Fitting in the Words

April 28, 2016 by alizadeutsch 5 Comments

Hi, it’s Aliza here again. I have another layout using the Northern Lights kit. Just like the last layout I shared, this one tells another story about me and my new dance classes that I began this year. Well, more specifically, this story is about my new dance shoes.

I’ve written in the past about how I use Photoshop elements to place my journaling on the page. I thought that today I would share a bit more about my process before sending my page to print. It can be often be a drawn out process of writing, rewriting, formatting and reformatting, so that everything fits on the page.

On this layout, I had most of the elements in place; the photo, the tags, the papers, and the flair. Not much changed from my original design plan. But,  I did not adhere anything down until I worked on the writing.  I started with a blank letter size file in Photoshop, and drew a text box in an approximate size that I needed.

Then I began to write and hope that it all fit in the space.

It didn’t. Mot at first. So, I shifted my papers around to see if I could gain an inch somewhere. Then I edited some text, and played with the font size and spacing to eke out a bit more space. I’m going to guess I break a million graphic design rules in the process. Shh. Don’t tell anyone.

It’s not a huge difference, but eventually it’s enough to get the job done. It’s similar, in a way, to organizing a closet. By getting rid of a few items, and rearranging others, it’s possible to gain a little extra storage space.

Once, I get it to where I think it will work, I usually print out my journaling on scrap paper, so I can cut it out, and double check that it will fit where I want it to go.

Then, if I am printing directly onto a layout, I copy and paste my journaling onto a 12 x 12 file.

After much double checking of measurements, then I send the final copy to print.  And then all the other elements were put and adhered into place.

I am sure there are more efficient ways to get this done, but this is how I often work. Typing and formatting are not as much fun as cutting paper, and using cute stickers, but since those words are ever so important, it is worth the time and page real estate to make it work.

Thanks for hanging out with me today, and I will see you all again soon.