We also do a yearbook every year. We use Taylor also, but we "scrapbook" about half of the book so we can use more pictures. We have 400 students K-5. We have a 56 or 64 page book that's all color. We have an artwork contest for the fifth graders for the front and back covers. The book costs us $23 each and we sell them for $20. We cover the rest of the cost by selling parent ads and sponsor pages. We run it to break-even. The kids love it!
We do a yearbook every year. We have done it both ways - used a yearbook company or done it ourselves. Using the company is generally easier but it does cost more. We are a big school - over 800 students - so it is a lot of work to do it yourself. You can do it more easily if you have a good publishing program like Adobe photoshop or Publisher.
This year we used a company (Taylor) that offered the digital program. They downloaded all the student pictures (taken by a different photographer) for the class pages and then we could edit by hand. The program was a little hard to download snapshots into (we used digital and regular that we scanned in). We ended up doing all the collage pages by hand - the digital program didn't allow enough pictures on the page. Generally the yearbook company gives you a lot of help, provides you with the layout sheets, etc.
Our yearbook costs us about $16 per copy for about 100 black and white pages plus 8 color pages. We sell it for $20 to cover our costs. We do not use yearbook as a moneymaker - we just break even. There's no way we could afford to give them away to everyone. However, we do give yearbooks to graduating 6th graders that we know can't afford them. It's done discreetly and we make sure no one is left out.
Our school does one every year and this is my second year putting it together. The company that comes in to do the school pic's also does our yearbook printing, etc. They have a computer program (Pelican) that we use. It has all the pages laid out with the students on them. You can add, delete, make any changes, it also comes with clip art or you can add your own. We do a few collage pages by hand though. Thats much easier.
We don't charge for our yearbooks. I think the principal flips for them out of his funds. Each kid gets one
Has anyone ever done yearbooks for an elementary school? Do you compose them yourself with digital pictures and copying? What did you charge versus your profit margin? Anyone have any ideas on this subject?
