Greeting Card Helper

Inkjet Greeting Cards W/Envelopes 8-1/2"x5-1/2" 30/BX. WE	Avery Textured Half-Fold Greeting Cards for Inkjet Printers 3378, 5-	Avery 03266 Quarter-Fold Greeting Cards for Inkjet Printers 3266, 4-1/4" x 5-1/2", White, Matte	Avery 03265 Half-Fold Greeting Cards for Inkjet Printers 3265, 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", White, Matte
$22.23 $21.53 BulkOfficeSupply.com	$11.49 OfficeMax	$10.91 PlumberSurplus.com	$10.91 PlumberSurplus.com

Avery 5.5in White Inkjet Greeting Cards - BX of 30	Avery Inkjet Greeting Cards	Avery Quarter-Fold Greeting Cards for Inkjet Printers 3266, 4-1/4" x	Avery 3378 - Greeting Cards, Textured, Inkjet, White - 30 Cards -
$20.33 Instawares LLC	$13.99 Staples	$13.49 OfficeMax	$10.10 Sams Club

Homemade Gift Idea – Photographic Greeting Cards

I was initially hesitant about this gift idea. Would people really want greeting cards as gifts? I have another hobby in nature photography. A friend of mine had seen some of my shots and told me that it would make a great homemade gift idea to use some of them in greeting cards. She said the recipients would be impressed and would use them, two qualities that I strive for in every homemade gift I make. I was hesitant, but I went ahead with it. They ended up being one of my most successful homemade gifts.

There are a few ways you can go about making these:

You could upload your photos to a site like cardsdirect.com. You can choose from many different of sizes, styles, backgrounds, and borders. The minimum purchase is 100 cards, but if you are making a several boxes of these as gifts, you’ll easily make that many. The downside to them is that you can only choose one photo for every hundred cards. I am sure there are other online resources as well.

The other way requires more work, is more hands-on… but hey the title of this article is “Homemade Gift Idea: Photographic Greeting Cards”, so you are probably here anticipating some amount of work, right?

You can print them out yourself. All of the materials you need can be found at redrivercatalog.com. I did a lot of research on the appropriate quality of stock, and they literally have paper stock down to a science. The quality is excellent for printing photos on, they have a great selection, and their customer service has always been helpful. They also have a detailed tutorial on how to go about printing them on their help center page.

What you need:

Paper stock…

I have used redrivercatalog.com’s 53lb Premium Gloss. It comes pre-scored so all you have to do is print on it and fold it on the score line, and you’re done. No cutting is necessary. If you are pressed for time you could always run down to the office supply store and pick up a few packs of Avery’s Inkjet Half-Fold Greeting Cards with Envelopes. They generally cost two to three times as much per card than redrivercatalog.com’s choices, and you won’t be getting the quality.

Envelopes…

Redrivercatalog.com also carries a wide variety of envelopes. Just make sure you are getting the right size for the card.

Boxes…

To make this a more memorable gift, I’d very much recommend the clear-top boxes from redrivercatalog.com to place the greeting cards in. They really add a professional touch to the gift.

Tips on photo composition:

1. The rule of thirds. It is often most aesthetically pleasing to place your subject not in the center, but up, down, or to the side of center usually creates more energy and interest. Placing your subject in the center often creates a very static image. If you imagine your composition divided into equal thirds, place your subject on the division between two of the thirds. Here wikipedia’s explanation of the rule of thirds. with the rule of thirds explained with examples. Horizon lines should not cross the center as well. That all being said, in photography rules like this are meant to be broken from time to time. If the composition is best suited to break these rules, then by all means break them,
2. Fill the frame with your subject. Don’t be shy… get in there closer.
3. And along with tip 2, simplify the composition. Cut any extraneous elements out of the frame that really have no added impact to the final image.

About the Author

Counting down 100 homemade gift ideas at http://100homemadegiftideas.com

Avery Half-Fold Greeting Cards for Inkjet Printers, 5.5 inches x 8.5 inches, White, Matte, Pack of 20 (03265) $6.99 Avery Dennison Dennison Ink Jet Matte Coated Half-Fold Greeting Card 3265 Printing Media…

Avery Textured Half-Fold Greeting Cards for Inkjet Printers, Uncoated, 5.5 x 8.5 Inches, White, Box of 30 (03378) $7.19 Avery Dennison Textured Half-Fold Greeting Cards 3378 Printing Media…

50 Blank Greeting Cards & Envelopes 5×7 A7 Ivory $6.57 These heavy weight 5″ x 7″ (A7) blank cards are great money savers by creating your own greeting cards, announcements & invitations. This lot includes 50 heavy weight cards and 50 quality envelopes! The cards are smooth stock & packaged flat so you can run them through an inkjet printer or lay them flat on a table to decorate with rubber stamps, etc. Each card is scored down the center for easy fo…

Avery Personal Creations Textured Postcards, 4.25 x 5.5 Inches, White, 120 Cards (3380) $7.89 Personal Creations Printable Textured Postcards, Heavy, 4-1/4 x 5-1/2, 120/Box…

Avery 3382 Inkjet Metallic Print Half-Fold Card $9.99 …

60 CARDS 4.25X5.5 INKJET $13.49 60 CARDS 4.25X5.5 INKJET…

Avery Note Cards, 4.25 x 5.5 Inches, Matte, White, Box of 60 (08315) $12.00 Avery Dennison Dennison Ink Jet Matte Coated Note Card 8315 Printing Media…

Birthday Card Imprintables: Stationery Designed for Your Inkjet or Laser Printer [20 Cards + Envelopes] $14.00 Twenty cards and envelopes perfect for a birthday event. The picture shows you a blank card and how a card could look after you print your invitation on it. Perfect for invitations, announcements, scrapbooking and much more!…

Hallmark Blank Greeting Cards Half-fold Matte Premium 20 Count $10.99 Hallmark – Half-Fold Matte Premium Blank Greeting Cards 20-Pack For 95 years Hallmark has been designing greeting cards for life’s special moments. And now Hallmark Premium Blank Greeting Cards make it easier than ever to create customized greeting cards at home. It’s easy to print customized greeting cards for any event or occasion. This high-quality, heavyweight card stock is coated, 85 lb Matte…

Hallmark Half-Fold Glossy Premium Photo Greeting Cards – 15 count $10.99 Hallmark Premium Blank Photo Greeting Cards For 95 years Hallmark has been designing greeting cards for life’s special moments. And now Hallmark® premium paper products make it easier than ever to create customized greeting cards at home. Insist on Hallmark Premium Photo Greeting Card Paper for truly spectacular results. Print customized photo greeting cards for any event or occasion. The heavy…