Is Digital Scrapbooking For You?

by Nicole Humphrey | More from this Blogger

05 Jan 2008 08:13 PM

Digital scrapbooking has taken the scrapbooking market to a whole new level. It has allowed those who were on the fence about scrapbooking to begin with, to take part without a great deal of commitment or cost. Now, don't get me wrong, digital scrapbooking takes a lot of work and practice to get a layout complete.

I have heard many a scrapbooker wonder if digital scrapbooking is for them. So I thought I would take a moment to try and answer that question. The important thing to recognize is that nobody has that actual answer but you. But here are some things to consider.

First, there is software involved in digital scrapbooking and it can cost a lot to get a good quality program. Before you purchase anything, try downloading a trial version and see if it does what you want it to. You are looking for ease of use, affordability and the ability to do what you want to do with it.

There are a huge amount of free resources available online for digital scrapbooking page kits. Some sites offer one complete page kit for free each month. Others offer goodies that coordinate with some of their more popular packages. And while you can purchase CD's with all sorts of great items to create your layouts digitally, I recommend browsing online for resources first. There are dozens and some are available only online.

Another thing you need to consider is how you plan to display your completed layouts. Most scrapbookers put their finished layouts in a scrapbook album. Do you have a printer that will print a 12x12 page layout (if that is the size you choose to scrapbook)? Do you have a printer that requires inexpensive ink refills? Is it worth upgrading to a better printer?

Do you plan to save them all on CD's or backup drives instead? All of these questions must be looked at and studied before any once decision is made. The month of January will host a brand new variety of digital scrapbooking articles with you in mind.

Nicole Humphrey writes articles for the Scrapbooking Blog and for the Frugal Blog. She also guest blogs on a variety of topics. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.