So many nice lay-outs and now..........

[MoniqueN.]

If you would like to print your lay-outs, you can go to a printservice/photobook service. They are a bit expensive. But my printer is a good one, so I could print with book quality. But then , how to make it into a book without a photobook service?

Laminate the pictures so they won't damage? Or use thick photopaper and a device to put spirals in it? Or use cardboard for a cover and then spirals?

How do you do that with your projects??

 

[Cassel]

Getting your layouts printed by a professional printing service has one big advantage over printing at home: the binding and cover.

If you do it at home, you would likely have to put them into plastic sleeves that are either in already bound books or in those binders where you can add/remove sleeves. That would serve a double purpose: to protect them and to bind them.

If you are to bind it yourself with a spiral, consider that you would be punching holes in one edge of your pages. If there is no important detail there, that is ok, but just be careful.

As for the cover, I am not sure what I would use. Maybe foam core board to make it thick and solid?

Otherwise, keep an eye on those printing places as they would often have sales and specials and it might end up being less expensive than you think. I heard of several people who just keep their layouts "ready for printing" and take advantage of various sales when they come. I personally have only printed one book, and had it done locally, many years ago.

[Rene Marker]

I print my layouts as 12x12 single prints from a service in the USA called Persnickety Prints. I buy print credits when they are on sale and then print when I have a bunch of layouts ready. I do put them in Creative Memories albums in page protectors that are specifically for that purpose. I have also printed gift books using Shutterfly that are 10x10 in size when they have an unlimited pages sale.

One project I did many years ago, I printed it at home on 8.5x11 photo paper (layout size 8x8). I then bought an 8x8 scrapbooking album with page protectors to put the prints in.

However, I do know of many people that print at home since they scrap 8.5x11. There are scrapbook binders in that size with the protectors that they then put their prints in. Most common sizes for scrapbooks sold in stores are 12x12 and 8.5x11 and 8x8.

One important thing for me is to use page protectors that are made specifically for scrapbook pages and not the generic protectors for a binder. 

Here is an article that talks about various types of scrapbooks, page protectors and lists some vendors: Which Scrapbook Album Should I Buy? It might give you some ideas to move forward.