Absolute Beginners Guide to Computer Basics (2nd Edition)

A digital scrapbook isn't the only type of project you can do with your digital photos. There are lots of different ways to use your digital photos besides just printing them out.

Fun Projects

When it comes to digital photo projects, what kinds of things are we talking about? Here's just a short list:

  • Black-and-white or color newsletters

  • Business brochures and catalogs

  • Party invitations

  • Photo calendars

  • Photo collages

  • Photo greeting cards (Christmas cards, especially)

  • Photo postcards

  • Posters (enlarging a single photo)

  • Stickers

  • T-shirt iron-ons

In short, use your imagination. With all your photos in digital format, there's no limit to how you can use them!

Other Home Project Software

When you want to create fun projects with your digital photos, it helps to use the right software for the job. We've already discussed digital scrapbooking software, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are lots of other programs out there that let you create a variety of home publishing projects, including banners, brochures, business cards, calendars, crafts, envelopes, forms, greeting cards, invitations, labels, letterheads, newsletters, postcards, and posters. Most of these programs also include a large number of clip art pictures, which you can use to add visual diversity to your projects.

These home publishing programs are typically low-cost (less than $50) and easy to use. Here's a quick overview of some of the most popular programs:

  • Greeting Card Factory (www.novadevelopment.com). This program does nothing but greeting cardsbut it's great at what it does. Nova Development sells several variations of the basic Greeting Card Factory program, including Greeting Card Factory Deluxe, Humorous Greeting Card Factory, and Christian Greeting Card Factory.

    tip

    If you want to have some more fun with your digital photos, consider putting your pictures on coffee mugs, T-shirts, mouse pads, and the like. Many of the photo processing services discussed in Chapter 37, "Managing Your Digital Photos," also offer these fun photo project services. Check around to see what kinds of photo-related products are available.

  • Hallmark Card Studio (www.hallmarksoftware.com). Hallmark produces several versions of this low-priced program, each geared around a specific theme: Holiday, Comedy, Christian, Scrapbook, and so on.

  • Kid Pix Deluxe (www.broderbund.com). This is a great drawing and painting program for kids, with lots of easy-to-create photo, scrapbook, and comic book projects.

  • Microsoft Publisher (www.microsoft.com/publisher/). This is a full-featured publishing program, good for everything from simple projects to sophisticated publications. Publisher is included with some versions of Microsoft Office.

  • Print Shop (www.broderbund.com). Print Shop is one of the most popular home publishing programs. It's affordable, it's easy to use, and it lets you create all manner of fun projects. (It's also available in a lot of specific versions, including Print Shop Brochures, Newsletters & More, Print Shop Label Creator, and so on.)

  • PrintMaster (www.broderbund.com). Another popular home publishing suite (lower-priced than Print Shop), complete with all manner of home-related projects.

The Absolute Minimum

Here are the key points to remember from this chapter:

  • One of the best ways to share your digital photos is via a digital scrapbook.

  • There are many different digital scrapbook programs available; one of the most popular is Broderbund's Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Designer Deluxe.

  • Other types of photo projects include photo calendars, photo greeting cards, posters, and iron-on T-shirt transfers.

  • Other programs you can use to create digital photo projects include Hallmark Card Studio, Microsoft Publisher, Print Shop, and PrintMaster.

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