DIY Card Printing by Clara Cook

DY greeting cards by Clara Cook

What you will need:

A5 card stock
A JPG or PDF version of your illustration
Microsoft Word or similar (I have the 2010 version)
Printer
Scrapbooking embellishments (optional)
C6 size envelopes

DIY card making materials

Step 1:

Scan or photograph your illustration. If you’re using an illustration you created for the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, here’s where the time you spent cropping, lightening and perfecting the image of your illustration before posting will give you a head start.

Step 2: 

Open a blank Word document and select the Page Layout tab.

Select the Size option and choose A5.

Select the Margins tab.

Choose Custom Margins. A new window will open in which you can set the top, bottom, left and right margin to equal approx. 1cm.

Select the OK option at the bottom of the window.

Now select Orientation and choose landscape. This will give you a card that opens like a book. You can leave the orientation of the page as portrait if you have a landscape illustration and the card will open upwards.

Step 2 screenshot

Step 3: 

Make sure you can see the ruler at the top and side of your page. If you can’t, go to the View tab and mouse click in the box that is next to the word Ruler.

Your page should be 21cm wide (you will see 19cm in the white working section and a 1cm margin on either side in grey). The half way mark, which will be our fold line, should be at the centre of your white working section, at 9.5cm.

Step 3 screenshot

Step 4: 

Now we’re going to insert your image. Select the Insert tab and choose Picture. A window opens to your pictures folder – locate where you have saved your illustration(s) and choose an image by clicking on it and selecting Insert at the bottom of the window.

Step 4 screenshot

Step 5: 

The illustration you chose will now be on your page and will have a blue line with circles/squares at points around it. The tool bar at the top of your screen will now be on Picture Tools – Format.

Choose the Wrap Text icon (it looks like a lined page with a dog in the middle) and choose In Front of Text. This allows you to move your picture around the page. Move the image to the right side of the page so that one side is at the very right of your margin.

Now we’ll try to make sure we have an even border around the illustration on what will become the front of the card. You have a 1cm border on the right and we will need to have an even border from the fold line (which we worked out to be at approximately 9.5cm).

To adjust the size of your picture without distorting it, you need to move your cursor over one of the small circles at a corner point (a double ended white arrow will appear). I chose to adjust from the left corner of my picture and stopped when the left side was at around 10.5cm (this is about 1cm from the fold line).

Step 5 screenshot

Step 6:

Adding artist information to the back of your card is a nice, professional looking touch. To do this select the Insert tab and choose Text Box (this looks like a page with an A and lines on it).

A window will open and you choose a text box by clicking on the image with your mouse (I chose the Simple Text Box option). A text box will appear on your page and the tool bar will be on Drawing Tools – Format. Select the Wrap Text option and make sure you are In Front of Text. 

Step 6 screenshot (part 1)

 

Select Home on the tool bar so that you can choose your font, font size, centered text (using the icon showing lines above the word Paragraph) and line spacing (using the tiny arrow next to the word Paragraph). I have chosen Single line spacing and 0cm before and after from the window that opens when selecting the tiny arrow next to Paragraph.

Enter your text to say that this card was made by you.

Position the text box by hovering the cursor over the edge of the text box until you see a 4 pointed arrow. Then click and hold the left side of your mouse to drag the text box into position. 

Step 6 screenshot (part 2)

Now select the Drawing Tools – Format tab and choose the Shape Outline option (there is also a Text Outline but you need the Shape option). A small window will open so you can select No Outline.

Step 6 screenshot (part 2)

Step 7: 

Your card is now ready to print!

If you want to add a text box to the front that says Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, etc., simply follow the same steps as adding the text to the back; however, you might wish to keep the text border.

Note:  

It may take a couple of tries before you are happy with the final printed copy. When I was printing the card I used to create this guide, I needed to print a couple before I was pleased with the positioning of the text and image. I had to go back into the document, make some adjustments and reprint.

But don’t worry, there is a way you can use those cards you aren’t quite happy with. I cut out the printed image and used it to create a layered card.

DIV greeting cards by Clara Cook

Hint: 

You could tie a bundle of your homemade cards (with envelopes) together with ribbon, and give them as a gift


Wow! Thank you, Clara Cook, for such detailed step-by-step instructions. They are so helpful! — Kirsty