How to Create & Print Your Own Cookbook From Your Home Computer
If you are like many cooks you probably have recipes scattered all over your kitchen. From carefully written recipes on index cards to hastily scribbled cooking instructions on scraps of paper, chances are your kitchen workspace is filled with various recipes. You can consolidate those recipes into an easy-to-use cookbook using your computer.
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Things You'll Need
- Recipes
- Computer
- Word processing software
- Image files
- Printer
- Paper
- Stapler or binder
Instructions
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Input the Recipes
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Gather your recipes together. You can choose to use only your own recipes, or you can make the cookbook a family project by asking every member of the family to contribute one or two of their favorite recipes.
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Sort the recipes into categories like main dishes, appetizers and desserts. You can sort the recipes further into categories like vegetarian entrees, beef dishes, fish dishes and more. You can sort the desserts section into cakes, pies and frozen desserts.
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Open your favorite publishing or word processing program. If you have Microsoft Publisher installed on your computer you can use it to lay out the pages. Otherwise word processing programs like Microsoft Word and the free Open Office provide easy-to-use templates you can use to lay out each recipe on its own page.
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Type up each recipe, proofreading each one thoroughly before moving on to the next. Use the formatting options in your word processing or publishing programs to dress up each recipe and make it look its best. You may also want to add clip art, pictures and other elements to make each page of the cookbook look great.
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Save the finished cookbook to your hard drive or portable storage device. Then make sure your printer has fresh ink installed and start to send each page to the printer. Carefully inspect each page as it exits the printer to make sure the recipe is correct and that the printed version looks as good as you expected.
Put it All Together
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Gather the pages you have printed, then design an attractive full color cover using your favorite software program. You may want to include clip art, family photos or other special touches. It is a good idea to use a heavier weight paper for the front and back covers to make the book more durable.
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Decide what you want to do with the finished product. After the cookbook has been assembled you can simply staple it together, or you can spiral bind it at an office supply store or at your local Kinko's or UPS Store.
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Give your custom made cookbooks to your family members and friends. Family cookbooks make a thoughtful and practical gift for the holidays or anytime, and these special gifts are a great way to preserve your family history and those one-of-a-kind recipes.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also publish and print your cookbook at Scribd.com and other online publishers.
