December Daily 2010 | Working With The 6x8 Printable Overlays (+ Video Tutorial)

One of the key elements of my 2010 December Daily are these 6x8 overlays available through Designer Digitals. Below I've included a few different ways to work with these overlays including information on how to open and print the PDF file, how to open and recolor PNG files in Word, and an 8 minute video tutorial on working with the PNG file in Photoshop Elements (includes recoloring and photo-cropping information if you want to add the overlay onto a photo before printing).

When you purchase and download this package from Designer Digitals you will find that it includes the following:

1. A folder of the daily PNG files sized to 6x8 (December 1 through December 31).
2. A print-ready PDF file.
3. A preview file.
4. My terms of use (personal use only).

PDF FILE


Let's start with what's most likely the simplest way to get these files printed: the PDF file.

Double click on the print-ready PDF file to open - for most people it will open in Adobe Reader. If for some reason you don't have Adobe Reader on your computer already you can download it free here.

The PDF pages include "crop-marks" that will help you trim these pages to the exact 6 inch x 8 inch size. Go to file/print and your print dialog box should pop-up.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When printing the PDF file, make sure that you have selected "shrink to printable area" rather than "fit to printable area" under Page Scaling. This will position the overlay and crop marks in the middle of the page at the correct size. If you select "fit to printable area" it will stretch the overlay and it will end up printing larger.

I printed all my overlays on Bazzill Cream Puff cardstock using my HP Photosmart B8550 printer.

PNG FILES


If you'd like more control over how the overlays look, or want to place one on a photo, or want to make any other adjustments, you'll want to use the PNG file.

RECOLORING A PNG FILE IN WORD


You do not need to have Photoshop Elements to recolor or print a PNG file. Here's how to do it with Microsoft Word:

1. Open a new Word file.

2. Go to Insert/Picture/From File and navigate to the PNG file you downloaded to your computer and select the day you want to work with.

Here's what the PNG file looks like when it opens in Word.

3. To recolor the lines of the overlay, go to View and select the Formatting Palette (I'm working in Word for Mac 2008). Click the Recolor icon near the top and select More Options at the bottom of the menu to choose a color. Click the color and the overlay should automatically change to that color.

4. Print on cardstock.

RECOLORING AND ADDING OVERLAY TO A PHOTO IN ELEMENTS


I've put together a quick video tutorial for those of you who might be interested in learning how to recolor or add an overlay to a photo in Photoshop Elements. You can download a free trial version of Elements here. If you'd like written step by step directions for recoloring PNG files in Elements, go here.

Ali Edwards' 2010 December Daily 6x8 Overlay Tutorial from Ali Edwards on Vimeo.

One thing to keep in mind with the overlays is that in addition to being printed directly on cardstock, they also work great layered on top of a photo. More information on that is included with the video above. Depending on what photo you choose to use they might offer a great spot for journaling as well.

Please let me know in the comments if you have any additional questions on working with these overlays.

More information on the December Daily project can be found here.

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90 thoughts

  1. Maureen says…
    10/14/2010

    Great video Ali - as always. I'm doing mine as 5x7 as I just got a few of the Heidi Swapp mirrored albums. The timing was perfect!

    I can also see using those overlays for printed travel cards in the future with the dates changed. Sadly not with Depot unless I do a lot of fiddling with your overlays!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      10/14/2010

      Cool Maureen. You can always leave the dates and just change the days of the week :). I used Avenir for the days of the week but you could use any font you like for that.

  2. Kay Gregory-Clark says…
    10/14/2010

    Since you have an Epson printer, and you use Ilford paper, I assume you are happy with the quality? I tried other brands besides Epson in the past and was very disappointed, but my supplier frequently has good deals on Ilford papers. (Atlex.com) Sometime can you do a post on printers and paper?

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      10/14/2010

      Yep - happy with the quality of the Ilford + HP printer :).

  3. Kay Gregory-Clark says…
    10/14/2010

    Oops! Just went back and saw you use an HP printer, not Epson. Where did I get that idea?!

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. Kimbee says…
    10/14/2010

    I love the idea of Daily Dec and tried very hard last year to play along. While I didn't get far ( only managed 4 all digital pages), I loved all 4 and am thinking I am going to hop on board again this year, love whatever I do and just make this a December Magic album with multi years. Ali thank you for all your inspiration. You really do rock the scrapping world(+:

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. Elizabeth H. says…
    10/14/2010

    I have not purchased the overlays (yet) because I have not been brave enough to venture into digi as of now. However, your tutorial here makes me think this would be a great opportunity to learn and play a "simple" layout. One question I have is can you change the color of the different areas (encased by the lines)? For example, in the picture you printed with the overlay on top of the photo (all digi), the long rectangle box on the bottom left is 'clear'. If I wanted to fill the box in (say in white) so I could use black or another color font for journaling, can this be done? Thanks!

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Ali says…
      10/14/2010

      Hi Elizabeth - yes, you can do that. Select the color you want and then use the Paintbucket tool to drop color into that area.

    2. Elizabeth H. says…
      10/14/2010

      I thought so, but thought I'd check as well. Thanks!

  6. LynneH in MO says…
    10/14/2010

    I love the overlays! This year's album is a very simple, elegant concept and was just what I needed. I resized my overlays to 5.25x7" so that I could get 2 on each 8.5x11" sheet.

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Ali says…
      10/14/2010

      Great tip Lynne!

    2. Brenda says…
      10/15/2010

      I had the same thought, was that easy to do? I am a novice at photo shop elements.

  7. Stephanie Kennedy says…
    10/14/2010

    This year's standard 6x8 format is wonderful! In the past when I've wanted to do DD, the fact that your examples use different sized pages always stopped me cold. It looks incredible the way you mix and match, but my brain just will *not* wrap around that concept for this particular project. LOL

    When I saw your concept this year with the overlays and the cover and the standard size, I knew I could do it. It's so easy to assemble it all ahead of time! Thanks for sharing your time and talent! And for the link to the font site...wow, I forsee a lot of my discressionary "allowance" going to those people, lol!!

    Cheers,

    Steph

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. lee says…
    10/14/2010

    I am very excited about the daily page templates you've designed - what a great and simple foundation to build from! I'm looking forward to printing and working with these, and as a few others have said, I appreciate the PDF option being available (for those of us who still haven't ventured into the Photoshop world).

    Thanks for the inspiration!! =)

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. lindsey says…
    10/14/2010

    I love your step by step videos. I watch it, stop, and try it on my own photo along with you. Thank you so much for taking the time to educate!

    Question: Your photo was nicely composed where you only cropped out from the left and right, if I want to crop from top and bottom as well should I do that before or after cropping it to the 6x8 size? Not sure if my question is clear.

    Thanks again for your amazing inspiration and education!

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. Rebekah Pontow says…
    10/15/2010

    *sigh* I have yet to venture very far into the dehi world of scrapbooking. I use my printer to print my journaling and sometimes make a cute little template around the journaling in Word. I have little time to work on learning this stuff and scrap during nap times and after bed times. I'm afraid to even start!

    I love the template and would love to use it - any tips, or helpful words to get me started?

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      10/15/2010

      Hi Rebekah - the PDF file is really simple to use. Just open and print on cardstock just like you were printing out your journaling. That's really all there is to it - no need to fear!

  11. Christmas Clipart - Home Schools Scrapbooking Vintage Victorian Modern Christmas Graphics Royalty Free says…
    10/15/2010

    [...] | How to create your own professional mini site designs in just minutes.  Related Links:December Daily 2010 | Working With The 68 Printable Overlays (+ ...Why I Switched to SmugMug for Photo [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. Rosanne K says…
    10/15/2010

    Hopefully, these are quick questions. I have 2 questions about the size 6x8 (which I absolutely love). 1) Using a 12x12 sheet of cardstock, you can get 2 6x8 pages out of it...how can I do this while using my printer and the PDF file? I can feed a 6x12 sheet through, but how do I resize the pdf so it doesn't mess up the sizing...I know, beginner question. 2) I am super new to PSE8, just scraping the surface...I need to print pics at like Costco...they don't print a 6x8 or 5.5x6.25...I would like to be able to make a print...say 8x12, with a bunch of my pics the right size...could you point me in the right direction?
    Thanks for all the info on your album! I am super excited to start.

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Linn says…
    10/16/2010

    No questions, just a comment...this will be my third or fourth year doing the December daily and my books are always totally different from yours but inspired by your ideas. This year, thanks for posting about your album so early...I'm actually going to do mine just like yours this year. Transparencies and your digi overlays. Love that! Keeping it simple and streamlined for an easy Christmas season! Thanks Ali!

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Chrystie says…
    10/25/2010

    Ali, I just wanted to thank you so much for the tutorials you publish on your site. I have been pulling my hair out trying to figure out how to make the overlays and templates work from last year's December Daily and I finally had time to really dig into it last weekend. I watched your "Remember This" template tutorial and it really answered a lot of the questions I had. It was so helpful and I really appreciate it. Now I am excited to take on this year's album!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      11/01/2010

      Cool! Happy to help!

  15. Heather says…
    10/25/2010

    I have a question about printing the PNG overlays. Did you cut your paper down to 6x8 before printing? Or did you leave wider margins? I just noticed how all your margins appear to be exactly the same on each page and wondered how you did it; I'm also trying to get the most out of my 12x12 cardstock. :) (My printer does do borderless prints, by the way.) Thanks for the help - and the inspiration, as always! :)

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Ali says…
      11/01/2010

      I didn't cut them down in advance - just printed on 8.5x11 and then cut with my trimmer. To be honest I "eye-balled" it and if you were to see it in person you'd see that they aren't perfect or exact but good enough :). If you have a 12x12 printer you could print two at once. Change the canvas size of one of the png files to 12x12 (or so) and open up another png file. Using the move tool, move the new png over on to the first one and print.

    2. Heather says…
      11/01/2010

      Thank you Ali! I think I'm going to try one page each way and see what turns out best.

  16. Gerda says…
    10/30/2010

    Hallo,
    can I change the days to German.
    Sunday= Sonntag

    Gerda

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Stephanie says…
    11/01/2010

    HI there! I am so excited to try this! I am a beginner and was wondering how do you get the overlays to print out in color? What program do I use and so forth? Do you have a tutorial?
    Thanks so much!!
    Stephanie

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      11/01/2010

      Hi Stephanie - I've got a video tutorial to help you through that here: http://aliedwards.com/2010/01/scrapbooking-with-your-computer-opening-recoloring-adding-to-a-photo-loading-brushes.html

      Here's a page with a bunch of links for getting started: http://aliedwards.com/2010/01/getting-started-digital-scrapbooking.html

  18. Allison says…
    11/02/2010

    I have a question about modifying the DD overlays for other uses. I'm looking to put together a family journal next year, and am not sure if I should buy or make one. I like the '365' concept and am wondering, can I use these templates but add more daily numbers (ie. in the numbers box: day 248,for example)?

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Sandy says…
    11/11/2010

    You are really tempting me to do this you make it look easy. But I just don't think I have enough stuff in my life going on to find 25 different pics in a row. You know I am a stay at home housewife kids are gone so its just me most of the time. Anyway I may try it and have a whole lot of blank pages. I did one last year with Papperclipping and never filled it up.
    And I really liked your video I have PSE but hardly use it.

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. Christina says…
    11/15/2010

    Is there a way to resize the overlays just slightly smaller, say to 5x7? I'm planning to use a book that size and I think I'd cut off some part of the border and it won't look the same as the original overlay. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Sandy says…
    11/28/2010

    Well here I am again, I just printed out the overlays I decided to take the plunge and give it a try.....so what if I have a few blank pages...but I am going to try and fill them.
    Love your video's I mainly use my PSE for pic storage hopefully I'll learn how to use it.
    Thanks.

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. December Daily 2010 | 6×8 Title Page Free Download | Ali Edwards says…
    12/01/2010

    [...] If you need additional information on working with this file please go here: Working With The 6×8 Printable Overlays [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. SandraL says…
    12/04/2010

    Just purchased the overlays and am try to change color in Word but its not working. Followed your example but only the outer line changes color. Help...using Microsoft Word 2007. Thanks

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. New Digital Product Releases | 10.22.11 | Ali Edwards says…
    10/23/2011

    [...] you’d like more information on how I worked with these last year check out this post which includes a video tutorial and steps for working with these printables in both Elements and [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. December Daily 2011 | The Foundation Pages, Part One | Ali Edwards says…
    11/05/2011

    [...] The 2011 December Daily Overlay Package includes 31 individual PNG files (dates and days of the week are customized for 2011), and print-ready PDF files in both black and red. As you can see above I’m using the red file this year. The PDF files include crop marks to show you right where to trim after printing. I printed my pages on Bazzill White 8.5×11 cardstock. These pages are 6 inches x 8.5 inches tall – sized to fit the album included with the kit from Studio Calico. I did a video tutorial on working with these overlays last year – the same steps still apply: Working With The December Daily Printable Overlays [...]

    Reply 0 Replies

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