Jason Dunn
06-11-2009, 03:00 PM
<p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1241567885.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Now that Mother's Day is over, I can publish this article without fear of ruining the surprise. As you can see by the photo above, I created a customized Mother's Day card for my mom, and I used the <a href="http://www.scrapblog.com" target="_blank">Scrapblog</a> service to do it. They had a special promotion on creating a free Mother's Day card, but unfortunately I wasn't smart enough to figure how to get the card for free. I poked around looking for what I had to do to get this free card, and failed. But hey, the cards were only $1 each, so no big loss (I ordered two). At the time, Scrapblog wasn't shipping outside the USA (they now ship to Canada), so I had to have it shipped to a friend of mine, who then shipped it to me. The final cost of the one card for my mom? About $25 USD. That's an expensive card, but I was so happy with how great the card looked on my screen after I designed it I knew I had to order it for her.<MORE /></p><p>Designing the card was incredibly simple - Scrapblog has an assortment of professionally-designed templates, and once you find a template you like, it's simply a matter of uploading your photos and arranging things the way you like. Oh, and did I mention this is all accomplished inside your browser via a sophisticated and very fast Flash-based application? <a href="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/dht/2009/scrapblog-screenshot.jpg" target="_blank">Here's what it looks like in action</a> - everything was fast and fluid, and the only time I was waiting for anything was when I was uploading the photos I wanted to use in the card. Scrapblog's developers did a fantastic job making the Flash-based application fast and easy to use. It's not quite as powerful as <a href="http://www.fotofusion.com" target="_blank">FotoFusion</a> from Lumapix, but it's a heck of a lot easier to use - and that's important. I hope they're working on an Adobe Air version for some out-of-browser action.</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1241567898.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>So how did the product turn out in the end? Extremely well - the card stock on the card was very high-quality, and the print quality was superb. You'd swear it was a card you bought at a Hallmark store and not something you had custom made. With the right kind of printer and paper, you can print your own greeting cards at home - but they'll look home made. Scrapblog leverages top-tier printing output to give you access to a product that looks just as good as any commercial card. Scrapblog doesn't just do cards - you can also order books and calendars. Their book offering includes 12" x 8", 9" x 6", and 6" x 4" sizes.</p><p>And, yes, my mom loved the card - it's a unique treasure for her now to keep.</p><p><em>Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys <a href="http://photos.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">photography</a>, mobile devices, <a href="http://www.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">blogging</a>, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He likes scrap-booking type stuff more than his wife does - is that weird?</em></p><p><em></em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p><p><strong>Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Review Team</a>! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Then click here for more information.</a></strong></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p>