Organizing Digital Scrap Supplies AND Fonts ????

[SplshMtn99]

I need help!!! Right now, I just have all the zip files I've downloaded in one file called "Digital Scrap Supplies" under My Documents.

NOT WORKING FOR ME!!! How do you organize them?

Do you keep the files zipped & together?
Do you unzip each kit into its own folder within a main folder?

I was thinking of some type of tagging method by categories similar to what's used in PhotoShop Elements to organize photos. I could create a separate catalog in PSE5 for supplies...and do categories by colors & themes. ????

I would like to find the pieces VISUALLY & not by file name. I suppose that's easy enough in XP.

Need ideas. Tell me what you do....and does it work after you've collected alot. I saw one software designed for this purpose, but now can't remember its name or where I saw it. Don't even know if its any good.

OT: Next....we'll be discussing organizing fonts. (1000+ & growing) LOL

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Instead of PSE to organize my supplies, I have switched to Acdsee. When using PSE organizer, I had lots and lots of problems with slow downs and crashes. Using Acdsee, my digiscrapping goes MUCH faster.

Back to organization. I have my "stuff" organized by specific elements, by theme, and (papers only) by color. My list of tags is huge, but finding exactly what I want when I'm scrapping is very easy.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Instead of PSE to organize my supplies, I have switched to Acdsee. When using PSE organizer, I had lots and lots of problems with slow downs and crashes. Using Acdsee, my digiscrapping goes MUCH faster.

Back to organization. I have my "stuff" organized by specific elements, by theme, and (papers only) by color. My list of tags is huge, but finding exactly what I want when I'm scrapping is very easy.

I had a version of acdsee YEARS & YEARS ago. So, it lets you tag now?? Is that a free download or do you need to buy it?

 

[piratesmate]

I'm doing the PSE thing. Originally I downloaded things in folders by Web sites under a broader Digital Scrapping folder. I made the mistake of not immediately unzipping things & have many broken files that will either need to be paid for a 2nd time or simply tossed. So now I download & immediately unzip. The ZIP files are moved to another folder full of sub-folders for each site and as soon as I have enough to fill a CD I burn one & remove them from my HD.

Then I'm slowly tagging everything. I'm using Sandy22's suggestion of multiple tags - although I probably have WAY too many or not nearly enough! I haven't spent enough time with it yet to decide. When I get a chance I go through and tag a folder for things like:
designer
color
element
theme

After everything in a folder is tagged I keep a list of what's been tagged as of a certain date - so I can go back & add the others.

I'm deciding that this is way too much work! LOL It is nice, though, to be able to go into PSE & find all my red supplies - or all my staples or fibers, etc.

As for fonts...do you really want to know that I keep a series of documents with samples of each font?!?!? Talk about being obsessive! I started with a document for ALL samples...using the phrase "The quick brown fox..." That worked well for the first 100 maybe. LOL

Then I had to start a separate document for certain themes:
"handwriting" aka script or cursive fonts
Tex-Mex type fonts
Pirate fonts
Celtic fonts
Disney & movie fonts
fonts with "odd angles"
plants/animals
symbols/characters
various languages/countries
etc, etc

I'm too impatient to look through the everything file now. And to just use the preview pane in Word doesn't work - they're too small! Oh - and I just marked fonts for things like "all upper/lower" and for those that don't have the full alpha I list the letters.

I'm sure there must be a better way!
Picture fonts ended up being split as well. I have a bunch that are floral

 

[Caitsmama]

ok, lets see.. when i download, i move the zip to a folder for that particular store or CT that i am on.... then i unzip it, and move the zipped part to a "zip folder" to burn -- that way if anything happens, at least i will have all my zip copies together..
Then, I burn the kits to a cd.. i usally have a cd for each main store i shop in or CT that i am on. Then i use PSE to make a contact sheet for the kits in that CD, and keep a folder with the contact sheets on my desktop, as well as printing one out for a binder.. then i can flip thru my binder, and pysically see what i have on what CD.. As well as CT's - they also get their own CD's. For me, this has been a good way to do it... as i am very visual. Some might not like having lots of CDs, but for me it's ok. I have also heard of lots of people saving everything to an EHD. - I don't have one ... so , can't comment on that. Some day soon, i would like to buy a laptop, so for me, i don't want to bring an EHD around with me all the time, so my cds work. Think of it as going thru your stuff when you get ready for a crop.. you preplan, and see what cd will work best with your pics..
I haven't tried ADSee yet either.

 

[bensenc]

I need help!!! Right now, I just have all the zip files I've downloaded in one file called "Digital Scrap Supplies" under My Documents.

NOT WORKING FOR ME!!! How do you organize them?

Do you keep the files zipped & together?
Do you unzip each kit into its own folder within a main folder?

I was thinking of some type of tagging method by categories similar to what's used in PhotoShop Elements to organize photos. I could create a separate catalog in PSE5 for supplies...and do categories by colors & themes. ????

I would like to find the pieces VISUALLY & not by file name. I suppose that's easy enough in XP.

Need ideas. Tell me what you do....and does it work after you've collected alot. I saw one software designed for this purpose, but now can't remember its name or where I saw it. Don't even know if its any good.

OT: Next....we'll be discussing organizing fonts. (1000+ & growing) LOL

Hi,
I can give more info on using ACDSee for organizing digisupplies. I've been using it for 6 months. My sister & I have written tutorials for getting started with it & we have a support forum at www .DigiScrapinfo.com
(I can't post links...but you can click on the left blinkie to get to our forum & the right blinkie will take you to our tutorials & the trial download)

After I unzip my kits, I keep the zips for awhile, but then delete them after about 2 months because...they take up a lot of space.

And I will caution about organizing in PSE because people have reported it bogging down & crashing at 20 gig. I know of someone with ACDSee that has 200 gig cataloged in ACDSee with no slow down! It's a powerful program and makes cataloging fast. My sister has pre-made categories available now that you can import -- on our blog at digiscrapinfo.com/wordpress

ACDSee Photo Manager 9 also allows you to make photodiscs where the program creates thumbnails of every image on the disc and then you can view & search the images even when the disc is NOT in the computer! When you find something you want to use, ACDSee tells you which disc it's on. (no memory needed!)

Let us know if you have questions

 

[New England Eeyore]

I can offer a suggestion about font organization. I use "The Font Thing" which is a free download available here: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~scef/tft.html.

I have over 800 fonts so I needed to do something. It allows you to create collections, and I have things like "Disney, Gothic, Specific Brands, Letters inside graphics, Childish, Animal," just to name a few. You can very easily change the size of your sample text and quickly scan through your fonts, the sample test changing as you scan. I used to be very organized with it but when my computer crashed a few years ago I lost all my collections (didn't lose the actual fonts, luckily) and I haven't been good about going back and reorganizing it. It's a "one of these days" kind of to-do.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll check them all out. Since we did get font organizing info too, I updated title of thread to reflect both. Still open to anyone elses replies if any.

 

[poohbear158]

I strongly suggest ACDSee. There is a great tutorial on how to use it and it also has a 30 day free trial that you can download from the company's site. This has been the best product hands down that I have used (and I tried many of them in my quest to finally get organized).

http://www.digiscrapinfo.com/files/files.php?cat=2

 

[Lisa0503]

I can offer a suggestion about font organization. I use "The Font Thing" which is a free download available here: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~scef/tft.html.

I have over 800 fonts so I needed to do something. It allows you to create collections, and I have things like "Disney, Gothic, Specific Brands, Letters inside graphics, Childish, Animal," just to name a few. You can very easily change the size of your sample text and quickly scan through your fonts, the sample test changing as you scan. I used to be very organized with it but when my computer crashed a few years ago I lost all my collections (didn't lose the actual fonts, luckily) and I haven't been good about going back and reorganizing it. It's a "one of these days" kind of to-do.

I LOVE this program!!!! IF you don't have "The Font Thing" definately download it and try it out!!! It is awesome for digital scrapping!!!

I am going to have to look into ACDSee. I need to get organized.... Right now I just have a huge folder full of stuff....It really got out of hand very quick...