The Book

Frequently Asked Questions

[ THE BIG PICTURE ]

Q: What exactly is this digital product?

A: Project Life is a way to get your pictures off your computer and into a book that you can enjoy. This digital offering of Project Life allows you to create a photo book completely online. When you're ready, we'll ship the professionally printed & bound book to you.

Q: What is the concept of Project Life?

A: You have pictures. You have stories. Your life (or your family's life) is worth recording. Project Life is already pre-designed and organized so all you need to do is drop in your pictures and words. We offer a week-at-a-glance book which is for showcasing a picture-a-day and we also offer a month-at-a-glance book which is for showcasing just a handful of favorite photos from each month. Start in January or start at ANY time of the year. It doesn't matter. It's your story. Your way. The end result is a beautiful, personal book about your life.

Q: Is this for this year or can I go back and do past years? I have so many pictures that I haven't done anything with yet.

A: You can absolutely go back. You could create a yearbook for each year or combine several years worth of pictures into one book. Whatever seems to work best. You can make each of your cover designs coordinate or customize each one to look different.

Q: This sounds so chronological. Are there other options?

A: Many people will find that adding a picture-a-day or a handful of pictures each month is an easy and sensible way to go about this. Plus, our life happens chronologically. This stuff happened on Monday and then Tuesday we did this and Wednesday we went there and so forth. If chronological story-telling isn't for you, no problem. It's your story. Your way. Create a theme for each layout instead. For example, perhaps you create a family yearbook. Your layouts could feature topics such as: Winter Activities, Spring Break, Best Friends, Neighborhood Gatherings, School Life, Dad's Work, A Day in the Life of Mom, Carson's World, Natalie's World, What We Do for Fun, Mishaps & Accidents, Grandparents, etc.

Q: I've never done anything digital in my life. Does this require experience?

A: If you know how to enter your email address and password, you can do this. It's very user-friendly and you don't have to have any prior digital experience. You will also find it helpful to watch the instructional video.

Q: Will there be more advanced editing options and creativity for the digital folks?

A: Advanced users will have the opportunity to completely alter page layouts and even upload their own images to use as page backgrounds if they wish to do so. There is also a growing library of additional clipart images to use on your pages.

Q: Thinking long-term, I picture creating several of these books over the years. Will you come up with new designs each year? Will they be the same size?

A: Ultimately, yes. Right now, this is a place to start. We would love to bring you new books and new designs on a regular basis.

Q: When can I print this?

A: Anytime! Today or next week or the end of the year... it doesn't matter.

Q: Do I create this book all at once?

A: Sure, if you want. Perhaps you want to design a book for your parents' anniversary or your child's best-of baby pictures or some other theme. Create the book at your pace and order when you're ready. If you're following a format of creating a book of your life right now, this year... well then, this is something you would work on a little at a time as you go. You could drop in a picture and add your journaling on a daily basis or weekly or monthly. Whenever you want.

Q: Since I won't have the physical book until I'm done with the project and order it to be printed & shipped to me, how can friends & family enjoy the progress?

A: Today, you would need to grant access to your account by sharing your username/password for them to see your progress. The risk is that they might play around with your settings and designs. However, we are developing new features that we will release throughout the year, which will enable you to share your work around the net.

Q: Can I use Ziblio to share my photos with family and friends like Flikr?

A: No. Ziblio is not designed to be a photo hosting site and can only be accessed by you. The pictures you upload are meant to be used in a specific project and nothing more.

[ JUST THE FACTS ]

Q: How much does it cost?

A: The retail price of the big Week-at-a-Glance book (picture-a-day for a full year) is $99.99 and the smaller Month-at-a-Glance book is $49.99.

Q: Is this normal pricing for online photo books?

A: The Week-at-a-Glance is really competitively priced with online sites like Shutterfly. If you were to make a 106 page book online at Shutterfly, the base 20 page book would be $34.99 for the personalized cover, plus $1.00 a page thereafter. 34.99 + 86 additional pages @ 1.00 = $86.00 for a total of $121.99. That's $21.00 more than our list price of $99.99. With pay now and save 20% off, you are saving considerably versus Shutterfly (even if you take into consideration their free shipping and 20% off promotion). Also: Our shipping starts at $5.99 versus their $9.99. You can see this at http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books/everyday-8x11-photo-book

Q: How many pages are in the book?

A: The Week-at-a-Glance book has 106 pages and Month-at-a-Glance has 26 pages.

Q: Can I add pages or take away pages in my project? How will that affect the price?

A: Each book can be expanded to be up to 110 pages and any pages added can be removed, but each book starts with the minimum number of pages it can have. Pages are added in sets of 2 (front and back of the sheet) and the cost per sheet is an additional $1.98 ($0.99 per page).

Q: How much will it cost to ship within the U.S.?

A: We have the following shipping options:

Shipping Method From
UPS Ground $7.99
UPS 2nd Day $14.99
UPS Overnight $24.99
USPS Media Mail $5.99

Q: Will it ship internationally?

A: Yes.

Q: How much will it cost to ship internationally?

A: We have the following shipping options:

Shipping Method From
UPS Express Saver $49.99
DHL Mail Bag (Canada) $14.99

Q: What is the size of the finished, printed & bound book?

A: It is 11 3/8" wide x 8 3/4" tall.

Q: Do you have other size options?

A: For now, the 8.5" x 11" size is the only option. The cost is significantly higher with the 12" x 12" size.

Q: Is there a discount if I order multiple books?

A: Yes. If you would like to order 3 or more books, you receive 10% your total order. If you pay before March 31, 2010 this 10% discount is in addition to the current 20% off promotion. That's 30% off your entire order with the purchase of 3 or more books. Contact Ziblio (support@ziblio.com or 877.209.1560) and they will help you with your order.

FYI: Digital printing is different than offset printing in that we do not receive quantity discounts with additional copies from the printer. All books are at the same cost, no matter how many copies are ordered per order. This is because with digital printing and on-demand book making, every order is treated as individual items.

Q: Can I buy this as a gift for someone?

A: You sure can! Just use the "Pay now and save" option on the site and you will receive a printable validation code in your e-mail which you can then gift to someone else. It is not tied to any specific account until the time it is redeemed.

[ PRINTING ]

Q: What is the turn-around time for printing a book?

A: Your book will ship within 5 business days.

Q: Where are the books printed?

A: In the USA.

Q: Can we choose where we print?

A: No.

Q: How are the books bound?

A: The binding method is the same method used in Libraries. It is the most durable process. We side sew each book block with stitching (like a giant sewing machine). We use Library Binding Association approved end sheets which are reinforced. The material in the spine is a special cambric material made for sewing through it so the book block stays together. The glue used to glue the book block to the cover is special to avoid acids and moisture. The book cover is made with high density book board to help avoid warping. The laminate is special for digital printing to allow good adhesion to the ink and photo paper the cover material is printed on.

Q: How long is the book supposed to last?

A: All books show wear with use over time, but when handled with proper care and a good environment our materials and manufacturing methods will last over 100 years. For tips on caring for any books, click here.

Q: What is the page quality? Will they be able to withstand little hands handling the book?

A: The paper we use is 100 lb. gloss text, acid-free, lignin-free, 15% recycled and special coated for HP Indigo digital presses. Over many years of testing this paper has outperformed all competitors! A team of scientists with industrial robots have tested these pages and they're the best you can get.

Q: I'm always concerned about photo quality. So often photos in print are much darker in print than on my computer screen. How will you control print quality?

A: Inherent differences between print and screen luminosity creates slight differences of color and tone, but with our calibration methods set by HP, each press is calibrated daily to ensure that the printed color best represents the color displayed on most monitors. I am personally thrilled with the photo quality in my books.

Q: Is there an option to print just one or two pages instead of the whole book?

A: No.

Q: Are their page protectors?

A: No. Not necessary.

[ TECHNICAL STUFF ]

Q: Will there be technical support?

A: Yes, call our customer support line at 877-209-1560 or email support@ziblio.com with your inquiries.

Q: What kind of software is required?

A: None. You just need an Internet browser. You have that already because that's how you're online reading this right now.

Q: Is it Mac compatible?

A: Mac, PC... it's all good.

Q: Where is my project stored? How much space will this take on my computer?

A: Your project does not take up any space on your computer. Everything is stored on our servers. This is convenient for you as you can work your projects from anywhere!

Q: Can I save my work each time I go in and work on my project?

A: Yes.

Q: How long will my project be saved? What if I'm not printing for a year or so?

A: Your project is stored on our servers for the lifetime of the product.

Q: Can I save the page designs as JPGs so that I can just print individual pages.

A: No, sorry.

Q: Can I save the files on my computer?

A: No.

Q: I already keep a blog with stories and post some pictures. Will I be able to adapt that into this book?

A: For now, only by means of re-uploading the same pictures into our site and copying/pasting the text.

Q: Can I upload from my blog?

A: Not yet, but we will be adding other online repositories to use as photo sources for upload in the future. In the meantime, you may upload the same content from your computer.

Q: Where is the un-do button?

A: I know, I know, I know. We really do need an un-do button. I could not agree more. I assure you that Ziblio is checking into adding this feature.

Q: How can I enlarge my view of my work-in-progress?

A: When working on your book, you'll notice the "big screen" icon in the top right corner of the window. Click on that. If it still happens to not work, there are a couple of things you can try: 1) Increase the resolution on your monitor (like 1440 × 900) and then choose the big screen option in the book or 2) Choose full screen in your browser (F11) to see if that helps.

[ DESIGN ]

Q: Will the template accommodate horizontal and vertical pictures?

A: Yes and yes... and square pictures too.

Q: Is there just one style?

A: Yes, for now. The templates are in place so you don't have to do any design work if you want the very easiest, quickest method of putting a book together. But you can also edit and customize as much as you'd like. Will be bringing more designs in the future.

Q: Can I adjust the size of my photos?

A: Yes.

Q: Do I have a choice of fonts?

A: Yes. There are several to choose from and more will be added in the future.

Q: Can I import & use my own fonts?

A: No, not at this time. Sorry.

Q: Is there a way to get my own handwriting in my project?

A: Not in the journaling blocks. But here are a couple of ideas: Create a JPG with your handwriting by either photographing or scanning a sample of your handwriting. You could also write in the book after it's printed. Either way, it would be a fun addition to include handwriting samples from even the whole family!

Q: Is there a way to change the cover design?

A: Yes. You can drop in a solid color background or upload your own JPG (for example, a favorite pattern, or a scanned piece of fabric or a favorite photo).

Q: Are the layouts fixed or "locked" or do I have some flexibility?

A: The template is in place for your convenience. However, if you want to make some changes (add extra pictures, change the size & orientation of pictures, take away journaling boxes, etc.) you can do all of that. Please, please, please remember that this is no un-do button. If you don't like the change you've made you have to manually put it back the way you want it. We realize that this isn't ideal and we're working on that feature. Also, you may want to save often even with the auto-save in place.

Q: ' my portrait images into the square frames some of the image area is off the frame. How can I fix that?

A: Click on the image, go to edit photo and pan (move) the image into the center viewing area. You can also zoom the image in this feature.

**NOTE: If you haven’t played around with the "edit photo" button, you should. It’s kind of hidden in the toolbox, but once you know about it, it’s so simple to use and you’ll want to use it all the time.

Q: How do I re-shape the image frame?

A: This can be done by placing an image that is larger than the frame and using the crop tool to re-shape it.

Q: How can I incorporate longer journal entries?

A: Simply resize the journaling boxes.

Support

For technical support with digital Project Life

Send emails to support@ziblio.com or call 877-209-1560

For general questions about Project Life

please read the FAQs carefully, because it's quite possible that your question is already answered there.

For general comments and suggestions

Send emails to projectlife@beckyhiggins.com

For emotional support and to share enthusiasm with other Project Lifers

Check out the Forum (coming soon!)