How to make Keepster Books

Getting started making a Keepster Book

In the Keepster app, Keepster Books are “projects”. You can start a project and save it as you make progress. You can also step back into your project to make a change or to edit a selection, if needed.

There are a few ways to get started making your Keepster Book. The first and quickest way to start making a book is from the Keepsters tab on the home screen. Simply click the “+ projects” link to the right of the folder name to jump right into the process.

The other way to get started making a book is to open the keepster folder and go to the “My Projects” tab.

MY PROJECTS TAB

The My Projects tab is where you will find all the projects that you've created based on that particular Keepster folder.  You can have multiple projects based on a single folder.  This means you can personalize your Keepster Book cover, title, and dedication to make several versions of the book ... but, use the same saved messages as the content of your book. 

If you haven’t created a Keepster Book, you won’t see any projects in your folder.  To get started with your first project click the Create a New Keepster book button. 

If you do have projects saved in your folder, you will see them listed on the My Project tab along with buttons to resume working on your project or move forward with ordering.

How to make Keepster Books Step-by-Step Guide

STEP 1:  CHOOSE YOUR COVER COLOR

The first step in personalizing your Keepster Book is to choose the cover color, pattern or design.  The font color is preselected for each cover option.  You do not have the option to change the font color.

Note:  We update the cover colors and patterns throughout the year for seasonality or holidays. 

Once you have made your cover selection, click Next to proceed with personalizing your book.

STEP 2:  CHOOSE YOUR COVER LAYOUT

There are 2 options for the layout of your cover:  Text Only or Text + Picture.  You must pick one of the layout options to continue with the Book project.  

If you choose Text + Picture, you can either drag & drop your picture on top of the placeholder example image or you can click the “Add Picture” button to browse and find the image you wish to use.  Once properly uploaded, you will see a preview of your image in place of the example.

We recommend using a square image for your book cover.  Ideally with the following specs:

• JPG, PNG or JPEG format
• less than 5 MB file size
• 600 x 600 pixels
• 300 dpi

Once you have made your cover selection, click Next. to proceed to the title page.

STEP 3:  PERSONALIZE YOUR TITLE PAGE & WRITE A DEDICATION

This is where you can really add your personal touch - by choosing a great title and writing a special dedication for your book.  The title will appear both on the cover and on page 1 of your book.  The dedication will follow on a page of its own, on page 3, if you choose to write one. Emojis can be included in both the title and dedication if you choose.

The book's title has a 55-character limit.  We have provided a little counter to show you how many characters are remaining.  Also, the title is formatted to be ALL CAPS.

The book’s dedication can be longer with a 750-character limit.  Again there is a counter to show you how many characters are remaining as you write your dedication.  The formatting for the dedication is not restricted to all caps.  

We have tried to make the boxes approximate how the title and dedication page will look when printed, but you will get to see it more accurately in the book Preview. 

On the title page you also have the opportunity to edit the names of your listed authors of the messages.  Simply click the pencil icon to open a screen where you can make your changes.  This is useful if you want to update a contact name with a nickname, like Grammy or Grampa.

Once you have written your title & dedication, click Next to proceed.

STEP 4:  PERSONALIZE THE FONT FOR YOUR MESSAGES

Another personal touch you can add to your Keepster Book is to choose a font that best works for your messages.  We provide for 3 different choices that can really change the look of your book.  Simply choose the option that looks best to you and continue.  

Don't worry, when you get to the end of the process you can preview your book to see how the font will look.  If you don't quite like the look, you can come back and change to another font.  

STEP 5:  PERSONALIZE DATE & TIMESTAMP

Each of the messages printed in your book is marked with the date/time it was sent, based on the data from your iPhone.  However, sometimes the recipient of the book may live in a different time zone from you, and consequently received messages at a different time.  So, to truly make the book personal to the recipient, this is the screen where you can select their time zone.  Keepster will then adjust the date/time stamp to make the messages in the book match what is on their phone.  

This is particularly useful if some messages are particularly time-sensitive or special because of the moment they were sent.  For example, it might be important in the case of announcing when a new member of the family was born.  

By default, Keepster will detect the time zone of the computer you are using, but you can choose the time zone you wish by simply using the dropdown menu.   

Once you have made your selection, click Next to proceed and see a preview of your project.

STEP 6:  PREVIEW YOUR BOOK

The Preview screen is your opportunity to look over every page of your book to make sure it's just the way you want it.  This is where you get to review your selected cover, title and dedication pages, plus all the messages that will appear on the interior pages of your book.

Use the left & right arrows below the preview to choose the page you wish to preview.  This is also where you will see the total page count for your book.

If there is something you wish to adjust on the title or dedication page, simply click the Edit button to exit the preview and go back to make changes.  

If you would like to add or remove messages from your book, you will need to return to the Keepster folder, from which the book originated, and make the changes there. If you need help with how to edit Keepster folders please refer to our blog post.

If you like how things look, but aren’t quite ready to order your book ... you can click the Save button.  This will close the project until you are ready to return to it. You can then return to the project at a later time by clicking on the My Projects tab in the Keepster folder.

Please take advantage of the opportunity to Preview your book. Once an order is placed, it cannot be canceled or adjusted and Keepster cannot be held responsible for any user errors. 

If everything looks perfect and you are ready, click the Continue button.  

STEP 7:  CHOOSE YOUR BINDING

In this step, you need to decide what binding for want for your Book.  If your book is less than 32 pages, Saddle stitch is the only binding option.  If your book is over 32 pages, you can pick from either the soft or hardcover options.  Also, you can order a digital add-on to get a PDF version of your professionally printed book.

If you decide that you don't want a printed book, you can order a digital-only version by toggling off the printed options.  You will see that only Digital Book is available.  The digital-only Keepster book is a PDF that will look just like the printed book, but it's an eBook!  Plus, you will be able to download it right away from the confirmation screen or anytime from your Orders.  

STEP 1:  ADD THE SHIPPING ADDRESS

Click the “Edit” link to enter the address where you would like the Keepster Book to be shipped.  You can also select from stored addresses in your address book. 

We are only able to ship to 1 address per order.  So, if you want to send a copy of your book to multiple destinations, you will need to reorder for each address
 

STEP 2:  PAYMENT, SHIPPING OPTIONS & PROMO CODES

On the final step of the Book order process, there are a few things to do before you are able to place your order.  

First, add or confirm that your preferred payment method is used on the order.  By default, we will use your saved payment method.

After the payment method, review the shipping options and choose the best option for your needs.  There are options if you need to get your books delivered quickly.  

Finally, if you have a promo or discount code, this is where you enter and apply the code.  If properly applied, you will see the discount applied in the cost summary.  

If everything looks correct, simply confirm you agree with the terms and click PLACE ORDER.  You will then see a confirmation screen and will receive a confirmation email.  You will also receive a follow-up email with tracking information once your book has been printed and picked up for delivery. 

If you purchased a PDF, you will be able to download it from this screen too.  Be patient, it might take a few minutes for your PDF to be processed and made available.