Greeting Cards

[Anona]

I posted this in the SOFTWARE section and achieved ZERO results. Any thought from fellow G2ers?


This has probably been cussed and discussed from time-to-time but...what's the best softwear to use for making custom greeting cards. By "custom" I mean NOT simply plugging a selected digital photo into a pre-formed templet (MS Publisher). In a perfect world I coud doctor the photo in PS Elements then select, place and print in ???

Thanks in advance,

BJ, Sacramento

[onehotrx7]

Well, it really depends HOW you want to do it... I tend to use Publisher, or PrintMaster from Mindscape, as they handle the layout really well, provide 'four' pages for you to work on, and you can alter the format to suit yourself - want to print on a square page, double sided card cut to a specific size, etc - all handled for you... make your images, design your text, put it all together and there you go... if not, you can make yourself an page sized image in photoshop, add all your bits appropriately, and print it out that way... give yourself some guidelines to cut it into four, or do two 'half' images to print on the front and back if you're using cut card... put the top two images upside down on a folded sheet card, and the bottom two the right way up, bottom right corner will become the front of the card, bottom left is the back, top right is the inside left, top left is the inside right (where your greeting traditionally goes) - confused yet?? If not, great, do your card in Photoshop - you'll get the best images if you do - if you ARE confused, and you probably will be, then at least do ONE card in publisher or another desktop design package, just to see how the layout works... there's good reasons why so many people use DTP software you know...

Ignore the kitzy 'Card Design' programs - they invariably add some kind of 'Made just for you by 'Too dumb to design it myself' software' message on the back panel...

Cheers,
Stuart Elflett

P.S. I design and sell cards using Publisher - it saves me time, and not one customer has a problem with the 'simple' cards they get...

[Leighow]

Well

I bought some Epson 4 x 6 premium glossy photo paper for my 880.

Then, for a friend's Dad's 96 birthday I printed a message about his "... 35,000 days on this earth... an inspiration.,." on matte paper, folded same, and stick-glued the 4 x 6 onto the front.

Let me tell you it looked terrific -- the photo (not quite as dark as on-screen) glowed like a postcard.

HOWIE

[puttick]

Here's my recipe, using Word which you will almost certainly have, and any editing program, e.g. Photoshop.

I make Christmas or other cards using A4 inkjet card (210g/sqm) folded in half. For a landscape photo you have a horizontally folded card. It is possible to buy such card pre-scored for ease of folding. You also need the correct size envelopes.

First edit and save your photo. The image size and resolution do not matter as long as it gives you at least 150 dpi when printed about 5x7 (which it should, easily, from a G2!). Then if you are making a landscape format card, invert the photo (2 x 90deg rotations) - this is so you can have the photo on the front, correct way up, and writing on the back also the correct way up.

In Word, make a text box the correct size on the top half of the page. Import the (upside down) photo. Fiddle with size and position until happy. Note the original image size doesn't matter for this. Make a textbox at the bottom of the page for your info, e.g. picture title, name, address, email etc. as desired - this will be on the back of your card. Start a new page, and in the bottom half of the page design your message. You may wish to remove or change the text box outlines.

With plain paper, and using the highest quality possible with your printer, print the first (front & back) page with the photo. Invert and feed back in, then print the second (inside) page. Use this proof to fine tune the positions of the boxes on the paper, reprint until happy with the layout. Then print on your good quality card

Save your layout for future re-use, it is easily edited and needs no additional software over what you already have. With a little practice, this is quick & easy, and gives superb results.

I particularly like B&W snow scenes for Christmas, and simple but striking colour compositions for other occasions. You can also use family photos. Also, personalising the info on the back with a title and your contact details, and the message with family names or whatever, makes these cards both unusual and useful.

[tootsie]

Hey, I tried to look at the first link you posted for G2 and got caught up in a maze of "you have to register."
I finally gave up.
How about a different link? Or get these people to make their site a little less overly-complicated.
Nice pix, from what I COULD see.

[PatrickEggers]

I like to use Microsoft PowerPoint presentation software. It is very versatile, allowing me to rotate pictures, text, etc. If "Rotation" fails to rotate any clipart, simply "Ungroup" and then "Regroup" and it will work.

[photographerc]

Why not just create a template in Elements? It's been awhile since I used it, but I imagine you could just create an inside and outside template and just print directly from there.

[ajax]

I cheated a bit with Christmas cards, but, they turned out soooo good that people thought we purchased them.

We purchased some pre-made folded note cards--they were plain ivory with an embossed rectangle on the front. They were pretty cheap at a paper products store. We snapped a few macro shots of various Christmas ornaments with fun lighting, printed out a zillion of 'em....the size of the rectangle formed by the embossing.

In a craft store we purchased a grommet maker and wee little grommets. We grommeted [is that a word?] a photo onto the front of each card...they looked GREAT! We made the grommets about 1" apart, threaded some red ribbon through them, tied a little knot.

Voila! Beaaaaautiful.