How To Make Chatbooks
The Perfect Grandma Gift
Learning how to make a Chatbook is super easy. Also, it’s the perfect grandma gift! About 15 months ago, I wanted to make a digital photobook for my mom and mother-in-law with pictures of their first great-granddaughter, Emmie. They both love to look at pictures on their phones, but there is something so much better about having an actual book with pictures to flip through.
Chatbooks Are So Easy
I’ve created digital books in the past. They are great if you have a lot of time. I tend to get bogged down with page layouts and trying to cram as many pictures as I can into an album. What I love about the little Chatbooks is they are super simple, I love getting all crafty, even digitally, but sometimes the goal is to just get it done! That’s why I wanted to share how to make a Chatbook! It’s easy peasy.
The photo books I make are a monthly subscription that you can start and stop at any time. You can create a monthly 5 x 7 inch Chatbook in a hardcover or softcover. I went with the hardover style that currently runs $20/month, including shipping.
Super Cute Books
The book is 30 pages and you can put one or two images on each page. Additionally, more pages can be added at a cost per page. I usually try to stick to 30 pages to keep the cost down. This also helps me just pick the best photos and not get stuck adding on more and more.
The point is to keep it simple!!!
There are a few different cover options. I chose the Rifle Paper Company covers. They are beautiful with floral designs that vary each month. The colors coordinate with the seasons and look really pretty sitting on an end table. They are truly the perfect brag books.
How To Make Your Chatbooks
The first thing you want to do is make sure you have all the photos on your phone before you start. My daughter shares all her photos with the family on the Family Album app. This is an easy way for the whole family to view and share pictures and videos without sharing your entire life on social media. I just scroll through and download the pictures I want to include. Of course, there’s also pictures already on my camera roll, but I make sure I’ve got all the photos saved on my phone before I start.
TIP: Don’t worry if you have more than 30 photos for the month on your phone. We all do! You can easily narrow it down in the next step.
Setting Up Your Subscription
Once you’ve got all the photos on your camera roll, go and download the Chatbooks App. It’s easy to find in the app store or go here. In the app, go to “shop”, then scroll to the “month” books. You can decide which size and cover style you want. There’s a smaller softcover book that is great to give to kids. This is on my list to do for my granddaughter sometime soon.
As a side note, you can also make larger size albums, but the smaller books are the monthly subscription options.
Choose your subscription book and set up your account. Then, go to the “my book” tab at the bottom of the app. You’ll see your first month book with the cover. Just click on “add photos” to get started. The app will automatically show images for the month book you are doing. For instance, if you are making your August book, then you will only see August photos from your camera roll. This is super helpful! If you want to add pictures from another month, just uncheck the month at the top.
Two Image Layouts and Extra Pages
Do you have more than 30 photos? Just click on the image you would like to change to a two picture layout, click edit and pick the layout you want. You can then select another photo to add. You can also add more than 30 pages to the book, just know you will have an extra fee for every additional page.
Once you’ve added all your photos, you can preview the book and make any changes. Then just hit “send to print” and you’re done! The book usually ships in a couple of days.
A Simply Perfect Gift
Pictures are treasured more than any other gift. We look at them again and again. Whether you live far away from family, or just around the corner, a photo book is a beautiful way to send some love.
These are just one of my favorite things!
You are precious in His sight,
