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How to personalize your copy of
THE OBAMA TIME CAPSULE

It takes less than 10 minutes to personalize your book. This brief tutorial will walk you through each step of the easy process. If you'd prefer to read about it, simply scroll down to the step-by-step guide below.

THE OBAMA TIME CAPSULE Step-by-Step Guide

Placing your order for a personalized copy of THE OBAMA TIME CAPSULE is easy. This site will guide you through the process, but you may want to print this step-by-step guide for easy reference.

Step 1: Order Your book on Amazon.com

Go to Amazon.com to purchase a copy of the book. You'll be emailed an authorization link that will take you to The Obama Time Capsule site, where you can personalize your book. (Please note: The email may take up to 3 hours to arrive in your inbox. If you do not receive your customization link within 24 hours please contact customerservice@theobamatimecapsule.com.) Be sure to save this email. It has your confirmation order ID and the Amazon.com email address you'll need to access the website if you need to return to finish personalizing your book.

Step 2: Receive Your Authorization Link Email

When you receive your authorization link from Amazon.com, click the "Start Personalizing Your Book" button. This will take you to the first screen of our website, where you'll log in to start personalizing your book. (Please note: Log in with the email address you used to purchase the book on Amazon.com.)

Step 3: Start Personalizing Your Book

On the next six screens, you'll be asked a few questions and invited to upload some photos. If you're customizing the book for a family member or friend, you'll enter their name and photos. Please note: You must complete the personalization process within 10 days of purchase from Amazon.com. If you do not complete the process in 10 days, you will be sent a standard version of the book.

Let's Get Started

Enter Your Name and Photo

  1. Enter your name (or the name of the person for whom you're customizing the book) in the Text Tool. (Please note that there is a limit of 35 characters.)
  2. Upload a photo: Use the "Choose File" button to find a digital photo of yourself, a family member or a friend (.jpg format only). Once you have selected your photo, click "Upload." Please note that you'll get the best results if you use a camera with a resolution of 2 megapixels or greater.
    The name and photo you enter here will automatically appear in various locations throughout the book. (Don't worry, you'll be able to change them later.)

Your Name on the Front Cover

You can be one of the authors on the cover of the book! The name you typed in the previous screen will appear on the front cover along with the authors of THE OBAMA TIME CAPSULE. Not only does this name appear on the front cover, it will also be printed on the title page as well as in a few other surprise places in the book.

Front_cover
  1. Check to be sure the name is spelled correctly. To correct the name or enter a different name, type it into the Text Tool. Click "Preview" to see what the revised name looks like on the cover.
  2. If you don't want your name on the cover, choose "Don't personalize this page" below the large preview image.
  3. Once you're satisfied, click the blue "Approve this page" button at the bottom of the page.

Add Your Photo to the Back Cover

The photo you uploaded in the last screen will appear on the back cover of the book.

Back_cover
  1. You can resize your image by dragging the red handles in the Image Tool. To center your image, click and drag the selection area. Click "Preview" to see how your image will look on the back cover.
  2. Check the quality meter to determine if your photo has a high enough resolution to look good when the book is printed. Do not use an image that's in the red zone.
  3. To select a different image, use the "Choose File" button. Once you've selected an image you like, click "Upload" (.jpg format only).
  4. If you don't want your photo on the back cover, choose "Don't personalize this page" below the large preview image.
  5. Once you're satisfied, click the blue "Approve this page" button at the bottom of the page.

Personalize the Dedication Page

This is the Dedication page, where you can dedicate this book to someone special and write them a personal message. We've provided a pre-written Dedication, but you can easily replace it with your own message.

Dedication
  1. In the first box, type the name of the family member or friend to whom you wish to dedicate the book. Then click "Preview" to see how it appears in the book. Be sure to check your spelling. (Please note that there is a maximum length of 40 characters.)

    You may also personalize the Dedication message. For example, you might want to write about what the election meant to you or why you've created a personalized edition in someone's honor. (Please note that there is a maximum length of 400 characters.)
  2. Type your Dedication message in the larger box. Click "Preview" to see how it looks. This website does not have a spell checker, so we strongly recommend that you run your Dedication message through a spell-checking program before you approve this page.
  3. If you prefer to use our pre-written Dedication rather than your own, choose "Don't personalize this page" below the large preview image.
  4. Once you're satisfied, click the blue "Approve this page" button at the bottom of the page.

Add Your Name to the Inaugural Invitation Page

Whether you were invited to the Inauguration or watched it from afar, you'll enjoy seeing your name engraved on the Inaugural Invitation page in the book. The name you entered on the first screen will be automatically inserted into the Invitation.

Invitation
  1. You can easily change the name if you are creating the book for a family member or friend. To do so, type a different name in the box. Be sure to check for spelling errors.
  2. If you don't want to personalize the Invitation, choose "Don't personalize this page" below the large preview image.
  3. Once you're satisfied, click the blue "Approve this page" button at the bottom of the page.

Add Your Name and Photo to the Celebrity Supporters Page

Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Bruce Springsteen and many other celebrities helped get the word out to support the Obama campaign. Your photo and name can be right next to them on the Celebrity Supporters page. The name you entered and the photo you uploaded in the first screen will automatically appear here. If you want to change the photo or name, it's very simple (see section III and IV below).

Celebrity_album
  1. If you'd like to resize your photo, just drag the red handles in the Image Tool. To center your image, click and drag the selection area. Then click "Preview" to see how your image will look on this page.
  2. Check the quality meter to determine if your photo has a high enough resolution to look good when the book is printed. Do not use an image that's in the red zone.
  3. To change the photo: Use the "Choose File" button to find a different digital photo (.jpg format only), then click "Upload" and "Preview" to see how it looks.
  4. To change the name: If you'd like to change the name in the "Who's Who" list, just type the name you wish to see in the grayed-out box on the list and click "Preview." Be sure to carefully check the spelling of the name.
  5. If you don't want your photo or name on this page, choose "Don't personalize this page" below the large preview image.
  6. Once you're satisfied, click the blue "Approve this page" button at the bottom of the page.

Add Your Child's Artwork to the Kids for Obama Page

Did your child draw pictures of Obama for a school project? Even if not, it's never too late. Get out the crayons and have him or her draw a picture of the First Family, then scan and upload it. You can also add your child's name and age as a mini-caption just below the image.

Artwork
  1. To upload your child's artwork to this page, you'll first need to scan or photograph the artwork. Click the "Choose File" button to find the image (remember that it needs to be in .jpg format), then click "Upload" and "Preview" to see how it looks.
  2. To resize the image, just drag the red handles in the Image Tool (on the right). To center your image, click and drag the selection area. Then click "Preview" to see how your image will look on the page.
  3. Check the quality meter to determine if the image has a high enough resolution to look good when the book is printed. Do not use an image that's in the red zone.
  4. If you like, you can type your child's name and age in the grayed-out box in the Text Tool. Please be sure to check for correct spelling. (Please note that there is a maximum length of 35 characters.)
  5. If you don't want your child's artwork or name on this page, choose "Don't personalize this page" below the large preview image.
  6. Once you're satisfied, click the blue "Approve this page" button at the bottom of the page.

Publish Your Book

You're almost done! To complete the process, click the blue "Publish My Book" button below. This will send your personalized version to the printer, where a unique copy of the book will be produced just for you. You'll receive a sumptuous hardbound copy of THE OBAMA TIME CAPSULE in approximately 2-3 weeks.

Note: Once you click "Publish My Book," you will not be able to make any changes (See Terms of Use.) This means that if there are any misspellings, they will appear in the printed version. We want you to be happy with your book, so would you like to check it one last time? To review your personalized pages, simply click the thumbnails with green check marks at the top of the page to review any of your personalized pages. If you make changes, be sure to click the "Approve this page" button to update the page.

See Help if you have any further questions.