Note:
With Printess’s Magic Photobook customers can effortlessly create their own personalized photo book with just a few clicks. By integrating powerful features like Layout Snippets and Splitter Grids with AI technology, we offer a completely new user experience that transforms how your customers engage with your product!
You can set up your target Template with or without a Cover. Here we describe the more complex way including a Cover with a dynamic Spine - which automatically scales based on the number of pages.
Such a Template including two Documents. One Document for the Cover and a second one for the Inner Pages.
Set up a Document to call it Inner Pages and define a page size. You now have to set up the following Book features at the Buyer Side Tab of the Inner Pages Document at the Features Panel:
Book Inside Pages: Enables the option to define the inner pages and the cover page in two different Documents and to add spreads at the Buyer Side
Buyer can add Spreads/ Pages You have to activate the option that the Buyer can add Spreads to the Document. And you have to define the number of Spreads which could be added.
Define a Minimum and Maximum number of Spreads the Buyer can add. The maximum number of Spreads which could be added influences the maximum number of pages of your photo book. In this example the maximum number of pages for the photo book is limited to 26. So if you would like to allow more pages you would have to increase the maximum number of Spreads which could be added.
Learn more about Cover Page & Spine
Now add a second Document to your Printess Template to name it Cover. Go to the Document Settings of this Document to press the “Books” icon. Now this Document automatically becomes a Cover with Spine. It’s page size is controlled by the Inner Pages Document.
To make your Template a Magic Photobook you need to activate this feature at the Images Tab of the Buyer View Appearance Settings.
Learn more about the Photobook Settings
Here you can assign your own Tags of your own “basic” Layout Snippets or you can use the default Printess Layout Snippets “printess-book-universal” which are already assigned.
These Layout Snippets are used to create the initial Layouts for any Photo Book after the Buyer has uploaded the images.
Layout Libraries are Printess Templates which includes many different Documents. Each single one will be published to become Layout Snippets. Before publishing you have to define so called Tags and Keywords for any Layout Snippets.
Learn more about Layout Snippets
In your target Document you can then assign different Keywords for the different pages and spreads. To make it easier for you to get the concept we recommend dedicated Keywords here but you can of course define your own.
To support the full magic of the Magic Photobook you should use Splitter Grids in some of your Layout Snippets. Only then Printess can automatically split the image frames of a Layout Snippet to increase the number of images being placed on it.
You can use the “printess-book-universal” Tag and you can create your own Layout Snippets with the keyword basic.
Learn more about Splitter Grids
To make the Layout Snippets work in the Magic Photobook it is extremely important to set them up in the right way!
The options extreme portrait and extreme landscape should be handled with care. Often the layout does not look good.
If you are setting up a Layout Library to be used in the Magic Photobook you should use dedicated Keywords for the Layout Snippets. Later you can assign the different Layout Snippets with their different Keywords to the different pages and spreads of your Magic Photobook.
Use the Keyword basic for Layout Snippets which includes image frames only.
These are the most versatile Layout Snippets. They do not include any graphic elements and so they could be used all across your different design Templates. Because of including image frames only they are tailor made to be set up using Splitter Grids. In general you are fine to just use the “printess-book-universal”.
Learn more about the Background Tab here
If you are working with Cover and Inner Pages you have to define dedicated Layout Snippets for the Cover.
To set up a Layout Snippet for the Cover you have to add a Document with Inner Pages to your Layout Library. It won’t be used later but only then you can also define a Document with Cover and Spine to make it a Cover Layout Snippet.
So add a Document to your Layout Library to call it “inner-pages”. Go to the Buyer Side Settings Tab of that Inner Pages Document. You find it at the Features Panel. Activate the option Book Inside Pages.
Now add a second Document to your Layout Library to call it “cover”. Go to the Document Settings at the Features Panel to click on the Books Icon.
This Icon is only available if your Template includes a Document where Book Inside Pages is activated. As soon as you click on that icon your Cover Document will change its format to show you the Spine.
Use the Keyword cover for the Layout Snippet of the Cover.
The Cover Layout Snippet got some restrictions:
To let the design of the Spine area move and grow with it you have to use dedicated “cover-variables” instead of fixed values for the positioning. The final bleed could be defined in the target Template like usual in mm, cm or inch.
Therefore there are special helpers defined for the horizontal positioning of any frame. Click on the small triangle next to positioning option “left” or “right” - depending on your defined focal point of the frame.
Now choose “cover” to select one of the options for the positioning of the Spine.
Make sure that all frames of the Spine design are grouped. Select them all and press “cmd + g” or “ctrl + g”
Define the Position top-left
Define the Docking left, top and bottom
Define Left with “=spine.left” to positioning the left edge of the group frame to the left edge of the Spine
Set Top and Bottom to “-2%” if you are working with a Bleed. It ensures that the group frame will always expand into the Bleed.
Define the Width with “=spine.width” to match the width of the frame group to the width of the Spine.
As a result the frame will be placed at the Spine and will change it’s width with the Spine.
Also the design of the Cover has to move if the Spine is growing. The Front Cover got always the orientation from the right edge of the spread, the Back Side always from the left. For the positioning of each frame you have to use dedicated helpers too. For the Front and the Back Side of have different helpers available. Click on the small triangle next to positioning option “left” or “right” - depending on your defined focal point of the frame.
Now choose “cover” to select one of the options for the positioning of the frame.
Define the Position top-left
Define the Docking left, top and right
Choose the right helper to place a frame at the left, the right or the center of the page.
This example shows a centered placement of the image frame on the Front Cover. The vertical placement and the height and width is defined in %.
The image frame for the Back Side Cover is defined in the same way.
But you can also combine these helpers with values in mm, cm etc. For example you can place the image frame on the Back Side 2cm from the right edge of the page. Therefore choose the option “Back Page Right” and add “-2cm” to this helper “=spine.backR” in the input field “left”.
For the first and the last page of your Magic Photobook you should define dedicated Keywords. Because they got a different Aspect Ratio than the Layout Snippets for the spreads. And they may also differ in content.
Use the Keyword first-page for Layout Snippets which should be used for the first page when you are working with a single Document Template. .
Use the Keyword last-page for Layout Snippets which should be used for the last page of your Document.
Use the Keyword single-page for Layout Snippets which should be used for the first AND the last page of your Document.
After you have designed all these different Layout Snippets you have publish them.
Therefore you have to:
Switch the Template Type to Layout Lib
Assign the same Tag to each Layout Snippet
Publish all Layout Snippets
Learn how to publish Layout Snippets
Congratulations! You have created your first Magic Photobook!
Now you only have to assign the published Layout Librarys to your Magic Photobook …
If you like to assign different Layout Snippets to the different pages and spreads of your Magic Photobook you first have to set up a Keyword Menu. If you are using the default Printess Layout Snippets with the Tags “printess-book-universal” you can use the Printess Keyword Menus “printess-universal-photobook-covers” for the Cover - and “printess-universal-photobook” for the Inner Pages Document.
Learn more about the Keyword Menu.
For each single page and spread of your Magic Photobook go to the Layout Tab to:
Learn more about Layout Snippets here
The Layout Snippets for the backgrounds will not be assigned here. You have to assign them at the Buyer Side Settings Tab of your Printess Template. Activate the option “Background Tab” to assign Layout Snippets and a Keyword Menu.
