Personalizing Memory Books

Personalizing items like memory books shows you’ve taken an extra step and care. But personalizing does not have to mean just adding your name, although it can. Here are ways to add a personal touch to your memory book.

• Name Plate – Have a name plate engraved or you add your own printed name plate to the cover.






• Special Photo – select a special photo and really go to town on it, making it shine: ask for a reprint, ordered to size for your memory book cover, ask about tinting, getting any red-eye out, trimming for better focal point, zooming in, etc.






• Matting – Select a nice matting that coordinates well with your book binding, photos, name plate and any other images and features on the outside of your book.






• Book Title – Think about including a special tag of saying, maybe a little history blurb, for the outside of your book. Plus get creative with font and ink colors. For example, you might choose a romantic script, write in red ink and coordinate this “Memories of the Darling Family...” paragraph with the red hearts on your matting and honeymoon cottage photo.






• Date stamp – A date stamp can help make your book “established” and give it a more authentic look.






• Inside Cover – You might want to add your home address, phone and other contact information inside the front cover in case you leave your book somewhere accidentally.






• Back Cover – Treat this similar to the front. Think about the last paperback you read. The author photo and biography was probably there. So add you’re here, too. How about a nice professional family photo with a paragraph mentioning everyone, the home area (state and country), season the shot was taken, family pet info, etc.






• Budget Concerns – Check out whether or not it’s better for your budget if you hire the memory book personalization done or whether you should do it yourself. Places like Cord Camera shops have inside store tools and computers to use to help with reprinting your own photos. Plus if you’re interested in professionally printing and binding your own memory book, local print shops like Kinkos could be handy and online companies that offer these services like http://instantpublisher.com and http://www.lulu.com.

Sophia Ton is a freelance writer who writes about baby shower gifts, maternity, pregnancy and family related topics. She loves to shop for baby wraps and she loves baby shower games.