Hybrid 101: Sharing the Love | Day 6: Printing Options

[Angeltown]

Today let’s take a look at the different printing options available. One of the benefits to hybrid crafting is the different looks you can create with the same supplies using different printing options.



In order to print your projects at home you of course need a home printer. I would recommend you use at least a photo quality printer for the best results. Fortunately a lot of affordable printers on the market today will do a fine job printing your scrapbooking projects.
You also do not have to have a 12x12inch printer to create fabulous hybrid projects. I use a standard letter size printer and always create my hybrid kits to print on letter size paper. From what I’ve seen most digital designers create hybrid products suitable for printing on a standard size printer as well.

I do prefer to use a printer that requires separate ink cartridges for each color however. You’ll be able to use up each color that way instead of having to replace the entire cartridge each time. As a hybrid crafter I tend to use a lot more color inks than black, so the separate cartridges really help.



In addition to convenience one of the reasons one of the best things about printing at home is the ability to print on all sorts of different materials. You might be surprised how many options you really have when choosing a material. Here are some common options:

• Cardstock: A wonderful surface for printing papers and projects. The printed page will be muted and softer since cardstock absorbs ink so you may prefer photo paper if you like a more saturated brighter result. I prefer a good quality medium to heavy cardstock (80 pounds or more).
• Photo Paper (Matte or Glossy): Fabulous for printing photos of course, but also great for printing projects. Keep in mind it will take a little longer to dry, it doesn’t fold as well as cardstock, and not all adhesives will be strong enough to hold heavier photo papers. However the color will be more saturated than printed cardstock and closer to what you’re seeing on the screen.
• Transparencies: One of my very favorite surfaces since I first began hybrid scrapping, transparencies offer a wonderful way to add layers and details to projects. They’re also available with adhesive backing which I completely adore!
• Sticker Paper: Another fabulous option! Printing onto sticker paper makes it so very easy to add hybrid elements to your projects. Print, trim & stick. No adhesive needed!
• Specialty Papers & Surfaces (fabric, vellum, recycled papers, etc): There are really many other options out there as well so you can find just the right thing for your project.

Most of these products are available at your local office supply store, so if you don’t have a craft or scrapbooking store close to you don’t feel like you have to order something online or drive to a farther store. When shopping for papers and surfaces make sure to check the package to get the proper product for your printer type (laser, inkjet). Inkjet printers need a rough surface so the ink will have something to stick to, so laser products don’t work well in inkjet printers.

The best way to figure out which surface you prefer is simply to try them out! Here are a few of my projects printed on various surfaces:

Mini book page printed on cardstock:


ATC printed on photo paper:


Hybrid LO with various elements (text on tag, text behind tag, photo overlay behind the hearts) printed onto adhesive transparencies:




When you print at home, here a few things to keep in mind:

• Orientation & Scale: Make sure to watch the orientation & scale of your page before printing. Some printers try to automatically fit items to fill the page (especially if you’re using a print wizard). You want to make sure to print your hybrid projects at 100% so that they turn out the size you expect and all the pieces fit together properly.
• Color Format: Digital scrapbooking files are in RGB format for online/screen display. Most common home printers also use RGB format but if you’re not sure you might want to check your printer’s specifications. If your printer has a special color mode setting such as CMYK, convert the files before printing.
• Quality Settings: Double check the quality settings before printing. ‘Normal’ may not be a high enough quality for your projects or your printer may default to draft.
• Borderless Printing: Some home printers offer borderless printing which is fabulous for projects & photos. However you may need to adjust the settings because sometimes the printer will automatically enlarge your artwork to create the borderless printout. If you have trouble printing borderless items check those your settings.

This is the print dialog box from Photoshop and you can see that you toggle between ‘fit to page’ and printing at 100% with the little checkbox.





If you prefer you can use a service to print your projects. There are a lot of good quality affordable options out there. Nearly all drug stores like CVS & Walgreens plus places like Costco offer very affordable printing. Some let you upload your files online then just go pick them up or have them mailed to you. For others you put your files on a CD or zip drive and take them to the store. Very easy!

My personal favorite for quick color printing on cardstock is FedEx. Letter size color print jobs are discounted 50% from the base price if you upload your files online then go pick them up later. That makes it both affordable and incredibly easy. For example you could upload your files in the evening then pick them up the next afternoon.

Whatever service you use, make sure to check their FAQ’s & settings before you place a large order. A lot of print services like FedEx and Costco use RGB printers now, but some professional print houses need CMYK files. In addition you’ll want to make sure you know about any settings or special instructions they need like not fitting your artwork to page as discussed above. For example if you print a full size 12x12 layout at Costco, you’ll lose a tiny edge all the way around which isn’t a huge deal unless perhaps you placed something along the edge that you don’t want clipped off. It’s simply the way their automated systems work. So don’t be afraid to ask questions so your artwork will turn out exactly how you want!

1. Pick up any supplies you may need for printing, binding or embellishment.
2. Print your covers, inside pages and any additional supplies (photos, elements, etc) you need to create your mini book.

Tomorrow we start assembling our books!

PDF Printable of this Post: http://angelhartline.com/images/hybr... theStudio.pdf

[allergy_mom]

Here is a completed page:
http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio...-1-21&cat=1145

I am choosing to bind open ends and sew together - I want it sturdy for my 2-yr old!
Do you think that will work...any thoughts or advice?

[Angeltown]

Kelly I think that will be just darling and should work great!!!

What kind of surface are you printing on? If you prefer a completely soft surface for your little one you can get sheets of printable fabric. They have them specifically to run through an ink jet printer for home projects and aren't terribly expensive (I want to say about $10 for a 10pack). I *think* Jo-Ann Fabrics carries it plus other places like WalMart and probably a local craft store.

If you print onto cardstock or another material, I would recommend using as sturdy a weight as you can find to make it more durable.

Your little one will love this!!!

[Joba2]

I am anxiously awaiting for the book assembly instructions before I stick my photos on the page. I have each page layed out with the photos on them ready to go. I am making a school house for my son with a page for each year. Guess what? I am missing a school photo for one year! Can you believe that!!! Unbelievable. I'll have to just put on any photo of my son I can find for that year which will be hard cause I think those were the years I used a video camera for everything. Of course it was on those 8 track tapes & will have to be converted some how to DVD. But that is a major project for another day. Hopefully my son will have a school photo for that year.

[Angeltown]

Originally Posted by Joba2

I am anxiously awaiting for the book assembly instructions before I stick my photos on the page. I have each page layed out with the photos on them ready to go. I am making a school house for my son with a page for each year. Guess what? I am missing a school photo for one year! Can you believe that!!! Unbelievable. I'll have to just put on any photo of my son I can find for that year which will be hard cause I think those were the years I used a video camera for everything. Of course it was on those 8 track tapes & will have to be converted some how to DVD. But that is a major project for another day. Hopefully my son will have a school photo for that year.

What a fabulous idea! Today's post is coming in the next couple of hours - crazy day! :eek:

[jimmyrose]

I have my book set up to look like my house. Each page has two pictures, taken from each side of the room. I compiled a list of all of the things in our house for our homeowners insurance a few years ago and update it each year. I keep this list on a CD. So, on the inside back cover, I have a place for a CD envelope. I also added a few pages for extra photos to show things like my china, jewelry, computer, and things like that. This book will give me a great place to keep all of this together. I think I will make one for each of my sisters for Christmas this year.

[Angeltown]

Originally Posted by jimmyrose

I have my book set up to look like my house. Each page has two pictures, taken from each side of the room. I compiled a list of all of the things in our house for our homeowners insurance a few years ago and update it each year. I keep this list on a CD. So, on the inside back cover, I have a place for a CD envelope. I also added a few pages for extra photos to show things like my china, jewelry, computer, and things like that. This book will give me a great place to keep all of this together. I think I will make one for each of my sisters for Christmas this year.

Oh my gosh another fabulous & creative idea! That's so clever and it will be such a convenient way to keep up with that info.
I love to make functional projects like this, too. I made a file folder for all my travel documents a while back. When I'm planning a trip I can just stick everything in there as it's ready...airline ticket, hotel reservations, etc.