Determining what is on every page of your yearbook can be a challenge when you first begin the process. What you can include in your yearbook is determined by when you want your yearbook to arrive. If you want to receive your yearbook before graduation (Spring Delivery), you will need to submit your book early enough to allow time for it to be produced and shipped from the yearbook publisher. Check with your yearbook representative for details. If you want graduation included in the yearbook, then you will have Fall Delivery for your yearbook (books will arrive after school reopens in the fall). The book will be submitted in the summer.
• Take the total # of pages in your yearbook and subtract the title, opening, closing, and division pages for all sections.
• Set a goal as to how many advertisement pages you will sell and subtract that from your total.
• With your remaining total, allocate a set # of pages to each section based upon the average %’s listed here.
• Next, review the chart on the next page to determine if you need to shuffle extra pages from your reserves to any section to meet the needs of a section. Start recording all the pages you think you will need. A great tool for accomplishing this is last year’s book. Just make sure the book did not leave anything out if you use it as a guide.
• Now choose the order you wish to place the sections in for proper impact. Please be aware that you do not need to follow the order sampled in the example. You
can choose to begin your yearbook with Student Life if you prefer, and then follow it with another section.
See the sample ladder listed here. In this example, we took the remaining 28 pages and spread them out to people(10), sports(10), and clubs(8) since this school has a very active student body.
Ending your yearbook on a proper page is important. All yearbooks are made up of either
four-or sixteen-page sheets called signatures (16-page signatures are required for Smyth
Sewn books).
Sample Page Allocation Chart
Total Pages: 288 pages
Title/Division/Theme: 18 pgs
Total Adv Page Goal: 50 pgs
REMAINING PAGES: 220 pgs
25%-30% for People: 66 pgs
15%-20% for Academics: 28 pgs
15%-20% for Sports: 28 pgs
15%-20% for Clubs: 28 pgs
20%-25% for Student Life: 42 pgs
REMAINING RESERVE: 28 pgs
Sample Page Ladder
1 title Page
2-3 Opening/Theme Story
4-5 People Division
6-81 Classes & Faculty (76 pgs)
82-83 Academics Division
84-111 Academic Pages (28 pgs)
112-113 Sports Division
114-151 Sports Pages (38 pgs)
152-153 Clubs Division
154-189 Clubs Pages (36 pgs)
190-191 Student life Division
192-233 Student Life Pages (42 pgs)
234-235 Advertisement Division
236-285 Personal/Bus. Ads (50 pgs)
286-288 Closing & Editor Page
1. Keep in mind a virtual yearbook is saved on an outside vendors server. Only 10% of web businesses last more than one year. What happens when the server disappears along with the vendor? That’s right, your yearbook disappears. All that money and time down the drain. A printed yearbook will last 120 years and you don’t need to worry about anyone going out of business once you have a printed yearbook in your hand.
2. Do you remember the fun of having all of your friends sign your yearbook with a message dedicated just for you? That is impossible with a virtual yearbook.
3. In some cases it may be beneficial to the school, students and staff to offer both choices. They may choose only a virtual yearbook, only a print yearbook or both. Since it doesn’t directly cost the PTA or school any money for either a virtual or a print yearbook give them a choice. Keep in mind there are many parents who have purchased a printed yearbook since their child was in kindergarten and they have every expectation of building an entire collection. Don’t deprive them of that opportunity.
4. Your virtual yearbook vendor most likely is not an approved yearbook vendor in your county. Probably for all the reasons stated above.
Endsheets are the thick paper that is attached to both the inside of the cover and the printed pages of the yearbook. You will notice that this hard paper is usually left blank in a choice of color or white for autographs from the student body, or it is designed in one or two inks or in full color.
If you do decide to design your endsheet, review all your offerings with us. Most schools that design their endsheets usually continue their theme development, as well as a table of contents of their yearbook on the endsheet. Make sure to note that you have two endsheets that make up your yearbook—the front endsheet and the back endsheet.
Many schools like to design the front endsheet, but may choose to leave the back blank. Other schools have chosen to repeat the same design from the front onto the back. Some schools include a colophon on the endsheet or in the advertisement section that describes the specifications of the yearbook for future staffs. This colophon can include basic specs such as the name of the yearbook publisher that sold the yearbook and took photos, technology, cover specs, endsheet specs, pages, copies, sales price of book, amount of ad revenue, staff listing, and more.
Be sure to review costs for production of endsheets with your yearbook sales representative.
The new Pictavo Tutorial Video and Community Webinar is now online.
View the videos online 24/7 by visiting our HELP CENTER! The 2012-2013 Welcome to Pictavo” video is 33 minutes in length and is great for demonstrating the power of Pictavo. It is designed for new advisers and staff members that haven’t seen Pictavo before.
The 2012-2013 “Pictavo BuyTheYearbook” video is 16 minutes in length and is designed for schools that just want to learn about the Pictavo BuyTheYearbook.
The best part about both videos is that they are short enough to be viewed during one class period or anytime that is convenient for the viewer(s)!
1. Since a yearbook and/or a DVD’s sole purpose is to let your students preserve memories for years to come, a DVD will be obsolete in only a few years. It’s virtually impossible to listen to an 8-Trak Tape, a vinyl record or Cassette Player today. The VHS recorder is basically gone forever. There are new emerging technologies today that will replace the DVD in the same way. Your students will find it almost impossible relive their most treasured memories in only a few years. What happens if it gets scratched and no longer works? A printed yearbook has a shelf life of 120 years.
2. There are 1,080 hours in the school year and that doesn’t include extracurricular activities. There are also 50 plus classes in most schools today, giving you a potential of over 50,000 hours of content. You can only get 45 minutes to an hour on a DVD. How many events and how many children do you think will not be included on a DVD? Every single student and staff member can be found in the pages of a print yearbook. Furthermore, when the vast majority of your parents don’t see their child on the DVD they won’t buy it again next year and many of them will want their money back this year.
3. Do you remember the fun of having all of your friends sign your yearbook with a message dedicated just for you? That is impossible with a DVD.
4. In some cases it may be beneficial to the school, students and staff to offer both choices. They may choose only a DVD, only a print yearbook or both. Since it doesn’t directly cost the PTA any money for either a DVD or a print yearbook give them a choice. Remember, by doing both it’s now a double fund-raiser! Keep in mind there are many parents who have purchased a yearbook since their child was in kindergarten and they have every expectation of building an entire collection. Don’t deprive them of that opportunity.
Welcome back from winter break! Now it’s time to get back to work!
If you plan on submitting your book to us this spring, here are some reminders of what you should be thinking about now:
1. Have you gotten your PSPA portrait CD from your school’s photographer?
2. Have you uploaded your portraits yet? Have you flowed them?
TIP: Be sure to print a draft copy of each classroom page once the portraits are flowed and have the teacher confirm the names match the faces and the names are spelled correctly. Then, have the teacher sign their class sheet! There is no way you will know every child in the school – but every teacher will know his/her students!
3. Have you activated your Pictavo BuyTheYearbook? (Pictavo Users only)
4. Have you started or completed your yearbook pre-sale?
5. Have you started selling ads? Business and personal?
TIP: If you need Yearbook Sales Banners or additional envelopes or sales flyers, please contact our office.
6. Have you designed your custom cover? Reminder: Custom Covers are due by February 1st.
7. Have you gotten photos from staff and family members at your school that you can use in your yearbook? (Pictavo users are encouraged to utilize the Photo Upload option in Community.)
8. Have you started panicking because you haven’t done any of this yet? Don’t worry! We’re here to help! 🙂
Please call us if you have any questions or need any assistance.
