How does it all work? What happens when? Deadlines? Let’s learn about it.
The Yearbook Process by Month
We’ve outlined what you should be doing each month to stay on track for a delivery at athe end of the school year.
July
– Attend our yearbook retreat/workshop
– Submit your initial set-up form
– Start planning your ladder
August
– Complete your ladder
– Begin Uploading Photos
– Create All Users (if you have other people helping with the book)
September
– Enable Parent Uploads so other people can contribute photos into the yearbook
– Send out ordering reminders, flyers, and order forms
– Select all fonts you want to use in your yearbook
October
– Finalize which panel pages you want and where they should appear
– Begin designing your backgrounds and borders for collage pages
– Continue to remind parents and teachers to submit photos through their United Portraits accounts
November
– Begin reviewing your panel pages
– Hang up your “Order The Yearbook” banner
– Have 10% of your book completed
December
– Completely approve Panel Review 1 for all your student photos.
– Remind parents to order the yearbook before the prices increase on January 1st! (if you want to have a price increase)
– Have 30% of your book completed. You should be able to complete collage or event pages from the first quarter of the year.
January
– Begin reviewing Panel Page Corrections made by United Portraits
– Put a 3 month plan together for what has to happen and what is missing in your book
– Remind parents via digital and printed flyers that they can still order the yearbook
February
– Completely finish with Panel Review #2 and submit any corrections
– Decorate around your panel pages with borders, backgrounds, and clipart
– Completely finish 60% of your pages
March
– Complete remaining Panel Page changes together with United Portraits
– Remind parents and teachers to submit photos for any pages that you are having a difficult time getting photos for
– You should have 80% of your pages completed by now
April
– Mark ALL pages complete in your book and notify United Portraits you are finished.
– A hard copy proof will be printed and delivered to you. You’ll review this hard copy. If you have changes to make, you will be able to make them.
– You’ll decide with guidance from United Portraits how many yearbooks to order. We will run any online ordering reports and ensure that we order the correct amount of books for your organization.
– You will 100% finish and approve your book sometime in April.
– An ACTUAL book delivery date will be given AFTER you have 100% approved your book and it has been sent to print.
What happens when I am finished with my book?
This is what to expect, in the following order:
| Step | Timeline |
| 1. You notify us via email that you are finished with your book. | Within 24 hours you will receive your PDF. |
| 2. We export your book and send you a PDF to review. | You have 24 hours to review your PDF. |
| 3. We unlock any pages and you make any modifications necessary. | You have 24 hours to make any corrections to your pages. |
| 4. Once any modifications are made, we print 1 hard copy of the book for you to review/approve. | You have 48 hours to review and approve your hard copy. |
| 5. You FULLY approve your book to print and select the number of copies. (10 days to receive your printed books, once fully approved) | No further action required after you complete your approval form. |
| You receive your yearbooks 10 business days after you complete your approval form. | All books require 10 days of print time from the date you submit your final approval. All books will be delivered to the school. |
You are guaranteed to receive your yearbooks within 10 business days of you completing your approval form. We are not able to guarantee you will receive your books FASTER than business days 10 days. If you have a strict deadline, please submit your final approval form more than 10 days prior to the date you wish to receive your books.
May
– Relax and let us do the heavy lifting.
– Plan a distribution day. Are you doing it during a certain time period, is there a signing party?
– Receive your books from United Portraits. We’ll coordinate directly with you on a delivery date and time.
– When you receive your books, we’ll include information on how to distribute them properly with lists of who ordered, custom books, etc.
June
– Take a vacation! You did it!
– Your books should be delivered by now
– Mark the July Yearbook Retreat/Workshop on your calendar