Personalized Note Cards | Family Economics

By Cathe

Often when I’m shopping at a discount store, I will peruse the aisle stocked with books, scrapbooking albums and stationery. There are always fantastic deals on boxed note cards that are often very lovely designs. But rather than purchasing and using them as is, it’s easy to personalize them for yourself or someone special. I refer to them as “cheater note cards” as I didn’t really design them, but rather, added to them.

When shopping for cards to print on, look for ones that have a light background and an area with a space for a name or message to be printed. Below are steps to make these note cards:

• Measure the dimensions of the folded note card.

• Create a new document with your computer software and draw a box with the dimensions of the note card on the front of it.

• Measure from the edges and the fold of the card to the area where you would like to place the name or message and then duplicate those measurements within your drawn box for placement of the text.

• Type your text with a font that will compliment the design of the note card. Color the text to match the graphics of card if you like. Your text color may change slightly when printed depending on the color of the paper stock or graphics on the card.

• Drag the box and text together to the far top or bottom corner of your document, depending on which end feeds through your printer first. (You may end up with your image upside down on your screen for this step.)

• Run a plain sheet of paper through your printer to test the positioning of the text. With your card behind the paper, hold up to the window or a light to confirm that the placement will work, and adjust your text in the document if necessary.

• Remove the drawn box in the document and feed the open and flat cards one at a time through your printer in the direction that will allow the image to print in the correct place. If your note cards are printed on a coated stock, adjust your printer settings to print on glossy paper.

I made some lovely personalized note cards for someone special who writes the loveliest notes and sends them to me often; my mom!

You can take this project a step further by feeding your envelopes through your printer to add a return address to them.