Designing and building your own posters is easy with our custom online poster design tool. In this guide we’ll quickly walk you through the process of designing your own poster so you can start on your own creations.

Memories From My Life allows you to select from 4 different poster size layouts which are all different prices. There are two ways to start your poster design project.

1. You can visit the Build Your Poster page from the top navigation menu
2. You can visit the Poster Prices page (from the top navigation menu) and select the poster size you wish to start building with. This option will pre-select the poster layout you choose and allow you to continue customization from there.

For completeness sake, this guide will follow the 1st option.

So, lets get started!

First …

Click on the Build Your Poster link in the top navigation menu.  You will be taken to a page that looks like the image on the left.
This is the poster builder.  The design options are situated on the left side (Poster Design Options) and the poster preview area is located on the right side.  Currently, the poster preview area is simply a blank white screen.  Lets start changing this.

Step 1

Click design option 1 titled Select Layout.  A slide-down menu will be revealed, offering you 4 layout options to choose from.  Go ahead and select your desired poster layout.  For this example, we’ll select the second option, 22 x 28 (7 photos + 1 cameo).  Upon selection the poster preview area will be automatically updated with your choice.  The 22 x 28 poster size allows us to add 7 photos to our poster and one additional cameo photo which is the oval photo area in the top left area of the photo.

Step 2

Click on design option 2 titled Select Background Color.  The second set of options will now be revealed, presenting you with 5 color options to choose from for you poster background.  For this example, we’ll select the first option — Blue — but feel free to select any color you like.  Clicking on a color option will automatically update the poster preview area as usual.

Step 3

Let’s select a texture to add a little more interest to the background.  Click on design option 2 titled Select Background Texture.  Here you have 3 options to choose from.  We’ll select the middle option — Grain.  You can select any of the others if you like.  The poster preview area will be updated accordingly.  Due to the fine nature of some of the textures, it may be difficult to see some of your textures in the limited poster preview area, but don’t worry, your texture is there if you look closely and will be quite visible in the final print.

Step 4

Click on the Select Frame Color design option.  This set of options allows you to choose the color of the borders which will frame each image on your poster.  You have 5 to pick from.  We’ll select the Gold option for our example.

Step 5

Underneath each image space holder (except the cameo image), you’ll notice there are placeholders for a short image caption.  Design option 5 is where you get to choose the color of the background for these captions.  Click the design option titled Select Caption Background Color.  You have 5 options to choose from here including None which doesn’t color the background of the captions.  In this example, we’ll choose Yellow. Incidentally, Ohio Alzheimer Association staff members suggest highlighting captions in yellow for loved ones dealing with dementia.

Step 6

Last of the design options to choose from is No. 6 titled Enter Loved One’s Name.  Click on this option.  This is where you provide the first and last name of the person the poster is being made for and also the person’s date of birth.  We’ll enter ‘Theodor Giesel’ as our example name and a birthdate of March 2, 1904.  You should see the title text change in the top right section of the poster to reflect our input.

Save Your Design Progress

This seems like a good place to save our design in case we get interrupted or want to return to it later.  So under the Poster Design Options, there is a large button titled Save This Design.  Go ahead and click this.  If you’re not already logged in, you will be transferred to a login page where you can login if you have an account, or create a new account if you haven’t already done so.  This process is quick and once you’re logged in or your account is created, you’ll be redirected back to the poster builder to continue designing.
Once, you’re back to the poster designer, you should see the following popup notice informing you about whether your design was saved successfully or not.

Retrieve a Saved Design

To retrieve a design you’ve saved in the past, make sure you’re logged into the site first.  Then in the top secondary menu (that’s the blue bar at the very top of the page) click on My Account.  This will take you to the following page displayed in the image on the left.  Here you’ll see a list of your saved designs using the name you provided on the poster.  Click on the one you want to continue designing and you’ll be transferred to the poster designer with your saved content loaded in the designer.

Upload an Image

Lets continue with our poster by showing you how to add images.  Your poster layout has several image placeholders where your images will be inserted.  Click on any such placeholder to upload an image from your computer into that spot.  This will bring up your computer’s file browser where you can find and select the desired image from your computer’s file system.  Once you’ve selected your image and clicked on the OK button (the text of the button may vary, depending on your type of computer), wait a few seconds and your image will be uploaded into the spot you clicked on.  In this example, I’ve uploaded an image into the second image position of the poster layout.  The poster designer attempts to resize images to fit the image spaces, but it isn’t always perfect on the first try.  Don’t worry, you can easily edit this.  So let’s do just that.  Don’t forget to save your design after each image upload so you don’t lose any changes.

Resize and Nudge an Image

In case an image has been resized too small for the space or for your preferences, you can easily increase or decrease the image’s size.  To accomplish this, click once on the image you want to resize in the poster builder.  You’ll notice two arrow buttons appear in the top left region of the image.  One arrow points up and the other down (see image on the left).
Clicking the up arrow will increase the image size and clicking the down arrow will decrease the image size.
You can also move the image by clicking down on it and moving the mouse.  You’ll see that the image moves along with your mouse freely.  This way you can exactly position the image where you wish.
Clicking away from the image, on the poster background, for example, will deselect the image and end your editing of that particular image.

Delete an Image

To delete an image you’ve uploaded, click on the image as before so you can see the resize arrow buttons.  This lets you know the image is selected.  Then hit the Delete key on your computer’s keyboard (you may need to ensure that your Number Lock is on if using your computer’s keypad) and the image will be deleted and your poster autosaved to reflect the change.

Add an Image Caption

To add a short caption to your image, click on the image caption you wish to modify.  A popup will appear with a field for you to enter the text you want for the caption.  It’s important to remember to keep these as short as possible in order to stay within the caption space allotted.  Enter your text and then click OK.  The caption should now be updated with the text you provided.

Add to Cart

Once you’ve completed your poster design and are ready to place your order, you can do so by first adding it to your cart and then proceeding to checkout.  To accomplish this, click on the Add To Cart button found under the Save This Design button.  You’ll need to be logged in for this button to be visible.  If your design has been successfully added to your cart, you’ll be greeted with a popup similar to the image on the left.

To checkout, or to view your cart items, click on the cart icon in the top secondary navigation menu of the site (found in the right portion of the dark blue bar running across the top of the page).  You’ll be transferred to the cart page which will look something like the image on the left.
You can change the quantity of posters if you’d like to order more than one.  You can also enter any coupon codes you may have at this time if you’ve been provided with one.  Finally, click the Proceed To Checkout button to securely pay with your credit card and provide your shipping and contact information.