Help Center

The beauty of our books is that we can bind your originals of varying sizes and shape, but that also means it can be confusing to explain how much can fit in your book. 

Everything is prepared by hand by one of our trained paper assistants. 

PAGE COUNT

For our purposes, a page is a single sheet of artwork paper or a single item, and it includes both sides. So, if it's a piece of construction paper that has been painted or written on both sides, it will count as ONE page.

You may have some paper 1/2 sheets:  If you send them to us together, we can count two 1/2 sheets as one since we can pair them together as "one".

An odd shaped item counts as one.

An 8x10 photo counts as one.

1/4 SHEET or OTHER SMALLER ITEMS

If you have a collection of small items like sticky notes, index cards, name tags, doodles, photos, and other small mementos to include, we offer a Scrapbooking service for $50 (per book).  We will fit as many as we can, utilizing the backs of other pages or using new paper as needed.  Or, you can add pockets and clear sleeves to the back of your book when you customize it.  Then you can add your small things later when you get your book.

PAGE SIZES

Our books are sized for 8.5 x 11, but we can accommodate larger and smaller papers with certain guidelines: 

LARGER PAGES

9 x 12 pages will be trimmed down to fit.  We trim each one by hand, looking at it to determine the best place to trim. trimming would cause you to lose precious and important parts of the art piece, we will fold it if it's not too thick to fold.  However, our goal is to trim, because folding increases the thickness of your book.

Anything up to 11 x 17 will be trimmed and folded as needed, if it's foldable. We are also limited to the number of pieces we can fold, because folding increases the overall thickness of the book. 

• 30 Page Book:  5 pages folded
• 60 Page Book: 10 pages folded
• 90 Page Book: 15 pages folded

Remember, the pages must be foldable and be able to lay flat after folding.

1/2 SHEET and ODD SHAPED ITEMS or PAGES

For 1/2 sheets, we can count 2 as one page if you send them together, because we can bind them top half and bottom half of the book.

For odd shapes, we will first try to bind them as is or we will mount them.  If an odd-shaped item is oversized and too thick to fold, we will return it.

1/4 SHEET or OTHER SMALLER ITEMS

If you have a collection of small items like sticky notes, index cards, name tags, doodles, photos, and other small mementos to include, please add our Scrapbooking service for $50 (per book).  We will fit as many as we can, utilizing the backs of other pages or using new paper as needed. 

We have a list of items that will not bind well in our books.  If you have something you're not sure about, you can send it and if we cannot bind it, we will return it.

The rule of thumb is FLAT and FLEXIBLE.  If it's too stiff or dimensional, we may not be able to bind it.

Things we can bind:

Construction paper, notebook paper, copy paper, thin laminate, lightweight cardstock

Flat yarn, ribbon, fabric, sequins, basically flat embellishments

Flattened or thinned out cotton balls

Google eyes will be removed and replaced with a flat version (no bubble)

Small and medium sized Pom Poms will be cut off, leaving a remnant. 

Maybe:

Sometimes we can bind pipecleaners, q-tips, small popsicle sticks, flat buttons and the like depending where they are on the piece.  If they intefere with binding or trimming, we can't bind them.  Discretion is required:  If the entire piece is amazing and there is one button causing a problem, we may opt to remove it so as to bind the rest of the piece.

Things we cannot bind:

Paper plates. 

Thick pom poms, beads, or buttons

Macaroni, rice, sand, beans, anything that is loose and won't stay put

Thick or stiff laminate, cardstock, canvas board anything that is heavy, stiff, inflexible.

If you're not sure, please send it and we will return it if we cannot bind it.

PHOTOS: 

Our books are not designed to be photo albums, as photos are thick and heavy.  Once mounted onto paper, the pages don't "turn" very well and the paper can tear from the weight.

That said, we can bind up to 5 photos no larger than 8x10.  Each photos counts as a page.

If you have many photos that you want included in your book, please consider our Digital Scrapbooking Service, where we can scan your photos, create collages, and print.  It's $85/hour to scan and collage, plus cost to print.

ALL OTHER SMALL ITEMS:

Newspaper clippings, ticket stubs, index cards, small doodles, sticky notes, and other small paper mementos can be included in your book with our optional Scrapbooking service.  The cost is $50 per book and includes the time and material necessary to hand scrapbook your mementos.  We will fit as many as we can and return whatever doesn't fit or cannot be bound.

GREETING CARDS

We know how much you treasure your greeting cards, but the commercially made cards are of a thickness and stiffness that makes them challenging, and require a significant amount of time to prepare and bind.

As of January 2024, we can no longer include greeting cards with children's art and schoolwork books.  We are currently working on a greeting card book option that will be sold separately.  Please hold onto those cards and hopefully we will be able to help you in the future!

EXCEPTION: A paper card that your child made by folding a piece of printer or construction paper in half is NOT considered a greeting card and we CAN bind it. 

We ship exclusively with USPS Priority or Ground shipping, tracked and insured.  We've sent and received thousands upon thousands of packages with 100% delivery success.  Our local postal workers know us well, and they deliver and pick up daily.

For your papers on the way to us:  Your kit will include a pre-paid label with tracking number and barcodes.  This ensures prompt and reliable delivery and our location is very secure.  We are located in Arizona, with very little weather disruption, so most packages take only 2-3 days to arrive.  We will notify you when your papers arrive.

For your finished book back to you:  You will be notified via email with your tracking information when your book ships.  You can track your package anytime at USPS.com.  You will also be notified when it is out for delivery and when it is delivered.  You’ll know exactly where it is every step of the way.

If you prefer to use UPS or Fed Ex to send us your materials, you are welcome to do so at your own cost and discretion.  Please let us know when your package ships so we can be expecting it. 

About your pre-paid label:  It is good for one year.  If your order is older than one year, we will still complete it for you, but you will need to request and purchase a new label, just email orders@4everbound.com