A Guide to Printing Your Family History: Difference between revisions

To pull together a family history, there are two major tasks to complete. The first, obviously, is the lengthy research and writing stage. After the history has been written, the next task is to make it actually look like a history. To do this, you can either consult an experienced layout design professional, or turn into a designer yourself. Both are viable options depending on your budget, computer equipment, computer experience, willingness to learn, and time commitment. The layout of a family history is often not even considered until the very last. Ironically, this last stage will either provide a glorious finish to years of work or stop you dead in your tracks. While printing a letter on your printer at home may be a relatively simple task, successfully printing a fully formatted family history (with table of contents, page numbers, chapter starts, headers, footers, photographs, etc.) on a publisher’s equipment can be a frustrating experience. There are important technical considerations you must be prepared to face or have someone else face for you.  

Another option is print-on-demand publishing. This is a technology that allows one book at a time to be printed from a computer file. Most companies charge an up front fee. There are some exceptions such as [http://www.lulu.com www.lulu.com] which charges a fee for each book published rather than an upfront fee. This is ideal for publishing only a few books. Another option is to have your book printed as an e-book. This can be done free at some web sites such as [http://www.scribd.com www.scribd.com] or [http://www.docstoc.com www.docstoc.com]. Once your book is uploaded, it can be viewed online, downloaded or printed.  

Standard 8.5” x 11” paper is usually the most cost-effective choice. Other dimensions, however, can contribute some added character to your book. Talk to both your publisher and your bindery. Find out what they can do and decide what you are willing to pay for.