What Should I do first? – Your Website Quick Start Guide

Quick Start Guide Welcome to the New Users Quick Start Guide:
 We are excited to have you join our Family! If you are wondering were to get started, this article is a great place begin. We will go over logging in, deadlines, menu tabs, adding staff members, permissions, uploading photos, using your ladder and managing your account. We consider these tools the most important tools to understand in order to create a great yearbook project. So lets get started!  

Home Page and Tab Navigation:
 If you are not sure where to begin, our Yearbook Checklist will give you a step in the right direction.  Our Yearbook Checklist gives you a rundown of where to begin and where to go from there.  Here are some main points to keep in mind when getting started with your yearbook.

  • Manage Deadlines: Keep your yearbook project on track with the “Manage Deadlines” page, available under the Manage tab.  As you complete each deadline, you can click the red Submit button pertaining to the deadline you’ve reached.  (Note: It is very important to meet all your deadlines to ensure to complete your final deadline and receive your yearbooks by your requested delivery date.  Any missed deadlines risk delays in shipment of your yearbooks.)
  • Menu Tabs: For all accounts you have your standard tabs; Manage, Upload, Collaborate, Design and Help.  (Some accounts may have the “Request” tab which is added according to the way your account is set up.)
  • Manage Tab – This tab allows you to manage everything about your account.  You can edit your book specs and account information.  Setup your staff and their permissions on the website as well as their tasks.  Organize your pages in your yearbook ladder along with anything that has been uploaded for you to use in building your book.
  • Upload Tab – This tab allows you to upload everything you will need to complete your yearbook.  You can upload photos, pages, covers, and other documents that you may need.  You can also upload pictures directly from Instagram and Facebook, Dropbox and Google Drive.
  • Collaborate Tab – This tab allows users to explore templates, our gallery of yearbooks, view your past saved yearbooks to use for future books, read customer testimonials, view past yearbook contest winners and pre-designed covers.  Share templates you created, enter into this year’s yearbook contest, tell a friend about us as your favorite yearbook design company or connect with students and your community.  You can also help your staff to become certified in designing yearbooks with our online curriculum. Use our new Inspire section for inspiration!  We have contests you can enter, cool links to visit, and many more exciting tools to help you think creatively.
  • Design Tab – This tab allows you access to your yearbook pages to begin designing [For EDOnline Users Only].  Design your cover, endsheets, and create your student portrait pages which we call “People Pages.”  You can also create an index and recover pages.  (Note: Only Accounts whom request Endsheets to be included in their book will have this design option.)
  • Help Tab – This tab is your key to contacting us with any questions you may have.  We also have online tools to help you right away.  Video Tutorials, E Guides, and quick start guides are available immediately.  You can also sign up for our online training sessions.  
  • Request Tab – This tab allows users to request a complete yearbook kit of all the tools to help you in designing your yearbook as well as the option to request a proof book for final review.  There is also the option to create your marketing materials for aid in selling your yearbooks.

Setting Up New Users On the Website: 
 It’s now time to set up your staff users and manage their permissions as to what you would like them to have access to.  To get started follow these steps: Adding A Staff Member: 

  1. Click on the link “Manage Staff/Users” under the Manage Tab.
  2. Click on the “Add New Staff”
  3. Be sure to fill in all fields for each member making sure this user status is set to “Approved User.”
  4. Assign the “Staff Member Type.” 
  5. Click “Update Profile.”


Note: There are three different Member Types: Administrator, Editor and Staff User.  Each member type has a different level of access to the yearbook.  You can set these levels under the Manage Yearbook Account section.  To all a staff member access you must select “Approved User.”  If at any time you need to remove a staff member just simply click on the members name from the Yearbook Staff Page and select “Rejected.”  The Administrator has full access to all yearbook information.  This option should only be used for Yearbook Advisors.
Manage User Permissions: 
 Under manage permissions you can set the access level for your staff members and Editors.  They have been preset with our suggestions but you can update them to fit your needs. 

  1. Click on the link “Manage Permissions” under the Manage Tab.
  2. For each option select Yes or No to manage what each Editor and Staff member can access.
  3. Once you are satisfied with your selections click “Update Permissions.”

Viewing Videos And Other Help Documents:
 You can access all tutorial videos under the “Help” Tab.  Just click on the video you would like to view and watch our webinars at your convenience.  You can also find written instructions to all of our design programs.  Contact support directly if you need a little more assistance.  We’re always happy to help! 

Uploading and Managing Photos: 
 There are many different ways you and your staff can upload and manage photos for your yearbook, but the most common way to upload photos is as follows.

  1. Click on the “Upload Photos” under the Upload Tab.
  2. Select a category you wish to upload your photos to, or create a new one to upload to.
  3. Click “Browse” to select photos from your computer.  (You can also drag files from your desktop onto the file upload window.)  The uploading process will start automatically.

 There are several other options for uploading photos, including emailing photos into a category using the Category emails available on the Manage Photos page, as well as utilizing the LINK website and the Entourage Mobile App.View the Uploading Photos help page for more details.

Upload Via Facebook and Instagram, Dropbox and Google Drive  
Have an account on one of these platforms?  You can easily import your images to your yearbook account by selecting “Manage Photos” and clicking on the icon for the platform you would like to upload from. Once you have selected the platform you would like to upload photos from (Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, Google Drive), you will be required to login with that platforms credentials. After you login your photos from your desired platform will import, then you can select what photos you would like to upload, and what category you would like to upload to.  

Managing Your Photos:
You can organize your photos by category.  When users and other staff members upload photos you want to have different categories available that allows you to find the photos you need easy.  Let’s create a category.

  1. Under your Upload Tab click on “Create Photo Category.”
  2. Enter your new category name and a brief description.
  3. If your new category will be a Sub-Category, choose a “Category Parent:.”
  4. Then click “Done.”

When managing your photos, you also have the option to select, move, delete, rotate, and download photos and categories. Just go to “Manage Photos” in the Manage Tab.

Using The Yearbook Ladder: 
 Creating and organizing your yearbook pages can be easy and fun using our Yearbook Ladder.  From the ladder you can submit your completed yearbook for production, preview and move pages.  You also have the option to assign pages to your yearbook staff within the “Page Details.” To get to the Ladder, navigate to the “Manage” tab at the top of your page, then select “Manage Ladder. Here are some things you can do in your page details:

  • Section: Organize your pages by sections using the options from our drop down menu.
  • Title: If your yearbook follows a particular theme add a title to better organize your pages.
  • Due Date: Keep your staff organized by creating deadlines for when their assigned pages must be completed.
  • Status: You can change the status of your pages by either listing as placed, locked, finalized or hide your page using our newest feature “Lock & Hidden”
  • Your “Page Notes” shows when the selected page was last updated along with who updated the page.

How To Apply Pages To Your Yearbook Ladder: For Fotofusion & InDesign Users
To apply a page to your ladder created from Fotofusion or an outside design software such as InDesign follow these steps:  

  1. Click “Assign Page” in a blank page on your ladder. (NOTE: your account must be set up to INDESIGN/FOTOFUSION to see this, if you do not see your pages have “Assign Page on the, please contact your account manager). 
  2. Click the “Select Page” button next to the page you would like to apply.
  3. Click “Update Ladder” after you have applied the page to your ladder.
  4. Once you have uploaded all your pages to the ladder you are ready to submit for production.

It is very important to make sure there are no other changes that need to be made before you click the “Submit for Production” button.  If you submit and need to make additional changes, charges will apply.

Moving Pages: 
When you’ve created your pages for your yearbook but would like to change the location in which the page appears you have the option to move page spreads.  You can move, insert a blank spread or delete any undesired spread from your page designer.   After you are satisfied with the location in which your page appears click “Confirm Page Moves.”  If you are dissatisfied with your page moves, you can click “Reset Page Moves” and it will allow you to start over.  In “Advanced Page Moves”, you can move individual pages rather than the entire two page spread.   Manage Account: 
 Yearbook Advisors can update account information from your yearbook account.  Update your page and yearbook account or your delivery date.  Any changes made will be sent directly to your account manager.  You can even view your price change if you decide to add upgrades to your yearbook so you can see if it is within your yearbook budget. To find Manage account, navigate to the “Manage” tab at the top of your screen, click the drop down arrow and select “Manage Account” at the top of the list. 


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