https://printfamilytree.com/blog/ Practical genealogy articles: GEDCOM files, family tree charts, research and family history books. en https://printfamilytree.com/blog/family-history-book-layout-and-typography/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/family-history-book-layout-and-typography/ Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Books Typefaces, page sizes, margins, running heads, captions and index design for a family history book that is pleasant to read and easy to navigate. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/gedcom-to-family-tree-chart-in-minutes/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/gedcom-to-family-tree-chart-in-minutes/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Charts A walkthrough of turning a .ged file into a clean, printable family tree chart: uploading, choosing the central person and chart type, checking the layout and exporting. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/free-vs-paid-genealogy-tools/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/free-vs-paid-genealogy-tools/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000 GEDCOM An honest guide to genealogy software and websites: what is free, what is worth paying for, and how to combine a desktop program, an online service and a printing tool. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/preserving-family-photos-and-documents/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/preserving-family-photos-and-documents/ Mon, 03 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Books How to digitise old family photographs and documents properly: scanner settings, file formats, naming, identifying people and long-term storage. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/privacy-and-living-people-in-family-trees/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/privacy-and-living-people-in-family-trees/ Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Books Practical rules for handling living relatives in family trees, charts and books: what to record, what to publish, how GEDCOM privatisation works and what the law expects. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/surname-origins-and-spelling-variations/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/surname-origins-and-spelling-variations/ Mon, 20 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research Where surnames come from, why the same family appears under different spellings in the records, and how to search and record surname variants in your tree. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/reading-old-handwriting-and-latin-in-church-records/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/reading-old-handwriting-and-latin-in-church-records/ Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research Practical techniques for deciphering old handwriting in parish registers, plus the essential Latin vocabulary for baptism, marriage and burial entries. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/polish-and-eastern-european-genealogy-getting-started/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/polish-and-eastern-european-genealogy-getting-started/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research A starter guide to genealogy in Poland and neighbouring countries: partitions and borders, church versus civil records, the main online archives and language tips. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/tracing-immigrant-ancestors/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/tracing-immigrant-ancestors/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research How to find where an immigrant ancestor came from using passenger manifests, naturalisation papers, church records and clues in the destination country. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/dna-testing-and-traditional-genealogy/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/dna-testing-and-traditional-genealogy/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research What autosomal, Y-DNA and mitochondrial tests can and cannot tell you, how to use DNA matches with a documented family tree, and where the limits lie. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/common-genealogy-mistakes/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/common-genealogy-mistakes/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research The most frequent errors in family trees, from same-name confusion to copied online trees and impossible dates, with practical ways to catch and prevent them. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/family-tree-for-a-family-reunion/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/family-tree-for-a-family-reunion/ Mon, 08 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Charts Ideas for using a family tree at a reunion: which chart to print, how to collect corrections on the day, name badges with generation numbers and a follow-up plan. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/printing-a-large-family-tree-poster/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/printing-a-large-family-tree-poster/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Charts How to print a big family tree chart: choosing between A3, A2, A1 and roll paper, PNG versus SVG and PDF, resolution, fonts and where to get a poster printed. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/what-to-include-in-a-family-history-book/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/what-to-include-in-a-family-history-book/ Mon, 25 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Books A checklist of the sections, charts, photographs and appendices that make a family history book complete, readable and useful for future generations. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/how-to-write-a-family-history-book/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/how-to-write-a-family-history-book/ Mon, 18 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Books From a pile of records to a printed book: how to plan, structure, write and produce a family history book that relatives will actually read. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/genealogy-sources-vital-records-census-church-registers/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/genealogy-sources-vital-records-census-church-registers/ Mon, 11 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research An overview of the three record types every family historian relies on: civil vital records, census returns and church registers, with what each contains and how far back it goes. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/missing-dates-and-uncertain-information/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/missing-dates-and-uncertain-information/ Mon, 04 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research How to record approximate, calculated and unknown dates in a family tree so that your charts and books stay honest, sortable and useful. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/multiple-marriages-and-step-families-in-your-tree/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/multiple-marriages-and-step-families-in-your-tree/ Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Charts Second marriages, half-siblings, step-children and adoptions confuse many family tree programs. Here is how to record them correctly and how a good chart should draw them. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/genealogical-numbering-systems/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/genealogical-numbering-systems/ Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Books How genealogists number people in books and charts: the Ahnentafel system for ancestors, and the Register, NGSQ, d'Aboville and Henry systems for descendants. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/organising-genealogy-research/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/organising-genealogy-research/ Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research A simple system for organising genealogy research: file naming, folder structure, source citations and a research log that still works when your tree has 2,000 people. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/how-to-interview-relatives-about-family-history/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/how-to-interview-relatives-about-family-history/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research A practical guide to interviewing older relatives about family history: how to prepare, how to record, and a ready list of 40 questions that open up memories. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/starting-your-family-history-research/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/starting-your-family-history-research/ Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Research Ten practical tips for beginners in genealogy: where to start, what to record, which sources to trust and how to avoid the classic early mistakes. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/how-to-read-a-family-tree-diagram/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/how-to-read-a-family-tree-diagram/ Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Charts Learn to read any family tree diagram: what the boxes, colours, marriage lines, dashed boxes and dates mean, and how to follow a line of descent. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/family-tree-chart-types-explained/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/family-tree-chart-types-explained/ Mon, 16 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Charts Not sure which family tree chart to print? Compare pedigree, descendant, hourglass, fan and all-relatives charts and learn which one fits your goal. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/how-to-export-gedcom-from-ancestry-myheritage-familysearch/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/how-to-export-gedcom-from-ancestry-myheritage-familysearch/ Mon, 09 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000 GEDCOM Step-by-step instructions for downloading your family tree as a GEDCOM (.ged) file from the most popular genealogy websites and desktop programs. https://printfamilytree.com/blog/what-is-a-gedcom-file/ https://printfamilytree.com/blog/what-is-a-gedcom-file/ Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000 GEDCOM GEDCOM is the universal file format for family trees. Learn what a .ged file contains, who created it, and how to use it to move your tree between programs.