Monday, January 04, 2010

Printing a Blog

Alright, if you have experience in this NOW is the time to step forward. LOL

When I began blogging, I would write each post in word, add the photos, make it pretty, check the grammar and then copy the text to blogger and add the photos via blogger. I did this so we'd have a printed back up of our Family Journal. It was cumbersome. I quit doing this. The photos were especially cumbersome. It took more time than I had for blogging. I went to composing on blogger and adding photo links. I decided capturing the day for family was more important than making it pretty - at least during THIS season of life. That has been a good choice for me as it removed the pressure to have a "polished blog" and affirmed the decision to create a "family journal".

Mike would like the blog printed. I know it seems inconceivable that blogger would go out of business, or have a crash and lose all the blogs...but honestly....4 1/2 years of family history would be heartbreaking to lose. I do NOT want to copy and paste each entry to a Word or PDF file to print.....

I have been researching blog2print - but I repeatedly get a Server 500 error when I try to use the service. Their response is "be sure you are typing your URL correctly" - I'm pasting it. I've also heard things that concern me on their Facebook page. Every company will have some problems with their product, it will be how they resolve those problems that matter. I understand. However, many are mentioning that the captions don't match their photos or comments or posts are missing from their finished product. I'm sure they're making good on these problems, but I'd rather not have the problems to begin with being over here. Also, blog 2 print only lets you select a date range. I can't pick and choose within that range. I don't want to delete posts I don't want in a book and neither do I want to spend hours re-dating those posts. Example: Product reviews, book reviews....I don't really WANT them in a family journal but I do want to keep them handy in a blog archive for when I WANT them.

I've googled and will continue to google for ideas. If any of you have experience or have done your own research, please share links.

Maybe I should have continued composing in Word. ::snort::

Here are some things I've found:

I shudder to think of the hours to turn each post into a PDF file to load to Lulu etc....but if I'm going to PAY big BUCKS to print the blog, I don't want lots of white space, I want captions to match photos, I want a bit of control over which posts are printed etc.

Add the feature to print each post with this code (didn't work well for me ::snort::) It sounds very simple to do. I couldn't find the exact line of code for the second step. If you do, please tell me about where it is...1/2 way down etc....

Blurb seems to have a lot of features. The tutorial seems to be saying I could pick and choose exact posts to print and edit as well. I may have to give this one a whirl. I could also leave the copies there for others to buy if they want (thinking family here not general public)! ::snort:: I'm downloading booksmart as I type...I can think of a lot of fun books to make. LOL

Printmyblog.com shows up on a lot of searches but the links all seem to be dead. Let me know if you find a good link for them. ::smile:: Many of the links are over 5 years old.

Scrapbookblogger.com - turn your blog into a scrapbook

This post is to assure myself that I did not waste this cold, snowy, icy day....Mike has repeatedly asked me to figure out how to print the blog...and I'm researching. Maybe a reader will benefit from the research or have the perfect new site for me to check out. Now I can go to dinner and an onsen with a clear conscience....and the family have a yummy smelling roast and veggies waiting.

Ideas?

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

16 comments:

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

Hey - why are my font colors changed? ::snort::

Ronnica said...

Julie (zachandjules.blogspot.com) prints her blog each year. Don't know how she does it, but I'm sure she could answer your questions!

Michelle said...

Sorry, no recommendations here. I'll be watching to see what recommendations you get. I'd like to print my blog as well.

Herd Momma said...

Ok. Cutest Blog on the Block. I clicked on the header that says print your blog and start fresh. It was so easy. Now I don't mind having the whole thing printed. I don't need to pick and choose. I had it print 8/2007 til 12/2008 and the total would be 100.35. So that's my draw back from getting it printed right now.

Cynthia said...

One concern I have about any of the slurping programs is the quality of the printed picture. Since blogger, photobucket, etc resize photos for saving space, won't that make for a printed photo that won't be as good a quality as it would be if printed at the regular pre-blogging size?

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Tell your older kids it's what you want for your anniversary.

Problem solved :0)

Julie

Nichole "Nikki" Warren said...

Why don't you just export your blog and save it on your computer, then transfer it to disk? Then you have it all on disk. I mean does it absolutely have to be on paper?? On your setting tab for this blog. You will see the words "export blog".

That's how you get it onto your hard drive on to your computer. Then from there you can save it to disk. I know that's how you can save it. I'm NOT sure on the printing thing though!

Linda said...

Can't wait until you figure this all out, DeEtta, and I can steal all your hard work! :)

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

Amy - Cutest Blog uses Blog2Print...and all I get is a Server Error when I try to use them. ::sigh:: Also, preview very carefully - many are noting that captions don't match photos, and some post and/or comments are missing.....

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

Thanks, Julie, I'll check.

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

Cindy - this has been one of my questions as well. Maybe I'll go back to blog2print's FB and ask that question.

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

SAHMinIL - I've not been able to figure out if you can print it from the saved copy.....and yes, Mike wants it in print.....because discs, computers can be corrupted...and ours have been; we've been victims of crashed computers many times.....so the thought is "blogger, harddrive, print". LOL

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

Linda - YOUR dh is a computer whiz....set him on this, will ya? ::snort::

Nichole "Nikki" Warren said...

nope the printing from an exported blog will not work...I just took a closer look at it. Sorry!

Windy said...

Hi De'Etta--I just tried clicking on thecutestblogontheblock website and the option to print my blog came up without a servor error. I wonder if you're firewall is preventing you from opening the site?

bertrand said...

Hi there

Did you try www.joliprint.com ?

It's free and has a special code snippet for Blogger : http://joliprint.com/get-the-button/?type=blogger

[Disclaimer : I'm part of the Joliprint Team]

Hope it'll welp