For those who can't attend our in-person workshops, please feel free to use the instructions below to create your very own customized photo calendar..!
Color photo scanner (if your photos are not yet digitized)
Printable photo or inkjet paper
Photos (You'll need at least 12 -- one for each month. You may also use an extra photo for the front cover.)
Two protective plastic sheets, for the front and back covers
Hole punch (for hanging calendars)
List of important dates: family birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
Instructions
Choose your photos with care -- you'll be looking at them all year long! Here are some ideas for themes you might use. Click each link to download a sample PDF file suitable for a front cover template - just add your cover photo:
Photo keepsake -- Match family photos to the month depicted; e.g., use a graduation photo for June, or children's birthday snapshot for the month they were born in.
Wedding reminiscences. If you have a surplus of wedding photos, a photo calendar is a great way to leverage the extras for display.
Use your photo scanner to import the images into your PC. Other good alternatives for obtaining digital photos include using a digital camera, or having your pictures saved to a CD-ROM when you take them to be developed.
After importing photos into your PC, you can use photo-editing software such as Microsoft Picture It! or Adobe Photoshop to add extra creative effects such as like shadows.
Load your printer with printable photo paper and print each of your chosen photos on their own individual sheet. Use your software or printer settings to set the page margins for better control over how the images print.
Visit Microsoft's Web site to download a 2003 calendar template using your preferred business application: Excel, Word, or PowerPoint. Preview the MS Word template for a 2003 calendar. When you see a description that interests you, click the Go To Preview link. Click to accept the End-User License Agreement For Templates.
Open the calendar template in the appropriate MS Office program. Each month appears on its own page. Now you can toggle from month to month to add the personal days and holiday celebrations you want. Not sure when Thanksgiving or Mother's Day falls in 2003? Check Infoplease.com for a wide range of national and holiday dates in 2003 and other years.
Now you'll need to reload the photo pages you printed in step 4 back into the printer in order to print the monthly grids on the other side of the pages. Remember that each month's picture appears on the opposite side of the previous month; for example, you should print February's monthly grid on the back of March's photo. Make sure that you understand which side and end of the paper your printer begins to print from, to avoid mistakes with the page orientation that would cause you to reprint your pages.
Print the front cover on the opposite side of the photo page for January. Or, you can insert an extra page at the beginning or end of the calendar as an extra "Notes" or "Events" page.
Collate the page and flip through them month-by-month to confirm that each photo and month appears as expected. Place a plastic protective sheet at front and back.
You have several options for binding your calendar. If you would like a professional-looking spiral binding, take your printouts to your local Kinko's or a similar copy shop. Alternatively, use a paper punch and bind the pages with yarn to create a homemade binding. Punch an additional hole in each page for hanging the calendar. Great job!
