Exams are over – now comes the part that makes your school years truly unforgettable: the graduation book. But while yearbooks used to mean months of fiddling with photos, texts and layouts, there's now a far simpler alternative: a digital yearbook app.
What is a digital yearbook?
A digital yearbook replaces (or complements) the classic printed yearbook. Instead of one editor coordinating everything, every student fills in their own page – at their own pace, from home or on their phone.
The result: a lively collection of profiles, photos and answers to the classic graduation questions – with no printing costs and no months of waiting.
Why the classic printed yearbook often falls short
- Coordination: someone has to collect every contribution, format it consistently and get it printed
- Cost: professional printing easily costs €20–40 per person
- Time pressure: deadlines, rounds of corrections, delivery times
- Not everyone takes part: anyone who doesn't reply in time simply goes missing
A digital yearbook solves all of that: no printing, no coordination overhead, everyone adds their own entry.
How to create your digital yearbook with Pagefully
1. Create the book
Choose the Graduation Book template – it already includes typical graduation fields such as:
- Class / Year
- Favorite Subject
- Most Embarrassing Class
- Where will you be in 10 years?
- Life Lesson
- Graduation Photo
Of course, you can add your own fields too: nicknames, your class motto, a photo of your signature, or a selfie from the leavers' party.
2. Share the QR code with everyone
Post the QR code in your class WhatsApp group or print out the A4 poster. Everyone scans the code, fills in their profile – done. No app needed, the browser is enough.
3. Pinboard view for the whole class
If you turn on "Entries visible to friends", every student can see the entries on the pinboard – like a digital class book in real time. It's great fun and gets everyone reading each other's entries before graduation day.
4. Export after the last day of school
Download all entries as a designed PDF – ideal for keeping or printing later. Alternatively: a ZIP with all the photos, or a CSV for your own further processing.
Printed yearbook vs. digital yearbook app
| Criterion | Printed | Digital (Pagefully) | |---|---|---| | Cost | €20–40 per person | Free, or up to €2/month | | Effort | High (editorial team) | Low (everyone does their own) | | Waiting time | Weeks | Instant | | Photos | Have to be scanned in | Uploaded directly | | Participation | Often patchy | Easy to join in | | Export | Printed product | PDF, ZIP, CSV | | Late entries | Impossible | Optionally keep it open |
Tip: close the book on the right date
Set the closing date to the last official day of school or the graduation ceremony. After that, all the memories are frozen – no new entries, but the content stays accessible forever.
Who is the yearbook app ideal for?
- Graduating year groups – naturally
- Leaving year groups of all kinds – secondary schools, vocational schools and colleges
- Teachers and form tutors – who set up the book for their class
- Parents' associations – for a surprise book for the class
A digital yearbook isn't a rival to the classic printed yearbook – it's a living addition that anyone can fill in from anywhere. And if you do end up making a printed book after all, the PDF export already gives you the raw material for it.