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Frequently
Asked Questions
1.
How soon will I be able to download the e-book and bonus materials?
Can I get it on CD?
2. How do I pay for Secrets
of the Designers™?
3. Do you offer any sort of guarantee?
4. What are the advantages to scrapping digitally?
5. Am I allowed to print the e-book or save a backup
of the files?
6. Will Secrets of the Designers™ ever
be available in print?
7. What is included in the graphics package that comes
with Secrets of the Designers? How am I allowed to use them?
8. How is Secrets of the Designers™ different
from other digital scrapbooking books/training already on the market?
9. What software does Secrets of the Designers™ train with?
Which versions?
10. I don’t own the software you cover. Will
this book still be useful?
11. When purchasing Secrets of the Designers™,
is the website secure?
12. Do I need special software to read Secrets
of the Designers™?
13. How do I unzip the files?
14. Does digitally created paper print out as well
as paper I buy at the store?
15. Does your book show how to combine digital with
traditional scrapbooking?
16. What level of ability does this book teach?
17. I am really new (and somewhat awkward) with
computers. Can your system still help me?
Have
we answered your question? If not, click here
and send us an email. We're committed to getting you the answers you
need.
Answers
1. How
soon will I be able to download the e-book and bonus materials? Can
I get it on CD?
Secrets of the
Designers™ will be available immediately after purchase. You
will be given a link to download the product. This is a large .zip file
(272 MB), so you will need a high-speed Internet connection (such as
Cable or DSL) to download.
Your satisfaction
is our commitment. If you have any questions or concerns, or if your
download doesn't work properly, please email us by
clicking here.
Secrets
of the Designers™
is also currently available on CD. To order, click on the Purchase button
and choose the CD option.[Top of Page]
2. How do I
pay for Secrets of the Designers™?
You can order with any major credit card, with an e-check, or with
your Paypal account. All orders go through Paypal, but you do not need
a Paypal account to order. You can also order with a cashier's check
or money order by clicking here.
[Top
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3. Do you offer
any sort of guarantee?
We are excited to offer Secrets of the Designers™ and
are confident you will find it full of useful tips and techniques, as
well as great layout ideas. If for whatever reason you are not 100%
fully satisfied, simply contact us within 30 days of the date of purchase.
If you return the product, we ask that you remove the ebook and bonus
materials from your computer and return your CD (if applicable). Please
note that refunds may take up to 6 weeks to process. [Top
of Page]
4. What are
the advantages to scrapping digitally?
There are so many reason why I love digital scrapbooking. Here are some
of my favorites.
• Convenience. For many of us, we use digital cameras
almost exclusively. Since the images are digital to begin with (or
easily scanned in), it easy to open them and use them to create layouts.
• Flexibility. You never run out of products. Papers and
elements can be easily resized and recolored to meet your needs. You
can even design your own papers and elements.
• Control. It’s easier to make changes and you won’t
ruin photos or elements. You just delete the layer and start over
or click Undo. Plus I can do a lot of cool things to my images
on the computer.
• Less Mess. This was one of the biggest reasons I didn’t
get into paper scrapbooking as much as I would have liked. It just
seemed like too big a hassle to pull out everything. With the computer,
there is no mess and I can easily leave a layout and come back to
it without kids getting into it.
• Connecting. Digital is an easier way to connect to loved
ones. It’s simple to email layouts or upload them to a blog or
website. It’s also convenient to make an inexpensive DVD or CD
for a present. Digital layouts also make great screensavers.
• Less Expensive. Digital products provide a lot of value
for the money. When you buy traditional scrapbooking papers and elements,
you get to use them once. With digital, you get to reuse them over
and over, as many times as you want. [Top of Page]
5. Am I allowed
to print the e-book or save a backup of the files?
Yes, you may print Secrets of the Designers™ and make
one backup of the files for your personal use only. Please do not print
out copies for or share CDs with family and friends, although you may
print out portions for personal craft projects, which are not for resale.
This product is copyrighted and may not be distributed in any way without
written consent from the author. You can contact her by clicking
here. [Top of Page]
6. Will Secrets
of the Designers™ ever
be available in print?
I chose an electronic format for a few reasons. The ability to instantly
download the product is a very attractive option. Another reason is
that it makes updating and/or creating new versions more manageable
(especially as software upgrades). Finally, since you will be doing
most of your digital designing at the computer, it makes sense to be
able to open your training at the computer. Keep in mind (as mentioned
perviously), you can print out all or portions of Secrets of the
Designers for your personal use if that's what you prefer. At this
time, I do not foresee printing this book, but it may be a possibility
in the future. [Top of Page]
7. What is included
in the bonus graphics package that comes with Secrets of the Designers™?
How am I allowed to use them?
The graphics package includes some of my best kits, paper packs, overlays,
templates, stamps, elements, and more. It’s worth $65, but yours
free when you buy Secrets of the Designers. To see what's included,
click here.
You may use these elements and papers (along with the free gifts on
the website) in your layouts to be submitted to Scrapbooking and/or
related magazines for publication or online galleries as long as proper
credit to Sarah Benson of www.secretsofthedesigners.com is given and
a link to www.secretsofthedesigners.com wherever appropriate. You may
not use them for commercial projects (to make a profit) or sell any
of these graphics. Keep in mind you agree to these terms when you download
products or buy Secrets of the Designers. For more information
on the terms of agreement, click on the Copyright Info. file that comes
with the download. [Top of Page]
8. How is Secrets
of the Designers™ different
from other digital scrapbooking books/training already on the market?
Secrets of the Designers offers many things that you won’t
find elsewhere, at least packaged all in one, easy to find place. Secrets
of the Designers provides a foundation in graphic design principles
and techniques and shows you how to use the computer as a tool. It teaches
you my system to creating amazing scrapbooking products that cost you
nothing. The following are 6 features that distinguish Secrets of
the Designers from any other product or resource out there:
A) Professional Design Secrets. I hold nothing back on sharing
with you my graphic design secrets. I developed these by earning a degree
in graphic design and spending over 10 years in this field. You will
see my thinking behind layout and design choices, discover how I use
the computer to obtain incredible results, and understand more fully
the techniques you can use to create the scrapbooking layouts
you envision.
B) Clear Instructions. Secrets of the Designers is packed
full of easy-to-follow instructions that teach you how to achieve the
results you're looking for. I spent over a year researching what digital
scrappers want, and I also have devoted a lot of time and energy into
testing the usability of this material to ensure it works and is easy
to follow. When talking to people, I quickly saw there are three common
frustrations many have when reading other how-to books and instructions
on digital scrapbooking: missing steps in tutorials, incorrect assumptions
about the reader’s ability level, and ambiguous instructions. I've
tried to avoid these deficiencies in Secrets of the Designers.
Perhaps this is best explained in the words of one of my students, below:
“I
have used other tutorials, but I ended up lost and confused.
I wanted to quit. Then I tried this [book]. The instructions were
easy to follow and I was even able to complete a layout. Thank you!"
C) Home of the 15-Minute Layout. I don’t always spend 15 minutes
on a layout, nor do I always want to. But when time is limited or I’m
in the mood, creating a layout in about 15 minutes gives me a great
sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Completing a layout this quickly
can also help in freeing up time for both my family and my hobbies.
You too can access these tricks to drastically speed up the time you
spend on your layouts.
D) How-to and Idea Book Together. Many scrapbooking books are
either just a how-to or just an idea book. While these have their value,
Secrets of the Designers is unique in that you get the best of
both worlds: two galleries, examples and instructions throughout. The
galleries showcase what a scrapper can do with graphic design training…and
it’s just the start; there is no limit to what you can create once
you learn the techniques I share with you! The rest of the book is devoted
to teaching you how to apply the training and techniques to get fantastic
results in fashioning your own unique paper, professional layouts, cool
embellishments, and meaningful journaling.
E) Making Money with Your Designs. Would you like to make extra
money while staying at home? Having worked as a freelance graphic artist,
and typically charging $45+ an hour for my work, I share my unique background
and experiences with you to help you learn how to make money with your
designs. I can tell you from experience, I love working from home and
having my job work around my family life instead of the other way around.
(In fact, I’m in my pajamas while writing this). I also love the
flexibility to do more when I have more available time, and pull back
and do less during the more hectic times. A traditional job with a traditional
boss would probably not allow for this.
F) Complete Set of Tools to Apply These Secrets. In addition
to Secrets of the Designers ebook, you will also receive all
of the resources you need to get started in digital scrapbooking. For
instance, in addition to the e-book you also will get two bonus packs
easily worth $80 that include: 1) a graphics
package valued at $65 and 2) an Adobe Photoshop
overview valued at $15. Once you have these bonus materials and
you grasp the principles behind making them, you can literally create
millions of fresh, one-of-a-kind papers, embellishments, overlays, etc.
With the design training in this book, you'll know innovative ways to
use them. To quote an old axiom, the sky is the limit. [Top
of Page]
9. What software
does Secrets of the Designers train with? Which versions?
The tutorials and training is for both Adobe Photoshop and Elements.
They will work for the latest versions of the programs (Photoshop CS3
andElements 6), however they also work for earlier versions. The screenshots
are done in Photoshop 7 and CS2 and in Elements 5 and 6.
10. I don’t
own the software you cover in the book. Will it still be useful?
While Secrets of the Designers™ was specifically written
with Adobe Photoshop and Elements in mind, it is focused on techniques
and systems I learned over 10 years working as a graphic artist and
a digital scrapbooker. There is information here that any scrapbooker
can use, whether working 100% digitally, hybrid or traditionally. I
am confident you will find it very useful.
Also, the free
gifts and bonus files that come with the ebook alone are worth more
than double the price of the book. To make it easier for you, I have
saved all of the graphic materials as .jpg, and .png files, which can
be used in every major image-editing software I am aware of. The only
exception is the templates, which are layered PSD files which can be
used in some of the other image-editing programs.
If you use another
program, you may not be able to follow some of the tutorials included
in the book exactly, but you likely will be able to adapt the instructions
to your own program. At the very least you will be able to better understand
how digital designers create products and layouts. There are sections
on using type in layouts, journaling ideas, and how to apply art principles
and elements to your scrapbooking layouts that are not software specific.
So there still is a lot of value here even if you don’t use one
of these programs.
Keep in mind you can also download free 30-day trials of each of them
to try them out. Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements are available
at www.adobe.com.
I am in no way affiliated with Adobe, they simply make great products
that the professionals prefer and are a pleasure to use. [Top
of Page]
11. When purchasing
Secrets of the Designers™,
is the website secure?
Your shopping cart transaction is protected by SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
technology and is secure. All credit card and debit card transactions
are handled through Paypal, a reputable company. You can order with
all major credit cards or by e-check. You can use your Paypal account,
but you do not need a Paypal account to order.
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12. Do I need
special software to read Secrets of the Designers™?
The e-book is a PDF file that is viewed using Adobe Reader. If you don't
already have it, you can download a free version by visiting www.adobe.com.
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13. How do I
unzip the files?
As your ebook and graphics files are so large, you will download them
as zipped (or compressed) files. To unzip the files in Windows ME, XP
or Vista, or Apple OS X, simply double-click on the zip file or folder.
Sometimes your OS will automatically unzip a file for you (my computer
is set up to do that). If your OS doesn't come with a program to unzip
your files, you can download some. For PC users, I recommend WinZip.
You can download a free evaluation version at http://www.winzip.com/ddchomea.htm.
Mac users can download a program at http://www.stuffit.com/
to unzip files.
14. Does digitally
created paper print out as well as paper I buy at the store?
It depends. Mine usually does, and if you follow the advice I give in
the book then yours should too. A lot has to do with creating the paper
with the correct dpi and dimensions, as well as using the right printer
paper and a decent printer (also learning how to make color adjustments—please
see Chapter 2 for more information). With that said, scrapbooking paper
companies first create their papers electronically, then print from
electronic files. In Secrets of the Designers, I teach you how,
among many other things, to create your own fun, unique paper that no
one else has! [Top of Page]
15. Does your
book show how to combine digital with traditional scrapbooking?
Absolutely! My ebook is not specifically a hybrid book, and I create
pretty much all of my layouts 100% digitally, but you can certainly
adapt this book for your hybrid needs. For example, you can use the
image-editing techniques and then print them out for your traditional
layouts. You can print out journal blocks and titles (like so many popular
scrappers do). You can use a real ribbon instead of a digital ribbon.
You can design your own papers and use them in conjunction with your
favorite scrapbooking company's papers (I've seen Jessica Sprague and
other hybrid scrappers do this). I have a whole chapter dedicated to
designing digital elements, including tags and frames. These could easily
be created and printed for your traditional layouts and paper projects.
You often get the best results by combining the two mediums. The great
thing about Secrets of the Designers is that you learn how to
do what works for YOU! [Top of Page]
16. What level
of ability does this book teach?
This book is primarily written for scrappers with a beginner to
intermediate level of ability with image-editing software. It is designed
to give you everything you need to get started or seriously progress
on your design journey. It does require a basic working knowledge of
your software. If you are trained in design or have used Photoshop extensively,
you may already be aware of what I teach in this book. [Top
of Page]
17. I am really
new (and somewhat awkward) with computers. Can your system still help
me?
I recently sat down with my sister-in-law and taught her some of my
techniques. She'd be the first to admit she isn’t the most computer-savvy
girl out there. The truth is, she had never used any image-editing software
at all! Still, in a matter of 20-30 minutes, she had created her very
own papers that were gorgeous enough that I would have bought them!
Seriously. Doesn't she rock? You can see them below.
By the way, she
used some of the overlays and stamps included in the Secrets of the
Designers™ bonus graphics package to create these papers, including
the Playful Flowers stamps and Scratched Overlay. I would love to see
what you come up with!
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