How to Create a Custom Picture Directory

ChurchTrac provides several pre-formatted options for creating a picture directory.  Click here for more information on creating pre-formatted Picture Directories from the Pictures Tab. However, if you want to create a Picture Directory including fields other than address and/or phone number, you will want to create a directory using the Custom Report feature. This article will show you how to set up a 2 or 3 column directory.

Creating a 2-Column Picture Directory

The 2 column directory will print 2 columns of pictures with the name and information you have selected printed next to the picture.

1. Select "Family Picture" or "Individual Picture" from the drop down menu and type in how large (in inches) you want the picture to appear in the "Field Width" section. For the example above, the picture is 1.0 inch wide and 1.0 inch tall.

2. Choose additional fields with a width of 3.0 inches, followed by a Blank Space with a width of 2.0 inches.

Note: When adjusting the picture size, please note that the picture will take up the designated amount of space in width and height. So if you choose a half inch picture, you will need to adjust the size of the Blank Spaces to 2.5 inches. The width of the picture, the width of the text field, and the width of the Blank Space should equal 6.0.

You can add more than one field per row, so long as the total width of the non-Blank Space fields does not exceed 3.0 inches. If the width exceeds 3.0 inches, part of the data may not be visible on the report.

3. Set your Report Options. Choose "Portrait" for your Orientation option. Sort by "Family Name."

4. Click on Advanced Options. Select "No" for the top three questions. Set your margins. Set "Number of Columns" to 2 and "Space between columns" to 0.25.

5. Close out of the screen and click on "Preview Report."

Creating a 3-Column Picture Directory

The 3 column directory will print 3 columns of pictures with the name and information you have selected printed underneath the picture.

1. Select "Family Picture" or "Individual Picture" from the drop down menu and type in how large (in inches) you want the picture to appear in the "Field Width" field. For the example above, the picture is 1.0 inch wide and 1.0 inch tall.

2. Select "Blank Space" for the next field and enter "6.0" for the Field Width. If you choose a 1 inch picture, you will need to create 5 Blank Space fields to make the text print below the picture.

Note: When adjusting picture size, please note that the picture will take up the designated amount of space in width and height. So if you choose a half inch picture, you will only need a half inch of Blank Spaces (approximately 3) to make the text print below the picture. You will also need to adjust the field width of the Blank Spaces. The width of the picture and the width of the Blank Space should equal 7 inches.

3. Choose additional fields with a width of 3.0 inches, followed by a Blank Space with a width of 3.0 inches.

Note: You can add more than one field per row, so long as the total width of the non-Blank Space fields does not exceed 3.0 inches. If the width does exceed 3.0 inches, part of the data may not be visible on the report.

4. Set your Report Options. Choose "Portrait" for your Orientation option. Sort by "Family Name."

5. Click on Advanced Options. Select "No" for the top three questions. Set your margins. Set "Number of Columns" to 3 and "Space between columns" to 0.25.

6. Close out of the screen and click on "Preview Report."