A graphics program like ( Macworld rated 4 out of 5 mice ) makes creating a digital scrapbook page fairly simple. Your page can include a colorful background, engaging photos, text entries, and embellishments—those extras like ribbons and tags and buttons that add personality to your pages—each on separate layers you can manipulate independently. (For this example, I’m using Photoshop CS4, but you can easily accomplish these tasks in earlier versions of Photoshop, ( Macworld rated 4.5 out of 5 mice ), or another graphics program that supports layers.)

The following tips offer some guidelines for creating a page you plan to print:

Starting with the end in mind is always a good idea—but it’s even more important when you’re preparing your pages for print. From the beginning, think about the colors you plan to use—on the page background, in your headings and captions, and in the photos themselves. Will you have enough contrast? Is your page background filled with a dark pattern? In print, the pattern may overwhelm the images on the page. Consider the limits of your particular printer. Is borderless printing an option for you? Make sure your printer can print all the way to the edge of the page, if that’s part of your design.