Shutterfly survey!!! "Tell us what you think - Classic Custom Path and All New Custom

[thessh]

I went back to Shutterfly and had a look, and there really is a survey about the different paths.
You click on the "All New Custom Path", but when you come to the place where you choose your book-size, there is a small text/link above them "Looking for Classic Custom Path?"
Click on that one, and on the new page, to the right, there is a survey.
Below is my answer to what I suggest to them:

"There´s a multitude of digiscrappers out there right now looking at Blurb and other places instead of you, including myself.
There is a very simple way of keeping us as customers;
Either you add one more version of your "All New Custom Path". A version where ALL pages, including covers and title-page are full bleed. Probably very simple for you to do!
Or, you add a full bleed option to your title-pages in all your books and make it a little bit easier to choose full bleed for every page without us having to change it 99 times for a 99-page book!"

[anke]

Nice!! I'll have to go back and find that link! I just finished my Christmas book there and would hate to lose the place!

[mungerre]

Thanks for this info! I will be filling out the survey asking for a full bleed option too!

[Jana Morton]

Thank you for the info and I couldn't agree with your suggestions more. I will certainly be filling out a survey. It has become so complicated when it doesn't need to be. I hope they hear from a lot of us!

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by Jana Morton

Thank you for the info and I couldn't agree with your suggestions more. I will certainly be filling out a survey. It has become so complicated when it doesn't need to be. I hope they hear from a lot of us!

I went ahead and filled it out. I have a friend who is new to digital scrapping and she loves the product from Shutterfly but is panicking over the possibility of the classic custom path going away.

[Standifg]

Thanks, I will look for the survey and complete it. I was on Shutterfly last night adding my 2011 pages. I followed their steps .. added photos, turned of vivid pics to all photos in album and changed cropping to custom (slow process as you have to touch each photo so this option needs a tool to apply to all photos in an album like vivid pics). Then went to photo books and selected custom path, selected everyday and versatile as the styles, added my photos to the album, and then spend MANY minutes selecting the full bleed for each and every page (will have 94 pages) (they really need to add back the option of apply this layout to all pages). I uploaded 41 pages last night and plan to do more tonight ... trying to use the 40% off deal before Jan 4th. It wasn't as horrible as I envisioned but I haven't messed with the covers yet so I'm sure that is when I will really become frustrated.

[thessh]

Originally Posted by Standifg

Thanks, I will look for the survey and complete it. I was on Shutterfly last night adding my 2011 pages. I followed their steps .. added photos, turned of vivid pics to all photos in album and changed cropping to custom (slow process as you have to touch each photo so this option needs a tool to apply to all photos in an album like vivid pics). Then went to photo books and selected custom path, selected everyday and versatile as the styles, added my photos to the album, and then spend MANY minutes selecting the full bleed for each and every page (will have 94 pages) (they really need to add back the option of apply this layout to all pages). I uploaded 41 pages last night and plan to do more tonight ... trying to use the 40% off deal before Jan 4th. It wasn't as horrible as I envisioned but I haven't messed with the covers yet so I'm sure that is when I will really become frustrated.

I set my crop to custom right after I've turned off VividPics! While I'm still in edit mode - that way the custom crop will be for the same batch of photos I just turned off VividPics for!

[mungerre]

I took the survey

It was anonymous (unless I was signed in and didn't realize it). I may fill it out a few more times.

[digigrandma]

I will go take the survey, Thess. Thanks for alerting us.

I ordered my Christmas ABC book from SF last night. My pages were already uploaded to an album where I had adjusted the crop and turned off vivid pics. I did as Gail did choosing the photo in the background option. I had to choose this option for each page one at a time and then change the effect from fade to no effect. It is tedious but I only had 28 pages in my book. It would seem very tedious if my book was 94 pages like yours, Gail!

[ptabbert]

I'd love to see a book option that automatically has full-bleed pages for each page.

In the meantime, here's a link on the Shutterfly website that explains how to use the "All New Custom Path" with digital scrapbook layouts:

Shutterfly | Print Your Digital Scrapbook | Upload and Print How-tos

I'm not sure if that is changing or not but it's the way I've been doing mine.

[digigrandma]

Originally Posted by ptabbert

I'd love to see a book option that automatically has full-bleed pages for each page.

In the meantime, here's a link on the Shutterfly website that explains how to use the "All New Custom Path" with digital scrapbook layouts:

Shutterfly | Print Your Digital Scrapbook | Upload and Print How-tos

I'm not sure if that is changing or not but it's the way I've been doing mine.

Thanks for that link! Sometimes, it is hard to find all the information one needs at Shutterfly.

[Bschori]

OMG! I am trying to order my first photobook with Shutterfly and am about to through my hands up in disgust and search for a different site. Figuring out the whole Full Bleed thing is horrible, still not sure I've got it right, but my biggest problem is figuring out if I have my Front Cover set up right. My design has one picture with a subtitle and title centered under it that I want centered on the page. I use Photoshop Elements and downloaded the Photoshop Templates for 12x12 to design it. The guidelines on the template indicate that the design should be centered in an 11.5" wide by 12" high area that is center against the left edge, or spine, of the front. However, when I upload it to the site the Preview shows the whole thing too close to the spine.......not centered on the front!!
I've called Tech Support twice and spent way too, too much time on hold while they tried to figure out what to tell me.......I'm sorry.......but I'm not completely sure they speak English well enough!
Also my page 1 shows and exclamation mark in a yellow triangle that says my picture is too close to the edge but the tech support says not to worry about it. This is a 48 page book of my son's college graduation that I've spent hours and hours on.....not to mention the cost of digisupplies.........I'm worried.

Can anyone advise me or maybe even console me?

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by Bschori

. I use Photoshop Elements and downloaded the Photoshop Templates for 12x12 to design it. The guidelines on the template indicate that the design should be centered in an 11.5" wide by 12" high area that is center against the left edge, or spine, of the front. However, when I upload it to the site the Preview shows the whole thing too close to the spine.......not centered on the front!!

Okay, for the covers, you need to use their cover templates. It will not center on a 12X12 because there is a tolerance for the paper that gets folded over when they make the cover. Here is the link to the templates:

Shutterfly | Print Your Digital Scrapbook | Glossary, Specs and Templates

Or, if this link goes away, google "shutterfly 12X12 template cover" and click on the second hit. You need to use that template and center between the edge of the canvas and the blue lines.

As for the resolution warning, I haven't printed a book using the new software. Someone else will have to speak to it, but I can say confidently that if you print it, and the page they told you would be okay isn't, they should print you a new one and make it right. They always do.

I hope that helps a little bit!

[Bschori]

Thanks Sarah but that's the problem. I am centering the design between the edge of the canvas and the blue lines but when I create the book and then Preview it the picture and title that I want centered on the front cover are too close to the spine. It's like the Preview doesn't show what the front cover will look like after they turn in the edges.
Does that make any sense?

[muppet434]

I just can't understand it! Last time I checked Shutterfly had introduced a full bleed page for the title pages but now it's gone again. What were they thinking? If they wanted to alienate everyone in the digi-scrap community then they are doing a great job of that!!

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by Bschori

Thanks Sarah but that's the problem. I am centering the design between the edge of the canvas and the blue lines but when I create the book and then Preview it the picture and title that I want centered on the front cover are too close to the spine. It's like the Preview doesn't show what the front cover will look like after they turn in the edges.
Does that make any sense?

That makes sense, but it baffles because my previews are always spot-on. Could you possibly take a screen shot of the preview and post it here so I can see what's funny?

[carollee]

Oh Good Lord! My first time using this since it changed, holy crap. I'm trying to get my Book of Wisdom put together.

Okay how do you make a full bleed title page? There's no full bleed page there? Or do we just not get to make a title page any more? What's everyone else doing?

They said they've simplified it? Pigs A they have! (sorry Katie )

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by carollee

Oh Good Lord! My first time using this since it changed, holy crap. I'm trying to get my Book of Wisdom put together.

Okay how do you make a full bleed title page? There's no full bleed page there? Or do we just not get to make a title page any more? What's everyone else doing?

They said they've simplified it? Pigs A they have! (sorry Katie )

You can still use the classic custom path, though I don't know how long it will be available.

[carollee]

Oh flip, I didn't see that link. Off to find it. This very well may be my last shutterfly book.

What is going on with the spine, unless they have changed their dimensions, which I'm downloading the templates right now, the spine isn't lining up, either is the front/back. And I'm using the templates they used to have. So best go check the dimensions again.

[carollee]

Hmmm, the same dimensions, I wonder why the spine doesn't line up. I'm using their spine template dimensions. Ahhhh crapola.

[ptabbert]

Originally Posted by carollee

Hmmm, the same dimensions, I wonder why the spine doesn't line up. I'm using their spine template dimensions. Ahhhh crapola.

I've always had trouble with their cover and spine templates! Hope you get your wonderful album done without too much additional hassle. I've sure loved seeing your pages!

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by carollee

Hmmm, the same dimensions, I wonder why the spine doesn't line up. I'm using their spine template dimensions. Ahhhh crapola.

Did you find the classic custom path option? And the spine isn't lining up like it should?

[carollee]

Yes thank you for that, it's a bit hidden isn't it? And now the spine is lining up. Go figure. Same dimensions.

[dugarner]

I just tried putting a sample book together using pages I had uploaded. The front cover really is off---the dimensions aren't right! And while I could drag-and-drop one of their title page templates so that it became a full bleed, it did give me the "too close to the edge" warning. The preview doesn't show the spine anymore like it used to, either. This is really, really frustrating. They took something that worked and mucked it up, now it's infernally difficult, and I'm extremely computer literate. I think Blurb is looking better all the time.

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by carollee

Yes thank you for that, it's a bit hidden isn't it? And now the spine is lining up. Go figure. Same dimensions.

It is hidden, and supposedly going away. I cannot figure out how to do the cover so that it will work. I think they want people just to stretch a photo over the cover instead of trying to design their own.

[beehive50]

Originally Posted by Bschori

Thanks Sarah but that's the problem. I am centering the design between the edge of the canvas and the blue lines but when I create the book and then Preview it the picture and title that I want centered on the front cover are too close to the spine. It's like the Preview doesn't show what the front cover will look like after they turn in the edges.
Does that make any sense?

Beware: The preview DOES show what it'll look like... wrong. When making the last book thru Shutterfly, I could NOT get the cover or the spine previews to look right. Even the color (using the same papers that showed up just fine for the cover that wrapped on the spine!) was a different color! After doing 5 or 6 other books with NO problems, this last one was a disaster. Well, the OUTSIDES were... I simply could NOT get the cover to center. Not at all. Not after trying a million times. Using the Shutterfly templates, not using them, redoing, resizing, saving differently, etc. etc. etc. And, the same with the spine. I finally gave up and my last book has a spine that is "big" and a cover that is off-centered. LOVE the insides, but hate looking at the outside... I'm picky like that. ha.

Anyways, I totally hear ya, unfortunately!

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by beehive50

Beware: The preview DOES show what it'll look like... wrong. When making the last book thru Shutterfly, I could NOT get the cover or the spine previews to look right. Even the color (using the same papers that showed up just fine for the cover that wrapped on the spine!) was a different color! After doing 5 or 6 other books with NO problems, this last one was a disaster. Well, the OUTSIDES were... I simply could NOT get the cover to center. Not at all. Not after trying a million times. Using the Shutterfly templates, not using them, redoing, resizing, saving differently, etc. etc. etc. And, the same with the spine. I finally gave up and my last book has a spine that is "big" and a cover that is off-centered. LOVE the insides, but hate looking at the outside... I'm picky like that. ha.

Anyways, I totally hear ya, unfortunately!

Oh, ugh, this is not what I wanted to hear. The book I just put together now as a test looks awful. I will NOT order a book if that's the way they'll print. I'll order them up until the classic custom path goes away and then I'll find someone else to print with. It's not picky, you put all that time and effort into something and want it to look right, especially the cover. I would really be upset if the cover were off.

[Bschori]

Well, at least after reading all your frustrated posts I have stopped thinking it was just me that couldn't figure this out!
I actually sent a message to Katie Pertiet on Facebook last night and she said I should try to find that link to the Classic Custom Path but I think I am going to give Shutterfly a big "no thanks" and search for someplace else. Katie said she was going to try Inkubook next. I did take a quick look at Blurb and it looks pretty good.
Should we start a thread where everyone can post any positive results we have with other companies?

[KimR+]

I just took the survey, now I'm going to see if I have the patience for their new messy photo book site!! I'll be back once I finally finish...I also have to go and cut DH hair, and give my 2 DD's baths!

[annette.]

I recently used Shutterfly to print a 100 page family album. I struggled with the all new custom path and instead went to the digital scrapbooking section of their gallery and selected a book someone had posted in the 12x12 size I was after. I clicked on the "make one like this" option and it took me to the classic custom path with automatic full bleed pages (same amount of full bleed pages as the original book in the gallery did...which was 90 pages or so) and full bleed title page, back and front covers and spine. It saved me a lot of time. I'm sure this will not work once the classic custom path is no longer available. Off to fill out the survey!