Here is the first blog post I wrote about this topic. Since then I have converted hundreds of Creative Memories Scrapbooks into digital photo books and have answered many questions, prompting me to share with you the three most popular questions and the answers:
I want to scan my own scrapbooks, what scanner do I purchase?
After much research and testing my preferred scanner can be found at EZ Photo Scan. If you decide to purchase a scanner you will need both a PS50 (or PS80) and the A3 flatbed. The A3 flatbed is 12 x 18 inches and only works as an add-on item (hence the purchase of the PS50 or PS80). This is a financial investment so before you purchase make sure you have the time to dedicate to this very time consuming but rewarding process!
I have a variety of sizes of scrapbooks but want all one size for the digital collection, how do I do that?
As mentioned in the previous post I use Photoshop as my software of choice, however, it has quite a learning curve so I suggest Adobe Photoshop Elements if you want to convert your own scrapbooks into digital photo books.
In order to create uniform books you need to create a template of the size you want for your printed book (using Photoshop) go to Image>Canvas Size. Be sure to make the canvas .25 bigger then the size of the book. I suggest a 10 x 10 book as that size is easy to handle and will display nicely on most bookshelves. For a 10 x 10 printed book you will want to create a 10.25 x 10.25 canvas in your software and then create guides (View>New Guide) to show you the 9.75 x 9.75 surface that you need to stay in. The guides are to insure that nothing gets cut off when the book is printed.
If you are scanning a 12 x 12 page you will have to reduce the image when importing into your software and if you are converting a 8 1/2 x 11 book know that you will have more white space in your printed book since you are not scanning a square.
What digital photo book company do you recommend?
My favorite “Do it Yourself” digital photo book company is Mixbook. They have an easy to use software interface, lots of great coupons and very good customer service. When I convert scrapbooks for my VIP clients I use a professional photographer’s lab that is available only via application, so using Mixbook is more affordable and available for anyone to use.
Remember to visit my photo resources page for additional information and inspiration for organizing your photos.
As always, please feel free to ask any questions in the comments below.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
rita norton
I am the momma to two children and was an Oregonian for the past 25+ years. A job transfer for my husband (in the summer of 2016) resulted in a cross country move and now I am a Massachusettsan. I confess, I had to look up the demonym! The birth of my son 20+ years ago was also the start of my entrepreneurial adventure. Photos have always been at the core of my businesses and continue to inspire and drive my passion to create beautiful keepsake photo collections for my clients.
This is great Information. However. What if you want to send your old albums somewhere and have someone else do the converting. Do you have a recommendation on someone who does that? Thanks so much
Hi Tracy, Thank you for reading my blog post on converting scrapbooks to digital albums. You asked “what if you want to send your old albums somewhere…” you can send them to me! (I’m working on a client project right now converting 30 scrapbooks!) Email at rita @ photovation dot com I would be happy to answer any questions you might have and see if we are a good fit to work together. Looking forward to hearing from you and converting your old albums into beautiful new ones! 🙂
I am interested in converting my scrapbooks into digital albums. will you please send me the cost of converting a 35 page Creative Memories album to a digital album? I have many albums that I would love to convert.
Hi Sheryl,
Please contact me directly at rita @ photovation.com for pricing. Thanks!
Can you contact me about converting my creative memory scrapbook?
Thank you for your interest in having your scrapbooks converted to digital books. I’d love to chat with you! I offer a free 20-minute consultation call where I can answer your questions and share my process. I will be in touch with you via email!
Hi Rita, I have a bunch of albums, both 12×12 and 8 1/2 x 11 and am looking for a person or service to convert them to digital for me (so that I can get hardbound books made). Do you only do Creative Memories? or are you able to do all formats? And how do you calculate your charge for that? Any way to get an estimate for me? I’d appreciate your information. Thanks. Sheri
Thank you for your comment. I convert all types of scrapbooks into beautiful space-saving photo books and would be happy to help you! Let’s set up a time to chat and I can give you more details. Let me know your availability and we’ll get something on the calendar!
What dpi do you suggest I use when scanning my 8 x 10 scrap booked pages. At this point I am not sure if I will put them into books for my children or save the pages to an external hard drive or both. I have been experimenting with 300 and 600 and saving them as jpeg’s. Thoughts?
Hi Gaylene, I would scan at 600 DPI. This will allow you to successfully reproduce the pages and the individual photos without compromising the photo resolution.
Do you offer the service of duplicating scrapbooks? I’d rather pay you to do it than having to purchase a scanner and try to figure out how to do this myself. I’m not very tech savvy.
Yes Marilyn, I do offer this as one of my services. I will be in touch with you via email to schedule a call and answer any of your questions. Thanks!
I am interested in having my kids Creative Memories albums converted to album. Could I have some info on what you offer?
Hi Stephanie,
I’ll connect with you via email to set up a time to chat together on the phone. 🙂