Generating a Digital PDF
Learn how to create beautiful digital PDFs optimised for any device, from generating your first proof to downloading the final digital book
Want to read your book on screen or share it digitally? Keepsake creates beautiful digital PDFs optimised for any device, perfect for family members who prefer digital over print.
How to Generate Your Digital Book
Navigate to Printing
Go to Printing from your sidebar
Select your book
Click Configure on the book you want to generate
Find Book Preview
Scroll down to the Book Preview section
Choose Digital tab
Select the Digital tab if it's not already active
Start generation
Click Generate Book (you'll see this button if no digital version exists yet)
Review details
Review the book details that appear before proceeding
Review Your Book Details
Before generation starts, you'll see a comprehensive summary of what's being created:
Content Summary:
- Title and author information
- Whether a blurb is included
- Chapter and entry count
- Table of contents inclusion
The Generation Process
Start generation
Click Generate Book to begin the process
Wait for completion
Generation typically takes 1-3 minutes depending on book size. You'll see a progress indicator
Automatic completion
The process completes automatically. No need to stay on the page
Understanding the Proof Review Process
Your Test Document is Created First
When generation completes, Keepsake creates a Proof Version rather than the final PDF immediately.
Why We Create a Proof First
- Quality control: Catch any formatting issues before your final version
- Layout review: See exactly how your content flows across pages
- Design confirmation: Verify your chosen templates work well with your content
- Peace of mind: No surprises in your final PDF
Preview Options for Your Proof
You can review your test document in two ways:
Interactive Reading
Interactive page turning with click and drag functionality, page navigation with arrows, and full content preview with all stories and photos in their final positions.
What to Look for in Your Proof
Visual Elements
Photo placement and positioning, chapter breaks on appropriate pages
Content Flow
Text flow across page breaks, table of contents accuracy
Your Digital Book is Ready for Review
Once you've clicked Create Digital Book, Keepsake processes all your content into a clean, formatted PDF. This usually takes just a few moments.
You'll then access the book review screen where you can:
- Check all your book details and statistics
- Preview how everything looks in the final format
- Make any last-minute changes if needed
- Download your digital book or order a printed copy
Once you've reviewed your proof and confirmed everything looks good, you can proceed to the final review and download process.
Review and Download Your Digital Book
Get detailed guidance on reviewing your book details, understanding subscription benefits, and completing your digital book download.
Need to Make Changes After Reviewing Your Proof?
Identify issues
Spotted something that needs fixing in your proof?
Return to project
Go back to your project and make any content or design changes needed
Generate new proof
The Test Document will update with your changes
Review again
Proceed to final
Once you're completely happy, proceed to the final PDF generation
Troubleshooting
Make sure your book has completed entries and all required details are filled in. Check that you're on the Digital tab, not the Print tab.
Generation typically takes 1-3 minutes. If it's been longer than 5 minutes, try refreshing the page and starting again.
After generation completes, you should automatically see the proof. If not, check your browser's popup blocker settings or try refreshing the page.
This is normal for proof versions. The final PDF won't have any watermarks or test markings.
After reviewing your proof and confirming everything looks good, click Continue to Confirmation to generate the clean, final version.
If you need more assistance with this topic please contact support at support@keepsakeproject.co.
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