1. A photo editing program: something like Adobe Photoshop (PS), Adobe Photoshop Elements (PSE), Jasc Paint Shop Pro (PSP), Microsoft Digital Image Pro (DIP), Ulead Photo Impact (PI), Corel Draw or any kind of program that supports .png files & layers.
2. At least 256 MB RAM on your computer operating system. (obviously the more the better)

• Scanner
• Printer
• digital camera
• Other digital goodies for the more advanced scrappers.

1. FREEDOM: You have a lot of freedom with your layouts. You can print them in various sizes & put them in albums. You can keep them in a digital album; creating slideshows with music, burning them on Cds/DVDs, emailing or sharing on the web.
2. USE YOUR FAVORITE TRADITIONAL SCRAPBOOK SUPPLIES: Digital scanning is a great way to use your traditional supplies without feeling guilty that you bought them! Of course, be careful & honest not to infringe on copyrights of these products. Just as in traditional scrapping, be sure you give credit to the product & make sure you only use the scan once, just as if you were actually using the product.
3. CREATE YOUR OWN CUSTOM ELEMENTS: Creating custom papers, metals, tags, brushes, etc. can be half the fun! You can use personal elements in your life to scan, photograph & create your own custom elements to make your pages uniquely yours.
4. USE PRE-MADE KITS: There are so many talented digital designers out there that create kits with papers, elements, brushes, etc. This is a great way to quickly create pages. It makes it very easy to drop & drag your photos onto a template or simply assemble a kit in a matter of minutes!
5. SCAN PHOTOS & NEGATIVES: You can scan your old photos or negatives (need a special negative scanner) to use your film photos!
6. VERY LITTLE MESS: No adhesives, utensils, or other supplies to make a mess. Everything you need is a mouse click away.
7. CHILD FRIENDLY: For those of us with small children, you don't have to worry about small piece in little mouths! And with older children, computers are so fascinating to them. Have them sit down with you & create digital scrapbook pages together!
8. The list could go on & on…add your favorites to this ongoing list!

• ONLINE SOURCES: There are many online labs that can print out your pages in various sizes & various photo papers. Professional printing can assure you it is acid free and will last years. You can upload your photos from your computer, select the size, color, papers & you'll have them delivered to you door in no time.
• LOCAL PHOTO LABS: You can have them printed at local labs or copy centers as well. (i.e. Kinko's, Costco, Sam's, etc.)
• HOME PRINTERS: If you choose to print them at home, you have a variety of choices.
  • LARGE FORMAT PRINTERS: You many not want to give up your fabulous 12x12 albums or pages, so you would need to have a large format printer. There are some very good ones out there by Epson, HP or Canon. Shop around for the best prices.
  • REGULAR FORMAT PRINTERS: If you can not afford or do not want a large format printer, you have some size options; 81/2 x 11, 10x10, 8x8, 6x6, etc. There are many albums out there that are made in these smaller sizes to accommodate these smaller pint outs.
  • PAPERS: Paper is the KEY. It is recommended that you use paper that is compatible with your printer; i.e. Epson printers work well with Epson papers, etc.
    • PHOTO: There are several choices of photo papers; matte, satin, luster, glossy, etc. Each photo finish will give you a different look & feel. Experiment & find out which ones best suite you &your style & taste.
    • ARTISITC: There are also many fine artistic papers that are made specifically for ink jet printers. You'll find exquisite watercolor, canvas, linen-based & fabric papers for ink jet printers. You will be amazed at how beautiful the ink prints onto these papers. They add a very artistic flair to your creations. Again, experiment to see what best suites you.
    • STICKERS: You can buy self-adhesive inkjet papers to create labels, cards, & all sorts of fun things. Look for matte, colored, clear, & glossy.
  • INKS: There are a lot of different ink jet printers out there with different choices. You can find photo printers with archival inks, too. The companies claim their longevity surpasses that of photo labs.
• COFFE TABLE BOOKS: There are companies out there that can take your files & print them in a beautiful bound book. Wonderful heirlooms!

• ALWAYS keep a layered file (.psd, or .tiff can be saved in layers) so you can go back & make changes if necessary. Once you flatten your image, it's a done deal! No going back.
• PRINTING: When you go to print whether it's at home or you want to burn it on a disk for a lab, flatten the image, but keep it at your highest dpi you were working with. (200 or 300). Trying to print a layered file is a pain, don't do it.
• EMAIL OR UPLOAD ONTO INTERNET: Flatten & save at 72 or 75 dpi. This can be done in your image size window. On some software programs, there is an option to ‘save for web'. This will compress it into a .jpg file for the web. Recommended quality: high. But, you can also SAVE AS .jpg at a high quality, too. It's just not as compressed as your web file.
• So, yes, for 1 layout, you will have 3 versions:
  1. High-resolution layered file saved at 200 or 300 dpi:: for changes.
  2. High-resolution flattened file saved at 200 or 300 dpi:: for printing out.
  3. Low-resolution flattened .jpg file for email or the web.
• Suggestion: Keep each of them in different folders, i.e. SCRAPBOOK PAGES, PRINTED PAGES, WEB PAGES Or something that works for you!

When submitting your layouts for publication, it is recommended to send a low resolution file to the magazine. (with your supply list). WHEN it is picked up for publication, they will ask for a 300 dpi version. This is when you will send them your high resolution flattened image. Most likely, they will ask for a smaller size like 6x6 or 5x5, so you will just need to adjust the image size to those dimensions. (but NOT the dpi.)

So, NOW, you will just have to have a new folder for your published layouts! Congrats!

DOWNLOADING:
In order to download the digital kits, you will need WinZip or some other software that will allow you to ‘unzip' these files. If you don't already have it, you can download it here www.winzip.com

These kits are all ‘zipped' up so you can ‘unzip' them to the proper size & use them in your software programs.

This will allow you to see your individual pieces or elements. It will automatically save it on your desktop.

Mac users, double click on your zipped file, PC users, right click to open it up.

USING:
After it is opened, you can save it somewhere in your folders. Name the folder & remember where you have saved it, so you can access it easily when you want to create a layout.

For the brushes, see the “INSTALLING BRUSHES” tutorial. Brushes work a bit differently.

To create your first layout, simply open the elements you want to use. Drag & drop (or cute & paste depending on the program you are using) to Your new layout.

Be sure to look for tutorials to teach you various techniques to enhance & create Your layouts.

BE SURE TO GIVE CREDIT TO THE CREATOR OF YOUR KITS & ALWAYS READ THE ‘READ ME' FILE FOR CLARIFICATION ON COPYRIGHT ISSUES.

HAVE FUN WITH YOUR BRUSHES! & ENJOY THE PROCESS!