Printing Simply Digital Scrapbook Layouts and Papers

The most frequently asked question we have received is “How do you print your layouts and papers?" It is our hope that this tutorial will help answer all your questions and help you gain confidence about printing our papers for traditional scrapbooking, as well as gain understanding about how to print your finished digital layouts in an archival manner.

Some very exciting news is that in a recent press release, Epson announced their new products for scrapbookers: Epson Matte Scrapbook Photo Paper to be Offered for Standard 12" x 12" and Letter Size Photo Albums, and Epson Semi-gloss Scrapbook Photo Paper to be Offered in Letter Size.

The new Epson Matte Scrapbook Photo Paper is an acid-free, lignin-free, buffered paper for printing layouts, photos and other elements for archival scrapbook pages. The paper is two-sided, made of 100 percent cotton, and will be sold in letter size, as well as a size that fits standard 12" x 12" albums (actual paper size will be 11.6” x 11.6”), making it the only scrapbook size archival printable photo paper on the market at this time. It is stated that you can print on both sides of the paper, allowing for two scrapbook pages. This paper is compatible with all dye-based and pigment-based ink jet printers from all manufacturers. This new paper is expected to be available for purchase in July. See product package for print life test results.

With this paper, you can use the “simply digital” layout templates and papers, customize them, and print them in their entirety. You can also create journaling mats or photo mats, add custom text, print, and then cut or tear for traditional scrapbooking. And, finally, you can print our paper designs as full-sized sheets for use with traditional scrapbooking. You can treat them just like scrapbook paper, and they’ll have a nice white torn edge when tearing. What is so unique about our background papers is the color possibilities are endless. If you like our French script paper, but would like it in a pale shade of yellow rather than olive green, see our tutorials on Changing Colors (so far, we have them written using Adobe Photoshop/Elements and Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8).

There’s no need to be stuck on a layout because you don’t have the perfect shade of paper to match your photos! Note: we recommend printing on matte finish paper, as it has a wonderful sheen similar to traditional layouts. With the shadowing and embellishments included on our templates, the printed layout appears 3-D, making it suitable for framing. Further, your scrapbook albums will not have the bulk of traditional embellished layouts.

Below is a link to some affordable Epson printers on the market. The Epson Stylus Photo 820 is available for under $80, and prints borderless pages for standard letter-sized paper. The photo quality is superb when using Epson papers. The Epson Stylus Color 1520 and Stylus Photo 1280 can easily accommodate 12” wide papers.

After printing your layouts or papers, it is recommended to let the ink dry for 24 hours before framing or using to maximize print life. Then, simply add the layouts to your scrapbook album or frame in one of the 12” x 12” frames on the market.

Click here for Epson printer information

Another viable option for printing your layouts is to save the image files as 300 dpi .jpg, .tif, or .bmp files to a CD and bring to a professional copy center, such as Kinko's. They will print your 12" layouts as 11" layouts on 11" x 17" archival paper for about $2. Just trim off the white edge, and mount on 12” x 12” cardstock for a wonderful, layered layout. They will print standard 8.5" x 11" layouts for under $1. Ask your copy center about the estimated print life of their inks and other archival questions.

In the photographs above, the layouts on the left were printed on a five-year-old HP Deskjet 722C with Kodak Picture Paper on Normal color setting (not even the highest quality). The background papers on the right were printed on an Epson Stylus Photo 820 with Epson Matte Heavyweight Paper on Photo Quality (not the highest quality setting) using Borderless printing. The quality on the Epson is excellent and is archival. The papers featured are Worn French Script in Celery, Old Script in Pale Lavender (Color Variations was used to lighten the hue), and Wedding Tulips in Taupe.

Well, that’s about all there is to it. Seems simply fun to us! If you have any questions, please contact us at support@cottagearts.net.

Michelle Shefveland (aka cottagescrapper) for CottageArts.net.