Monthly Archives: January 2012

Print Only Service – What are the possibilities?

Posted on by
Reply

Print only service what are the possibilitiesWe think our free Yearbook Creator software is easy to learn and fast to use, but if you find the idea of learning new software daunting, why not use something that you are already familiar with? Here at SPC Yearbooks, as part of our DIY Service, we also offer you the chance to create your yearbook using your own design software. In fact, you may already have done the design and just want to get it printed.

The Print Only Service allows the creative members of the year group to express their talent using a software which you are already comfortable with to ensure that you get your yearbook looking as individual and artistic as you like.

To create a Print Only yearbook, simply design the yearbook in a software you know well – such as Quark XPress, Microsoft Publisher, Adobe Indesign, Microsoft Word etc – and submit to us your print ready files in PDF format once it has been completed. Easy peasy!

The best way to submit your files to SPC would be to use our online file transfer service, or pop them on a USB stick or CD and send it through the post, Recorded Delivery in a padded envelope – this will guarantee that your Customer Account Manager will receive it at this end in once piece.

Just to give you peace of mind, whether you are a design novice or a fully fledged art whiz, once you have chosen to use our yearbook printing service you will be sent all the information you need to make sure that your pages turn out perfectly – such as page margins and guideline dimensions. It is important to use these guidelines throughout the book so that you don’t lose any images or artwork within the binding or around the edge of the book. Please note that we cannot edit or change any of your submitted files once we have received them in PDF format. If you are having problems with your chosen software, please get in touch with your Customer Account Manager straight away so that we can help you to resolve the issue.

All you then need to do is to make sure that you thoroughly check through your files before you submit them and the hard work is over – phew! Sit back, relax and wait for your yearbook proof to arrive. You will then have the chance to proofread and make any amendments you need to make and submit your new amended files in exactly the same way as you did before. Piece of cake!

SPC Yearbooks sample guide 2012

Get your free copy of our Sample Guide 2012 by clicking here!

How free photo sharing sites can help your yearbook project…

Posted on by
Reply

How free photo sharing sites can help yournyearbook projectThere are many ways to collect in collage/montage photos for your yearbook – an increasingly popular way is by subscribing to free online ‘photo sharing’ sites such as Facebook, Photobucket, Picasa and Flickr (to name but a few) and setting up collaborative photo albums wherein everyone in your school year is able to drop in yearbook photos. Online collaborative photo albums take away the hassle of emailing content to an individual or set of individuals, enable groups to see one another’s photos, work on the go and socially interact. On the whole, you will find that most sites have the same basic set of tools. They are also in a continual quest to make their site stand out from the rest, which often results in new features that just may make your job as a yearbook creator a whole lot easier – so it’s worth doing a bit of research to see which company’s services will best suit your needs.

It is worth being aware that some photo sharing sites offer limited storage (e.g. 1GB) if you aren’t paying for a subscription, or they cap your maximum image size meaning your yearbook photos will be compressed after you’ve downloaded them from your account. Neither of these factors should be a concern however, as 1GB is usually more than adequate capacity for yearbook montage photos and the cap most sites would put on image size (1MB / 2048×1536 pixel) would normally denote a good quality picture at postcard size.

SPC Yearbooks sample guide 2012

Get your free copy of our Sample Guide 2012 by clicking here!

How SPC Yearbooks proof-read your professional design service yearbooks

Posted on by
Reply

How SPC Yearbooks proof-read your professional design service yearbooks

Before we go to print, we will send you a paper proof of your yearbook in the post so that you can check to see if you’re happy with the images and comments. If you have chosen our complete design service or pre-designed template service, we will also proofread your yearbook for extra peace of mind. To ensure that your yearbooks keep the intended ‘voice’ of each student, we don’t proofread for grammar and punctuation and we leave street talk, slang and other colloquial language well alone – we don’t want to erase personality from each individual comment. These are the key things we proofread your yearbooks for:

  • Swearing and inappropriate comments
  • Names – we match them up with the class list you provide us
  • Presence in the yearbook – we ensure that everyone who should be in there is there

We also check to ensure there is no:

  • Over-running text
  • Unacceptable looking montage pages
  • Obvious spelling mistakes
  • Incorrect page numbering/ordering
  • Misalignment
  • Illegible fonts

Any swearing and inappropriate comments will be marked on your yearbook proof. In the ‘Designer’s Notes’ document that will accompany your yearbook proof you will also be notified if content for students that aren’t on your class list was supplied or if the designer is unsure about any instructions you may have provided with regard to page order or design.

Please note that it is still your responsibility to check and ensure the yearbook is correct. Although the proofreading SPC Yearbooks will have done on your yearbook will give you a head start, it will still be necessary for a member of staff to have a thorough read through to ensure that all content is suitable and appropriate for the school. Once all corrections and/or extra content have been received by SPC Yearbooks (via a marked up proof or email), your yearbook amendments will be made and a low res proof sent over to you via email for you to give the go-ahead to print.

SPC Yearbooks sample guide 2012

Get your free copy of our Sample Guide 2012 by clicking here!

How to design leavers’ prom tickets

Posted on by
Reply

How to design leavers prom tickets using Yearbook Designer LiveLooking to wow your guests with professionally printed prom tickets? Using SPC’s Yearbook Designer Live online system, you can use one of our pre-designed prom template designs or create your own unique prom ticket design from scratch. Before you begin making your prom tickets, create a user account on our Yearbook Designer Live site http://online.spc-yearbooks.co.uk/site/startingout. Here are steps on how to achieve your perfect leavers’ prom tickets…

  1. Once signed in, click ‘Create Prom Tickets‘ on the left hand side on the ‘Home’ page.
  2. Once you’ve read through the information, click ‘Start creating prom tickets now!‘ at the top of the page.
  3. Here you’ll see previews of each pre-designed prom ticket (hover over each one to see an enlarged version). There’s also a blank ticket at the end if you would prefer to create your own unique design from scratch. See how to upload your own artwork to Yearbook Designer Live. Once you’ve chosen a design, click the preview to load the editor.
  4. As you move your mouse over the artwork in the editor, you’ll see highlighted boxes for each of the editable text fields. Click once on a text field to add your school name, price, etc. and once you’re happy with your prom ticket, hit ‘Save & Exit’ (the central button in the top right corner) to save your ticket in your ‘Projects’.
  5. When you’re ready to order your prom tickets, go to ‘Projects’ in the top navigation and click on your prom ticket project to open the editor. Click the trolley icon in the top right corner of the editor to begin the order process.
  6. Enter the quantity of prom tickets you require,  enter an ‘Authorisation Code‘ if you have one and hit ‘Checkout’.
  7. Add the address details of where you would like your prom tickets to be sent.
  8. Check over the ‘Order Confirmation‘ details, this is your last to chance to enter an ‘Authorisation Code’ if you have one. When you’re happy to proceed, hit ‘Proceed to Payment’.
  9. If you entered an ‘Authorisation Code’ then you’ll be taken to our thank you page. However, if you’re paying online then you’ll be taken to Paypal ready for your payment details to be entered.

What should I do next?
Please let SPC Yearbooks know that you’ve sent through an order by contacting yb@spc-yearbooks.co.uk or call 01480 410435. Also let a member of staff know if you would like your prom tickets to be numbered.

SPC Yearbooks sample guide 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get your free copy of our Sample Guide 2012 by clicking here!