Calendar Templates: Defining your time

tem•plate: A pattern or gauge, such as a thin metal plate with a cut pattern, used as a guide in making something accurately.

Wow. I made my first calendar pages this week. At first thought it was going to be cool to show you how you can drop in 12 x 12 pages or Page Prints you've already done into the calendar templates. However, that doesn't even begin to scratch at the surface of what you can do with the new calendar templates.

You can:
• import completed pages as photos and just drag and drop (or, you can copy/paste from another SBC+ file if you still have items you want to change)
• start from scratch and create something new
• make any photo or paper the background of the calendar
• change the calendar style
• change any month to a new month (switch January to July without starting over)
• change the color of anything in the calendar, change the fonts
• add photos, embellishments or text to any cell on the calendar

I discovered all kinds of versatility within the template. Check out the screen shots below to see some of the great things you can do with calendars.

cal•en•dar tem•plates: a starting point, a guide to making your calendars just the way you want.

Insert your already completed pages

1. If you haven't already, save your pages as 300 dpi jpgs. From your calendar project, click on Get Photos. Import pages you want to use as photos.

2. Drag and drop on to calendar template. Size to fit the upper portion of the template.

Change the style of the calendars & adding a photo as your background

1. It doesn't get much easier than this. Right click on the calendar grid to see the pop up menu. Go to "Use a different Calendar Style", choose your favorite from the pop up window.

2. Adding the photo as a background is amazingly simple too. From the content menu, choose your photo, right click and choose "Make background". That's it. (You can do this with paper too!)

3. Just like any StoryBook page you create, you can add any embellishments or type you like.

Personalize the calendar grid

1. Right click the calendar grid, choose "properties" from the pop up menu. From this menu, you can change colors, fonts, spacing and more as it applies to the calendar grid. (see screen shot below)

Cells within the calendar

 

1. Drag and drop an image or an element into any cell within the calendar. Or, right click the calendar grid and choose "Edit Calendar Cells" to add text or make other changes to the individual days of the month.

When you're all done creating your own unique and fabulous calendar grid, you can sample the grid and apply the same features to any other grid in your project.

Find more great tips & videos in the Help Zone.

Comments

[Lisa Chase]

I just got my calendars and am so impressed! They look even better than what I thought. I have been showing my customers and they love it, especially the idea of putting the pages into an album after the month is over. These along with a picfolio album would make such a great Christmas gift. They were so easy to create and get uploaded, only wish I would have seen that I could change the start month of the calendar. Our last calendar ended in February, but atleast I can let others know who may want to start their 2011 calendars now or order one mid year.

[Nancy Swanner]

Is there any way to use just the calender as an overlay, like 2009 had. I need to use just the calender for a 5x7 picfolio I had already designed last year for my mom? Thanks Nancy

[Kelly]

I am so frustrated! I have the calendar highlighted, right click, nothing for the cells under properties. Can't drag or drop picture even though I just downloaded the templates today (12/7). Then I realized the holidays aren't in there already - why wouldn't you put them in automatically? Every other digital company that you order calendars from does. I am ready to toss it and do snapfish.

[Christine Taylor]

I am having the same problem as Becky did. I spent hours creating my calendar only to have it tell me there were no products found that could be ordered with this project. How can I get my calendar ordered?

[Tina Lewis]

I want to know how I can change the text in the predesigned calendars since it is showing up in spanish, although the titles are in english. I am very frustrated in doing this since I have to have all my projects completed by Monday in order to receive them in time for Christmas.

[Sara T]

I have the same problem as Vicki C. I when I have the calendar grid selected and right click I don't have an option to "edit calendar cells". I downloaded my calendar in Nov. so it should be the most recent. Also I am using StoryBook 3.0 Plus. Can you help me?

[Robin]

I have created a calendar using Storybook Plus 3.0 and the preview is great on the screen but when I upload it to the digital center for printing the calendar grid is all messed up and does not display like it did in Storybook Plus 3.0? Anyone else having this problem and know how to fix it? I want to get my calendar ordered!!!

[Debbie Denton]

For those having problems with calendar. I spoke with Tech support at some length and was told:

SBC software must be up to date. Try to update even if you think you are up to date. (This was my problem)

You must download the templates from the CM site and install with open/run. You cannot just download elsewhere and copy the SBC file into your Digital Kits & Content folder. Remove the calendar files that don't work before reinstalling.

Pay attention to which file you choose to download. SBC Plus 3 only works with SBC Plus 3.

If all these are done, you should be able to order.
Hope this helps.

[Cindy Herriage]

Can't figure out how to order the calendar!!! Says no products available....help!!!

[Julie Morris]

Working on my first calendar....spent lots of time customizing the calendar grid and trying to add paper behind it as well as other elements in and around the grid. After all that it's not wanting to save it always reverts back to the default grid and blank....any ideas? Am I asking it to do something that is not an option?
(Yes, software is up to date).
THANKS
Julie

[Donna Mullens]

I'm having the same problem as Carolyn above. I downloaded the calendar templates for StoryBook Creator ona customer's computer to help her with a calendar. I can see the pages under content but the calendar does not come up as an option when I click on create a new project.

[Lynnette Feusner]

Is it possible to autopopulate the new 12x18 calendar with all the holidays using the StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0? If so, how do we do it?

[Rosie]

I am trying to tell a customer about our free SBC and how to make the calendars. I have installed the calendars and program to a different computer, but it isn't letting me have the option to make a calendar. What am I doing wrong?

[Debbie Denton]

Customer asked about the cover. Anyone know about the cover? I don't see that option in the calendar and I have SBC3+. I did have all those issues with previewing and ordering but realized after many hours of frustration that I needed an update. Once updated SBC3+ calendar previewing and ordering worked. I uploaded calendar and ordered only to have customer ask about the cover after. Told her I think it will be white and to just write "Merry Christmas with love, name" in sharpie.
Again anyone know about the cover????

Thanks,
Debbie Denton
debbie@2designstudio.com

[Kathy Rickabaugh]

kinda glad to see others with same questions, I now realize after playing with pictures to load to calendar pages that I have to get storybook creator 3.0 in addition to MM 3.0 upgrade, It wasn't included together? has to be a separate purchase is that right? I guess I missed getting calendar for Christmas projects too, but had to enlist my computer savvy daughter to help.

[Amy Lazare]

Quick question...
Can we write in the calendar squares after its printed?

[Linda]

Is there a listing of the Holidays that print if you choose US holidays?

[Holly]

I followed he directions and can't get my calendar to download. A box pops up and says this type of project can't be found. I called the help line last night and hung up after 45 minutes of being on hold. Help!!! I would really like to order a few for Christmas presents.

Thanks!

[Tabby]

I missed the sale also because I couldn't get my calendar to upload so that I could order them as gifts for Christmas. I now will probably only be ordering 2 instead of 4 due to not being able to have the 20% off. I didn't know they didn't have tech support on weekends or I would have tried to finish calendar sooner.

[Mary Jane Taylor]

I too am recieving the error message for ALL SIX of my calendars that I have stayed up until midnight every night this week to complete for the 20% off. After reading that others are not having any luck with the solution posted above, i don't know that I can handle any more frustration!! I've only had CM for 2 weeks and am wondering if this was a very expensive mistake to buy it. Is the company planning on extending the 20% off since there is no technical support on the weekends?
MJ Taylor

[Jennifer Hopfinger]

I, too, am trying to work through getting the calendar to upload or even simply previewing my calendar but am getting the same error messages as mentioned above. I have completed 3 different calendars to order by today for the 20% discount and won't be able to do that either. I followed the directions above with no success. Please send other options to fix this issue.

[Amanda DePhillips]

I'm glad to see I'm not alone. When I tried to order my calendar, it said "No project by that name exists." Funny, since I know I am using the 12x18 predesigned templates I downnloaded just days ago. I fear I too will miss out on the sale. Dang.

[Lois Bailer]

This calendar is ONE BIG PAIN. I sold my customers on it...they came to my house to make it and we started on Sat. last for 3 hrs. Sunday for 2 hrs. 5 hrs. on Monday and I"ve tried everything to get it to the Photo Centre. We are not totally computer illiterate...the techs when we finally got thru on the phone advised that there were "gliches" in the program and to watch CM home for an up-date when the gliches would be fixed...so far nothing is on the CM home page. I have followed the instructions that you gave above 3 times and still no success. Time is running out on the 20% off sale and so I will have to give these customers the 20% out at my expense. Can you help me at all??

[Sherie]

Ok, after opening and closing the software twice, I did get the pages imported. It is now allowing me to preview the pages. Where I noticed... it changed all the calendars to a different format than I originally used! Very frustrating!

[Sherie]

I had the same unable to order problem, trying to go thru the fix discussed above. I keep getting errors as I import the pages into the new file. This is very frustrating. Based on other people's good experience I've enouraged many customers to start this project but I'm about to give up!