Create and print your own cookbook

Looking for a great way to share your favorite recipes, document family heirloom recipes, or organize a cookbook fundraiser? This course shows you how to create and print your own cookbook right at home. You'll find a variety of ideas for cookbook themes, designs, and binding options. Discover helpful tips for gathering and organizing the recipes as well as using photos, memorabilia, and scanned items to spice up your cookbook project. As this is an on-demand class, all lessons are available when the class enrolls.

It’s easier than you think. Page 1 of 6

Maybe you have a collection of wonderful recipes and stories you want to organize and share. Perhaps you are in charge of fundraising for your organization. You might be looking for a great way to commemorate a special event or create meaningful gifts for your family and friends. All of these are great reasons to create and print your own cookbook, which might be easier than you think! The step-by-step instructions in this course will show you how to create and print your own personalized recipe collection.

Figure 1-1: Design your own personalized recipe collection.

Why print your own cookbook?

Cookbooks are wildly popular. Thanks to a growing awareness of health and nutrition as well as a rise in the popularity of televised cooking programs, the number of cookbooks published each year has increased steadily over the last decade. You probably have a few cookbooks in your kitchen already, but there are a number of good reasons to create your own cookbook project:

Collect and share special recipes and traditions: Whether you print five copies or 500, a custom cookbook lets you collect treasured recipes for posterity -- and you can add photos, stories, quotes, and traditions to make your cookbook even more special.

Creative control: Designing and printing your own cookbook gives you complete creative control over the project. You can personalize your cookbook design with your own digital photos, artwork, stories, and format. By creating your cookbook in the software program of your choice, you can make it any size and style you like.

On-demand printing: Once the cookbook is designed, you can print as many copies as you'd like, right from the comfort of your own home. Need an extra copy? There's no waiting when you have created your own cookbook files! Simply print and bind cookbooks on demand.

Fundraising: Cookbook projects are ideal for organizations such as churches, families, schools, clubs, community associations, professional organizations, service clubs, and auxiliaries. Orchestras and bands, fire departments, and PTAs can use cookbooks to commemorate special events, raise funds, or promote a cause.

Cookbooks are also wonderful projects for promoting a business or service. For example, many bed-and-breakfast owners enjoy sharing their recipes with guests. Office coworkers like to share recipes as well. Customers and employees enjoy receiving cookbooks as promotional items, holiday gifts, and incentives. Sharing can be as easy as posting your cookbook to your Web site or your social community profile page, adding a downloadable PDF to a forum, or attaching it to an e-mail.

Getting started

The first step in designing your cookbook is to determine the theme and purpose of the cookbook. Is the book a gift for a bridal shower or a present for a teacher? Are you immortalizing your family's secret recipes to pass along family traditions and stories to future generations?

A cookbook would be an ideal for any of the following occasions or situations:

A family reunion, class reunion, or annual get-together A special anniversary for a couple, group, company, or community Retirement Significant birthday Organizing the recipes you've collected from various sources: index cards, the Internet,

scraps of paper, notes, ripped-out magazine pages, etc. Preserving family history and traditions

Many favorite memories include wonderful tastes and odors of shared meal experiences. Your own cookbook is a way to preserve those memories in a tangible way, and you can share family photos and memories as well. How to create a family cookbook offers lots of great tips and examples.

Before you begin collecting the recipes for your project, decide on the overall theme and purpose of the cookbook. Making this decision first will help guide which recipes will make it into the final project and which will not. If you're soliciting recipes from other contributors, be sure to give them information about the topic of the project. Take the first step by settling on your own idea or selecting one from the lists below.

Figure 1-2: Select a theme and purpose for your cookbook.

Interesting cookbook themes and titles

Here are a few ideas to spark your creativity:

Tried and True Recipes from the Kitchen of _______ My Most Requested Recipes Kids' Favorite Recipes Making and Using Your Own Mixes: attach a jar, bag, or basket of homemade mixes with this

cookbook Easy-to-Make Recipes Recipes Using the (Appliance Name): when giving an appliance as a gift, this makes a nice

accompaniment Recipe-a-day, recipe-a-week, or recipe-a-month: create the cookbook as a calendar A-Z recipes Favorite back-of-the box recipes: compile your favorite recipes from name-brand products Favorite magazine/Internet/TV recipes you've collected over the years Potluck recipes Farmer's Market Recipes: what to do with fresh vegetables from the garden Recipes for a specific food type (soups, cookies, salads, baby food, bread, etc.) Recipes for a specific meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, brown-bag, party foods) Regional/cultural recipes (Tex-Mex, barbeque, Italian, etc.)

To explore some fun ideas for cooking with children, read this article about fun food & craft recipes for kids.

Figure 1-3: Preserve your heritage with a family cookbook.

Gift cookbook ideas For the bride and groom: simple, affordable, or romantic recipes for two. For the teacher: provide a recipe from each child in the class. Consider having young children

dictate their version of how they believe their favorite meal is cooked, then include the actual recipe.

For the club/organization president or for group members: have each member of the club include a recipe and a note of thanks.

For the college student: economical, easy recipes to make in minutes with small appliances such as a hot plate, hot water pot, microwave, or popcorn popper.

For a child: include recipes children can create from Fun food & craft recipes for kids. For the lucky people on your holiday gift list. For the church staff from the parishioners.

Next up Now that you've selected the topic, learn how to gather the information you need to create the cookbook

Collect your recipes. Page 2 of 6

Gathering the recipes is a fun and exciting part of the cookbook process. It can also seem like a daunting task. By spending a few minutes to organize the project ahead of time, you'll free yourself to enjoy watching the recipe file grow and reading each entry as it is selected.

Select a recipe format

After selecting an overall theme or purpose for your cookbook, the next step is to decide on the format you will use for the recipes in your project. Think about the kind of information you want to include with each recipe. Do you want to feature a photo of each recipe? How about a photo of each contributor? Perhaps you want a handwritten note or a funny story to accompany each entry in the cookbook. Deciding this now will save you hours of time later because you can gather this information as you select each recipe. Instead of having to revisit the source to obtain the information, you'll have what you need at your fingertips.

Figure 1-4 shows a free template from the HP Activity Center that you can download and print yourself. This template for 4" x 6" recipe cards allows you to add photos to your recipe. This project is a recipe card template that you can print and then bind into a spiral-bound cookbook (more on that later in the lesson).

Figure 1-4: Select a recipe format.

Begin by creating a list of items you would like to include with the recipes in your cookbook, then create a recipe template in your word processing program (Microsoft Word or another program) that will help you keep track of the recipe material. Guidelines for recording recipes might include the following:

Name of each recipe Name of the contributor or source of the recipe. Photo of the contributor or photo of the recipe Serving size, number of servings, and any nutritional information Oven temperature Prep time and cooking time Ingredients listed in the order they are added List of supplies needed to complete the recipe

If the recipe calls for unique ingredients or a unique pot, baking dish or method, add a photo to your list of supplies and ingredients.

Recipe directions Serving instructions and suggestions Hints and tips Story or anecdote about the recipe or the contributor Handwritten notes Memorabilia associated with the recipe The history of the recipe or recollection of a special time it was served Quotes, jokes, or a favorite scripture passage

Food-related clipart or cartoons

Gather your recipes

Armed with your recipe template, you are now ready to collect the entries. As you request recipes from friends, family members, and other contributors, equip them with copies of the template and explain your project. This lets them know exactly what to include with the recipe submission and helps you remain organized as you work through the process. If you have a firm deadline for the cookbook, make sure that all contributors understand your deadline, and remind them a week or so before the deadline.

If your contributors are computer-savvy, consider asking for a disk or e-mailed copy of the recipe. This saves you time as you import the recipes into your project. You will be able to copy and paste the recipe, photos and scanned images into your cookbook document instead of keying it in yourself.

Figure 1-5: Include children and those who cook without written recipes. You may encounter at least one cook who has wonderful recipes but isn't able to return the form to you. Perhaps there's an elderly family member who finds writing too difficult, or a child who wants to participate, but can't write yet. You might even come across someone who is a terrific cook, but doesn't follow written recipes (a pinch of this, a dash of that!). Be sure to include these contributions by asking the cook to dictate the recipes to you. Whether over the phone, into a tape recorder, or in person, you can transcribe the recipes so that they can be included in the cookbook project.

Organize your recipes. Page 3 of 6

As you gather recipes, you'll probably notice that they fall into logical groups. These groups will become the sections of your cookbook. Some divisions will seem obvious, such as organizing by category (appetizers, entrees, sides, desserts) or by holiday (Valentine's Day, Halloween, Fourth of July, etc.). Other categories might include dividing the recipes by family branch or family unit (for family heritage cookbooks) or by members of a department (business or organization cookbooks). Other interesting and useful categories include frequently used recipes, quick and easy, or favorites. Remember that no is no right or wrong way to organize your cookbook. Part of the beauty of creating your own book is that you make the rules and you can decide which system works best for your project.

An organizational system simply ensures that readers will be able to find the recipes they are seeking. As you develop your system, consider creating a Table of Contents and Index section to add functionality to your project.

A good way to keep your recipes organized on your computer is to create folders for each section of your cookbook. As you type or paste recipes into your template, save the recipes to the appropriate folder. Keeping recipes in alphabetical order within the folders helps you keep track of your progress and makes quick work of creating the Table of Contents and Index sections later. When developing your cookbook organization system, you might want to consider including the following components.

Suggested cookbook components

While you're organizing your recipes into sections, you also need to decide how many of the following you want to include:

Front and back covers: Attractively designed covers draw the reader in while providing space for photos and memorabilia.

Introduction page: An introduction page is a good place to record the date and give a description of the project. You might also use this space to list contributors, dedicate the cookbook, or give information about your organization. An Introduction page gives your project a personal touch.

Acknowledgements: If you have a lot of people to thank, you'll want to create an Acknowledgements page where you can express your gratitude to everyone who participated.

Table of contents: Highly recommended for even the smallest collection of recipes, the Table of Contents provides readers with the ability to locate the recipes they seek.

Section dividers: A divider between each section makes the cookbook more user-friendly. Use this space to introduce each division or display memorabilia and photos. If you have recipes that fit into more than one section, these dividers are a good space to list the cross-over recipes with page numbers.

A few blank pages: It is a nice idea to leave a few blank pages at the end of each section or at the end of the cookbook so readers can add their own recipes or make notes about the recipes in the book.

Index: Like the table of contents, this section helps you find recipes quickly. Consider indexing by ingredients as well as by recipe titles.

Pocket pages: Consider crafting or purchasing pocket pages to include in your cookbook design. These pockets are a great place for your readers to tuck notes, extra recipes, and photos.

Next up With your recipes gathered, sorted, and formatted, you're ready to design your cookbook. Next, learn how to enhance your cookbook with creative design options.

Designing the Cookbook. Page 4 of 6

Designing your cookbook is the phase that gives you the greatest creative opportunity for expressing your vision for the project. Whether you design your own pages using clipart, scanned items, and photos, or use one of the free, beautifully designed recipe and cookbook templates in the HP Activity Center, you can make the cookbook intensely personal and meaningful by including photos and memorabilia in the project design.

To explore the templates available at the HP Activity Center, go to the Invitations & Stationery page, click View all Invitations & stationery, and scroll down to the Stationery section. You'll find several interesting projects listed under Use your photos: index card templates as well as cookbook page templates.

Gather your photos

The first step in designing your cookbook is to gather and digitize the photos and memorabilia you would like to include in the project. Today's scanner technology allows you to create a digital archive of your precious photos, slides, negatives, and documents so that they can be used in projects such as your cookbook design. Now you can preserve those well-worn recipe cards, magazine clippings, and recipe notes scribbled on napkins so that they can be read and followed for years to come.

Consult the Photo scanning tips article for how-tos, hints, and advice on scanning your precious recipe assets with satisfactory results. You can even scan 3D items to include in the cookbook project. If your photos are damaged, you'll learn helpful techniques in this article: Restore and edit photos.

Recipe projects from the HP Activity Center

Once you have digitized both the recipes and the photos, you're ready to complete the project design. This section introduces you to several cookbook page templates available from the HP Activity Center. To access them, go to the Invitations & stationery page, click View all Invitations & stationery, and scroll down to the Stationery section.

Figure 1-6: Complete your cookbook with pre-designed recipe projects from the HP Activity Center.

Heirloom photo cookbook pages

The Heirloom photo is a set of beautifully illustrated 8.5" x 11" cookbook pages, just waiting for your photos and recipes. To create a cookbook using these pages, simply select one of the eight page themes, as shown in Figure 1-7, upload your recipe and photo, then download and print the cookbook page. Using these pages will save you time while giving your project a professional appearance.

Figure 1-7: Select from eight Heirloom photo cookbook themes.

Kitchen decor photo recipe cards

Another pre-designed option is the Kitchen decor photo recipe cards template from the HP Activity Center. Like the Heirloom photo cookbook, there are eight themes from which to select. Ranging from retro to urban contemporary, the 4" x 6" designs are perfect for creating a mini-cookbook that can be tucked into a pocketbook for shopping trips. These recipe cards are fully customizable with space for your photo and recipe. Once you've personalized each card, simply download and print them.

Figure 1-8: Create a mini-cookbook with the Kitchen decor photo recipe cards from the HP Activity Center.

World holiday photo recipe cards

The World holiday photo recipe cards make wonderful miniature holiday cookbooks. With the same setup as the Kitchen decor recipe cards, you'll be able to create a holiday cookbook in a snap.

Figure 1-9: Create a holiday cookbook in minutes with the World holiday photo recipe cards.

Recipe calendars

You can also use your scanned recipes to create a recipe calendar using a free template from the HP Activity Center. Go to the Calendars page, click View all Calendars, and take a look at the projects in the Use your photos section, where you'll find a variety of styles to select from. Once you choose a design, you simply upload your scanned recipe in place of the photo. (Be sure to scan your recipe in a suitable photo format such as JPG, GIF, BMP, TIF, or PNG).

If you are adept at using a graphics editing software such as Photoshop Elements, you can also modify the recipe and add your embellishments.

To make your text stand out more clearly, you could either print recipes by hand using a bold felt-tipped marker or create a Word file of the recipe using a clear, bold font like Arial.

Once you are satisfied with your recipe image, upload it into to the calendar project following the instructions on the screen. You can both save and print your final result (if you save it, you'll be able to use it again and again for those repeat performances). There are several options to bind the calendar (check the project instructions for ideas). Once bound, the recipe calendar becomes a cookbook that can be enjoyed throughout the year.

Figure 1-10: Create a recipe calendar to enjoy throughout the year.

Next Learn how to create custom cookbook designs.

Creating your own cookbook designs. Page 5 of 6

If you want to personalize your cookbook even more, you can create your own designs combining clipart, photos, and scanned objects using a program you already own, such as Microsoft Word.

Creating backgrounds, covers, art, and dividers

With a digital camera and scanner, you can create truly meaningful backgrounds for your recipe pages. Look around your kitchen for interesting colors and textures that will add pizzazz to your project.

Figure 1-11: Create your own clipart with your scanner.

Food-themed backgrounds and covers

You may have a creative idea already in mind, or you may want to use one of our background ideas.

An array of scanned food labels A collage of scanned recipe cards Scanned towels, potholders, placemats, or interesting tablecloth designs A full-page handwritten recipe Scanned dry food items such as pasta, beans, cereal, or candy Scrapbook backgrounds Just about anything you can think of!

When scanning food items, protect your scanner by placing food items in a clear plastic bag, clear stretch-wrap, or a sheet of clear plastic such as an overhead transparency. This will keep the food crumbs and dust from entering your scanner bed. Scanning wet items is not recommended since liquid can damage your scanning equipment.

Cookbook clipart

Once you have settled on a background idea, you may want to spice up your pages with recipe-themed art. There are many places to acquire decorative elements for your recipe pages:

The Internet: The Web is a treasure trove of clipart. Performing a search for kitchen clipart produces a host of clipart sites to help you create a design that pleases you.

Children's art: Scan your child's artwork (or your own artistic creations!) to add a personal touch to your cookbook designs.

Photos of dinner plates or prepared recipes. Scanned utensils and kitchen accessories. Scanned or photographed fruits and vegetables. Vintage photos of relatives, family antiques, or your organization through the years.

Creative ideas for section dividers

When assembling your cookbook, remember to designate the cookbook sections. These divider pages are a great place to add creative flair with photos that illustrate the recipes in the section, photos of the contributors to the section, or scanned food items that illustrate the food group.

Creating covers and recipe pages

To use your scanned backgrounds for the pages of your cookbook, open a new blank Word document. Select Insert > Text Box, then draw out a text box that is large enough to cover your entire page. Drag your cursor to the side of the text box. When your cursor changes into crosshairs at the side of the text box, click to bring up the Format Text Box dialog box. From the Colors and Lines tab, select the drop-down menu labeled Color. Choose Fill Effects, as shown in Figure 1-12.

Figure 1-12: Select Fill Effects from the Colors and Lines tab.

In the Fill Effects dialog box, select the Picture tab, as shown in Figure 1-13. This enables you to select pictures from your computer. Browse to find your scanned background. We have selected a scanned yellow towel for our sample. Be sure to check the Lock picture aspect ratio box so that your scanned background will not become distorted. Finally, click OK.

Figure 1-13: Select an image using the Picture tab.

Your page-sized text box will fill with your scanned background design. If your design is too vibrant, reopen the Format Text Box dialog by double-clicking the side of your text box.

Slide the Transparency slider to the right to mute the background, as shown in Figure 1-14. Leaving the slider to the left leaves it fully opaque.

Figure 1-14: Reduce the transparency to mute your background design.

Insert additional text boxes to type or paste your cookbook title, recipes, and photos onto the background. To get you started, we've designed a customizable cookbook cover for you to download. Simply right-click the link and select Save Target As (Internet Explorer) or Save Link As (Firefox). Figure 1-15 shows some of the possibilities. Create text boxes over the photo placeholders, then fill the text boxes with photos of your loved ones. Personalize the title with your own words.

Figure 1-15: Personalize this downloadable cover design.

Next up Explore ideas for printing and binding your cookbook.

Printing and binding your cookbook. Page 6 of 6

Now you're ready to print and bind your cookbook so you can share it with the world!

Printing your cookbook pages

When you are ready to print your cookbook pages, you'll want to select a high-quality paper that is compatible with your printer. If you have included photos and pictures on your pages, photo paper will give you the most satisfactory results. Selecting photo paper for inkjet printers contains charts that will help you match your photo paper with your printer and your cookbook needs. To get lab-quality photos from home, follow these quick tips for perfect prints.

Using a photo ink cartridge instead of a simple color cartridge will make your printed photos and text much more vivid and clear.

As you print your pages, always pay close attention to the print quality settings that appear when you print. These settings appear when you click File > Print > Properties and select the Paper/Quality tab. Draft mode is fine when you're in the early stages of design, but you'll want a higher print quality setting for your final print. You'll also want to make sure to select your paper type and size.

To learn more about printer settings and the various Properties choices, be sure to read Use printer settings to get the prints you want.

Binding your cookbook

Whether you have created recipe pages or recipe cards, you can bind them in an array of attractive, easy-to-use styles. From three-ring binders to photo books, spiral-bound card collections to recipe calendars, select a style that suits your cookbook project.

Ideas for binding recipe pages Three-ring binders, as shown in Figure 1-16, are the most popular style since new pages can

be added, recipes can be moved to a different section, and pages can be temporarily removed while the recipe is being prepared. Use page protectors to keep your recipes clean and splatter-free.

Figure 1-16: Three-ring binders and photo albums keep recipes splatter-free. Photo albums or scrapbook albums with page protectors: With archival page protectors, photo

albums are a good choice for heritage cookbooks. Pinch books are an excellent option. Spiral binding with laminated covers: Check with your local copy shop for this durable and

affordable method of binding, as shown in Figure 1-17. Simple ribbon or raffia

Binders in special sizes Binder rings

Figure 1-17: Copy shops offer spiral binding for cookbooks and calendars at affordable rates. Photo books from Snapfish.com or Tabblo.com: Eliminate the work of binding the book

yourself!

Ideas for binding recipe cards

If you have printed your recipe pages on heavy paper, you can create a mini-cookbook using one of these binding methods.

Index card binders: Like small notebooks, these binders are the perfect solution for index card-sized cookbooks. Figure 1-18 shows an example.

Figure 1-18: Index card binders can hold recipe cards. Ring binding: If you can't find an index card binder, try binding your recipe cards with metal

rings (available at office supply stores) or ribbon. Small photo albums or scrapbook albums: Slip recipe cards into small, inexpensive photo

albums or scrapbook mini-albums, as shown in Figure 1-19. The protective photo sleeves will offer protection from splatters.

A recipe or index card box: Decorate the box to match your recipe style.

Figure 1-19: Inexpensive photo albums are a good solution for binding recipe cards. Flip books: Available at craft stores, flip albums stand upright so that the cook can follow the

recipe easily. Just slip the recipe cards into the protective sleeves. Figure 1-20 shows an example.

Figure 1-20: Flip albums stand upright for display.

Spiral binding with laminated covers: Check your copy shop for pricing on comb binding and spiral binding with plastic protective covers.

Recipe collage: Create a recipe collage at Snapfish.com. Use photos and scanned recipes to create recipe wall art for your kitchen.

Rolodex: A Rolodex makes a handy recipe file, as Figure 1-21 illustrates. Print recipes at business card size, then slip them into the Rolodex. To make a matching magnet, print an extra copy of the business card sized recipe and attach a self-adhesive business card magnet to the back.

Figure 1-21: Rolodex systems make handy recipe files.

Creating a few extras

As you're designing and printing your cookbook, it's fun and easy to create a few cookbook extras such as recipe mugs, labels, and CDs that match your cookbook design.

Take your project one step further with one of these ideas.

Back up your files on a CD or DVD. Create a matching cover using your photos and custom backgrounds, then dress up then dress up the CD with graphics using a CD label from the HP Activity Center -- look in the Music & video section.

Giving your cookbook as a gift? Have an oft-used recipe you like to keep on hand? Use a scanned recipe or one of your background images to create a matching photo mug at Snapfish.com.

If you're giving the cookbook as a gift with food, craft the Vintage handcrafted labels project or another attractive design from the Labels & covers section of the HP Activity Center. Figure 1-22 shows an example. Custom-printed labels and tags can really embellish your presentation.

Figure 1-22: Craft tags and labels to embellish your cookbook presentation.

A recipe for success Using the information you've gathered in this course, your cookbook project is sure to be fun and rewarding. Whether you are preserving your recipes for future generations to enjoy or designing a cookbook to share with others, your project will be a truly unique and personal treasure. Bon appétit!