken up most memory on my laptop and desktop hence the CD's. I'd highly reccomend getting an external Hard Drive! I'm asking for one for my birthday/wedding gift!! I hope you love scrapping on your computer! I find its tons of fun! It's also tons less expensive for me thus far. Also one more note quickly: I have a photo printer and some photo paper I found on clearance (a jumbo pack of it) and I print my own pages here at 8x8 or 6x6. I'm also working on my first book at shutterfly since they have a really great program it seems for digital scrappers. Happy Scrapping!

 

Bama

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Welcome to scrapgirls, I think you have gotten a bunch of answers. My advice is to play play play with your software, you can do so much you don't even realize. You will find digital scrapbooking to be much more cost effective. Looking forward to seeing your work in the gallery.

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Hi there! Looks like you have gotten some great suggestions. As a busy full time worker it never really worked for me to dig out all those paper supplies. So once I discovered digi scrapping it was the "answer to my prayers" :-) So I will just add my well wishes and encourage you to keep posting your questions! Welcome to Scrap Girls!

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Welcome! You are in the right place. Yes digi scrapping is less expensive. Like it was said before you can change colors & all kinds of things. It's amazing. There is also no time lost with pulling everything out & putting everything away. Most people LOVE that part. If you go to scrap sessions they will envy you just pulling out your computer & badabing you are up & running! :)

 

You can also do hybrid where you can create a LayOut (LO) and then add some paper elements or things to the page. Or you can print your elements or papers & use them as well. The nice thing is htey are never ending & easy to change to fit your LO project. Everyone has suggested all the things to get you started. Goodluck & if you need help just post & we will come running! :):tinkerbell:

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Just thought I would add another welcome!

 

And I usually print mine out at home as 8x8 (or another home-printable size) but really the printed books get cheaper each time I look!

 

Have fun - this costs so much less than paper scrapping even allowing for printing! Enjoy yourself!

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Welcome to Scrap Girls!

I print everything at home in a 8 x 8 format, and anything I want to frame goes to Costco for printing in 12 x 12.

The digital supplies are extremely reasonably priced. I think most of the cost for digital scrapbookers is in the hardware equipment. But again, once you purchase it you have it.

Welcome to Scrap Girls!

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