Sunday, June 21, 2020

Print Version

Reading a blog is fun, isn't it?

The digital format is easy to navigate. You read, scroll down, view some images, scroll down some more, and leave a comment at the bottom if you'd like.

Fun. Easy. You can do it all from a digital device. Sitting in the park. Lying on the couch. Almost anywhere, anytime. And that's great.

But I hope some of you will agree with me when I say that there's nothing like holding an actual book in your hands and flipping through the pages.

Nothing.

And that affinity for printed material is why I decided to put some of the more personally meaningful posts from my first year of blogging into a print version using Mixbook, one of the many photo book services out there. (Other good photo book services include Snapfish, Apple, Flickr, and Shutterfly.)

It took some time to choose the posts I wanted to preserve most, and more time after that with layout, but it was well worth it. Here are some images of the finished product, as well as some tips if you think you might want to try a fun project like this yourself. I'm only familiar with the Mixbook interface, But I'd guess the other services are similar in the way you navigate around and create your book.




Overall, Mixbook's design tool was fairly easy to use. It's not professional publishing software, but it did get the job done without much fuss.

Text boxes can be inserted, dragged around, and resized on the page as much as you'd like, and you can change the font type, size, and color just as you would with any other publishing tool.

Same goes for your images. They can be moved around easily and resized right there on screen. If you do happen to enlarge one too much, a warning icon will appear to let you know that the image might not print at a high enough quality. You can also add features to your images such as borders and shadows. (The shadow feature works great for trading cards, as it gives them a little dimension on the page.)



 
The trickiest part might be reworking the layout for print, because you've only got so much space per page. Very long blog posts that contain dozens and dozens of images won't work well, for example, just for the sheer number of pages they'd take up. (I whittled a couple of my entries down for the book.)

However, once you get the hang of adjusting column widths and figure alignments, the layout goes by more quickly. There's even a built-in feature that helps you align one image with another on the sides, top, or bottom.



 
Mixbook also gives you numerous choices for book size and paper finish, which is a nice touch. Each book comes with 20 blank pages for you to fill, but take note that there's an extra charge for each page after that. (Currently it's anywhere from $0.69 to $2.39 per page, depending on how big and fancy of a book style you choose.) This really can add up if you're not paying attention. However, for the ability to hold a printed version of some memorable, meaningful blog posts in your hands, the extra page cost might really be worth it. 

And the good thing is that Mixbook often runs excellent specials and promotions, such as $20 off your order, 50% off your order, and so on.




Why not go through your blog history, choose 5 or 10 entries (or more) that hold special meaning for you, and consider making a print version? It's a great way to look back on some of the work you've done, especially if you've been blogging for years. You'll be preserving some of that work in print form, and there's nothing like it.


22 comments:

  1. I've had this idea from time to time over the years but never actually leaped off the ledge. Yours looks absolutely incredible! What an awesome idea. You may have inspired me here I think! What does your cover look like?

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    1. Thanks shoebox! If you do give it a go, I think you'd really enjoy the process and the result. The book style I chose has a plain white cover (paperback style, slightly glossy) and I only added some text for a title. However, images can also be added to the cover.

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  2. I've considered this a number of times, I think the length of my posts has held me back from this (that and the time it would take). But I think my blog is meant for "the book look" so I may give it a go.

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    1. I say go for it. The layout process might take a bit of trial and error at first, especially with lengthy posts, but you'll get the rhythm for it soon enough (especially with your editor/newspaper background).

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  3. Very cool. Didn't even know that this was an option. Since I'm not teaching this summer, maybe I'll use the extra free time to browse past posts. Thanks for sharing this idea.

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    1. Go for it, Fuji! If nothing else, you'll have fun finding some old posts that you really enjoyed writing. (Which might be the perfect posts to put in a book.)

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  4. I've always wanted to try this. Gonna have to cave in and pull the trigger one of these days.

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    1. With your blogging history it'll be worth it, Nick!

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  5. That does look really nice, I might do that!

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    1. Some of those rare, beautiful menko in your collection would look great in a book, Sean. And then adding your commentary on top? That's a winner.

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    1. Baseball Cards Come to Life . . . in a book? ;-)

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  7. Hey, email me your address when you can. I thought I had it but it must've disappeared. Thanks. nightlite77@yahoo.com

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  8. What a cool idea! I should definitely look into this. I've printed out a few of my blog posts but this is way better. Doubt I could fit my Sports Card Tour or All-Time Teams series in one book, though.

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    1. I agree that you should look into it, Chris! Your All-Time Teams series could probably be a book of its own. (Which wouldn't be a bad thing.)

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  9. Having a book would be pretty awesome. I always wish I could publish a book of custom cards but I have a feeling the licensing fees would sink that pretty quick. Perhaps for personal use.

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    1. Agreed. Creating a book (for personal use) would be a great way for you to catalog all the custom cards you've done. It would be fun to take it down from your bookshelf every once in a while to flip through and look back at all your hard work!

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  10. Your book is well-designed! I noticed the card shadowing immediately with your 78s. You have an entertaining and easy writing style which would do well in book form. You obviously filled more than 20 pages. What was the final page count? Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks for the compliments, Julie! The final page count was closer to 60, but thanks to the discounts that the people at mixbook consistently offer, the final cost didn't hurt my wallet that badly.

      You've also got some posts (not to mention a writing style) that would do very well in book form. If you give it a try and have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. That goes for everyone here, too.

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    2. 60 pages - nice! Thanks for your encouragement, Niner! Posting more often would likely aid my writing skills.

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    3. You're very welcome, Julie! It would be fun to see "A Cracked Bat: Baseball Cards and a Hot Dog and a Book" one day.

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