How to Print Pictures for Project Life

Happy Tuesday everyone!  As you all know, I have gotten very into Project Life the last couple months.  Since I've started documenting my life using this system, I've started to develop my own style and preferences when it comes to recording my memories.  While the pocket pages are set up to allow for 4x6 or 3x4 photos, I prefer to have smaller pictures backed by cards to allow for additional embellishment.

This meant I had to figure out a way to print all my pictures in slightly smaller sizes.  For a while I tried printing them directly off my phone using PicStitch.  However, it was surprisingly hard to print pictures with this method.  It was always forcing me to crop photos in ways I didn't want them cropped, and it was really hard to know exactly how large a picture would end up being, so I would end up with some way too big and some the size of a postage stamp.

So after scratching that idea, I decided to try printing from my picture viewer right on my computer.  From the first time printing this way, I knew this was what I'll be sticking with for a while.  The pictures came out the perfect size, and I was able to print horizontal, vertical and square pictures all on the same page.  All without any real work on my part.  I have a PC, so this won't be how you do it from a Mac, but I'm sure there's an equally easy way.

The first thing I do is open up my photo viewer and select the pictures I want to print.  I use my Project Life planner to go back and see which pictures I wanted to print from the week I'm working on.  I select nine photos at a time, because that is how many fit on a standard 8.5x11 sheet of photo paper.

Once I select my pictures, I hit the 'print' button on the command bar at the top.  This brings up the printing window.  First thing I do on this window is select the size  of pictures I want printed.  I use the wallet size for pretty much all my photos.  This size is what will allow you to print nine pictures to a page, and will be a good basic size for your Project Life album.  You can always select different sizes if you want some larger or smaller pictures.  However, keep in mind that for each print every picture you select will be the same size, you can't mix and match sizes in a single print.

After selecting the size, I uncheck the 'fit picture to frame' box.  This is especially important if you're printing any pictures that are not standard dimensions, like screenshots or Instagrams.  With the box checked, it will enlarge and crop any photo that is not a standard size.  Unchecking the box will convert the picture to it's original form, and allow you to perfectly print all your pictures.

Now you are ready to print!  All your pictures will print out on a single sheet of 8.5x11 photo paper.  Now all you need to do it cut them up and they're ready for your album.

I use my paper trimmer to cut apart each photo, and it saves a lot of time as opposed to cutting around each picture individually.  Since I've started printing using this technique, I've been leaving a small white border around each picture.  This is a personal preference, and I just think the pictures look a little more polished this way.

And that is my easy way of printing out a ton of pictures for Project Life.  All in all it probably takes me about 15 minutes from start to finish printing each batch of pictures.  It is definitely a lot faster than trying to individually size and format each picture in a small app on my phone.  I hope this tutorial helps you easily print all your memories for your Project Life albums!