Card Shop Plus Tips Index

To learn how to use Help, press F1.

Bright Ideas for Using Card Shop

Certificates & Awards

Color Printing

Combine Art and Messages Effectively

Design Card Sides

Good Books to Read

Greeting Cards

History of Greeting Cards

Layout Tips

Monochrome Printing

Ordering Special Paper

Place Art Creatively

Signs

Stationery & Letterhead

Use Color

Use Positive and Negative Space

What Makes a Good Image?

Write Your Own Messages


What Makes a Good Image?

By combining art and messages effectively and laying them out with style, your greeting cards and other images will be top-notch.

The best cards have:

>	One single idea

>	A simple, honest message

>	Art and words that work together

>	Dynamic layout

>	Coordinated colors


Combine Art and Messages Effectively

Sometimes you can illustrate a message with almost any art (and it can be kind of wacky and fun to do so), but most of the time, art and messages interact and work together to make the card work.

Begin with the Message

Begin with the Art


Start with the Message
Begin with the Message

Usually, it's the message that guides the selection of art. Once you know what you want to say, finding art that fits the content and tone of the text is easy. For example, suppose you want to say "Mom you're always there when I need someone to talk to..." for your Mother's Day message.

You want to convey appreciation for her friendship, as well as her motherly love. You'll want to choose art with a design that reflects those feelings, perhaps something implying the sharing of tea and conversation.

See Also

Begin with the Art


Start with the Art
Begin with the Art

Sometimes it's the art that inspires the card. The tone of the message you choose should be compatible with the art. For example, if you want to use a whimsical animal image for a Christmas card, a humorous message would fit best, rather than a more traditional or formal greeting, which would be too weighty for the art.

See Also

Begin with the Message


Design Card Sides

You design a greeting card one side at a time.

>	The Front side usually has the main piece of eye-catching art and an opening message that makes the viewer want to open the card.

>	The Inside shows both portions of the inside fold. Even though traditional cards often leave one portion of the inside fold blank, you can be more daring. It might be fun, for instance, to fill both sides of the inside fold with a single, enlarged piece of art.

>	The Back side is a good place to give yourself credit for your cards and perhaps place a personal logo you've imported as a .BMP or .WMF file.


Use Color

Colors in greeting cards and other designs are usually kept bright and pure, with few shadows and neutral tones to muddy the visual impact.

Color Printing

Color Printing Problems

Color Relationships

Color Tips for Images

Screen Color vs. Printed Color


Color Printing

If you have a color printer, your cards come out in the colors your printer is capable of supporting. Experiment with printing cards on your printer to get the best effects.

Color printers create the hundreds, thousands, even millions of color by mixing dots of four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). The black is not a pure black; it is a composite--a mixture of cyan, magenta, and yellow inks the printer uses to produce an "almost black".

Through their driver software, some printers offer ink control and print cartridge selection options that let you specify how the color black is printed. If this is the case with your printer, you can print pure black with color documents or use composite black. See the printer driver guide that came with your printer for information on getting the highest quality output and saving color ink.

See Also

Color Printing Problems

Monochrome Printing


Color Printing Problems

Here are some solutions to common color printing problems:

> Hue Changes: If you have hue changes on your print-out, some colors of ink are running out in the print cartridge. Replace the cartridge and make sure it's properly aligned.

> Black Ink Mixing with Color Ink: Sometimes the color settings you've selected for your printer driver can cause black ink to mix with areas of printed color, causing fuzzy edges of color. See your printer's driver manual for suggestions on minimizing black ink mixing with color ink.

> Bleeding Colors and Spreading Ink: If you find that color inks "bleed" into one another or that ink is spreading on your paper, change your printer's intensity setting to a lighter intensity. Or, try changing to the printer's highest print quality mode.

> Print Speed Too Slow: You can speed up color printing by increasing the amount of memory available on your system. Purchase more RAM or reduce the number of applications you have open. For printing quick drafts, use a lower print quality mode or print in gray scale.

> Wait a few minutes after printing a color card before folding it. This will allow the print-out to dry thoroughly and prevent smearing.

See Also

Color Printing

Color Relationships

Color Tips for Images

Screen Color vrs. Printed Color


Color Relationships

When choosing colors for text or coloring in your own cards, keep color harmony in mind.

>	Primary colors are the three completely pure colors: red, yellow, and blue. The colors that lie between them on the color wheel are actually mixtures of the primaries. Red plus yellow equals orange, for example.

>	Harmonious colors (blues and purples, for instance) lie next to each other on the color wheel and always work well together.

>	Complementary colors (like yellow and violet) lie directly opposite each other and work well together in small doses or where one of them is dominant and the other used as an accent. Otherwise, complementary colors placed next to each other tend to "vibrate".

See Also

Color Printing

Color Tips for Images

Screen Color vs. Printed Color


Color Tips for Images

>	Choose art elements that have similar color schemes, so your card doesn't become a hodgepodge of too many colors.

>	Color coordinate text colors with art colors. This will unify the card and make the text look like it belongs with the image. For instance, black text would ruin the look of a softly-colored, "Baby Congrats" image, while using a shade of the one of the dominant colors would support the art nicely.

>	Use pure, dark colors for text that you intend to lay over a graphic, so that the text will print clearly.

>	Use colored paper to add color to monochrome art, like orange paper for a black and white Halloween image.

>	Try combining black and white art with colorful text for extra impact, especially if you want a zinger message like "CONGRATS!" to jump out at the viewer.

See Also

Color Printing

Color Relationships

Screen Color vs. Printed Color


Screen Color vs. Print Color
Screen Color vs. Printed Color

Colors on the screen look different than they do on your printed output. This is because screen colors are based on light, while printed colors are based on ink.

You may notice that the colors on your computer screen don't print out exactly the same on paper. This is because they are using two different color models, RGB (light-based) and CMYK (ink-based). Some printers are better able to compensate than others by adjusting the color values on the printed output to match the screen colors.

Color In Light: Screen colors come from color phosphors on your monitor. Phosphors emit red, green, or blue (RGB) light, which combine in either "on" or "off" states to create the appearance of color. Depending on the type of computer you have and its video card, you can view up to 16 million colors on your monitor.

Color in Ink: Printed color on paper comes from mixing varying amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) on paper. Eight basic colors are produced: black, red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, yellow, and white (or paper color). Depending on the type of printer you have, these eight basic colors can be combined or dithered to produce all the other colors. Dithering reduces the purity of the eight basic colors by applying them in dot patterns. Sometimes dithered text doesn't look good when printed out. If so, try using a pure color like yellow or black.

See Also

Color Printing

Color Relationships

Color Tips for Images


Monochrome Printing

If you have a monochrome printer, your cards will come out in rich tones of gray called "gray scales".

>	Most occasions have art that's been especially designed to look good on a monochrome printer. Art deco styles and black and white animals (like penguins) make striking monochrome cards.

>	Card Shop's "Color-It" occasion lets you print outline art you can color in yourself with felt pens, colored pencils and crayons.

>	You can use colored paper to add color to your cards. For example, try printing a Valentine design on pink paper.

See Also

Color Printing


Use Positive and Negative Space

Space on a card is divided into positive and negative shapes. Positive shapes are the dark areas of form on the card, while negative shapes are the light, empty areas.

You'll use some of the empty space on a card for messages, but make sure to leave enough negative "white space" on the card to rest the eye and avoid a cluttered look.


Layout Tips

Here are some guidelines for designing good images:

>	Messages are very seldom placed along on the folding side of a card. They are usually placed at the top, top right corner, center, right bottom corner, or along the bottom of a card side.

>	Visual elements must lead the eye towards the message, never away from it. For example, if your art shows a person, put the message where the figure is facing or looking, not over their shoulder of behind them.

>	Symmetry can be boring. Counterbalance a symmetrical design by adding a touch of asymmetry. For example, if you have a border framing a message, place another image over one corner of the border to off-set the balance of the design.


Place Art Creatively

You can position and resize art to create lots of effects. Here are some ideas:

>	Crop an image. For a zoomed-in look, enlarge a graphic and then move it so that portions of it are shoved off the card side and not printed.

>	Layer objects.  Enlarge a border design to fit the perimeter of the card side, and then position another image to slightly overlap it.

>	Layer text over art, but make sure it's dark enough to print clearly.

>	Repeat objects. Decorate a card with several small copies of an image, or place a tiny copy of the main image on the back side near the card's credits.

>	Enlarge an image. Resize a single image to fill the entire card front or both sides of the inside for a dramatic effect.

>	Warp the art. Try stretching or shrinking an image for a humorous effect. Press the Ctrl key while dragging a corner of the object to resize it.

>	Use accents. Use smaller, simpler pieces for accents and borders.

>	Use no art. Emphasize an important message by placing no art on the inside of the card.

See Also

Layout Tips


Bright Ideas for Using CardMaker
Bright Ideas for Using Card Shop

As you work with Card Shop, you'll discover your own creative ways to make greeting cards and other time- and money-saving creations. Here are some ideas to get you started:

>	Use big number art to jazz up your cards. For example, combine the receiver's name with numbers to create the art for the card: "Jack is 50."  Then add small accents like balloons or a present.  Or use big numbers to create your own Great Year cards.  See the predesigned cards from the "Great Years" occasion for ideas.

>	Substitute animals for people to engage the viewer. For instance, create an animal family. Shrink and copy a dragon for each person in the family and arrange them in a cluster. Type in their names and message like "Greetings From Our Lair to Yours."

>	Create an initial capital letter on a message you enter yourself by making the first letter a separate text block. Change its font and make it bigger than the rest of the text. Scale a border small enough to frame the initial cap for added emphasis.

>	Save money by creating holiday gift tags. Copy a tiny graphic, like a candy cane or trumpeting angel, and place it on the page several times. Type "To" and "From" next to each copy in a pretty font. Print the page and cut out the tags. Hole punch their corners and tie them to your gifts with ribbon or yarn.

See Also

Place Art Creatively


Write Your Own Messages

You can add your personal touch to Card Shop's prewritten messages by editing them, or write your own.

Loosen Up

Make the Message Sparkle

Who Me, Write?

Who's Receiving It?


Who Me, Write?

If you don't think you can write card messages, remember that most people like short, simple greetings. Try jotting down phrases you overhear in public places or some of the unique things children say to get the drift of message writing.

See Also

Loosen Up

Make the Message Sparkle


Who's Receiving It?

It's often little details that make a successful card message, such as someone's golf handicap, their love of spaghetti, their pet, or something they've done or dream of doing.

Think about the person you'll be sending the card to and write down the words that come to you.  Then you can use them in your message.


Make the Message Sparkle

There are a few writing techniques that will make your greeting card messages come alive. Write a catchy opening phrase that will make the receiver want to open the card. ("Wanna know a secret?")

Use phrases instead of sentences and drop the "I" pronoun to start the phrases ("Heard you're having a birthday"). Use contractions to lighten the tone ("You're a party animal" not "You are a party animal").


Loosen Up with Word Play
Loosen Up

You can doodle with words to loosen up when writing your own message. For instance, if you're writing a "Cheer Up" card to a friend with the flu, these words might come to mind: miss you, get well, hot soup, daytime soaps, doctor, thermometer...you get the idea.

Use some of the words you think of to create a message: "Some people will do anything to stay home and watch daytime soaps...Get well soon!"


History of Greeting Cards

It was the Egyptians, not the big greeting card companies, who started the tradition of giving greeting cards. On papyrus scrolls, they exchanged New Year's greetings. The Chinese and Romans also celebrated the New Year with messages on scrolls and glazed clay tablets.

European immigrant Louis Prang, is known as the "Father of American Christmas Cards". His lithographic company, L. Prang & Co., was the first to perfect the process of four-color printing. Prang's cards were renowned for elaborate art with very simple messages. By 1885, Prang was printing five million Christmas cards a year (in up to 12 colors) and had added Easter, New Year and Valentine cards to his line.

Then came the young card entrepreneurs of the early 1900's who formed the largest greeting card companies in existence today. The focus shifted to the appeal of the message, with popular verse and biblical quotes used to entice buyers. Today, billions of cards are sold every year.


Ordering Special Paper

You can order special environmentally friendly paper and matching envelopes from High Desert Software. These high-quality papers in assorted colors are excellent for printing your greeting cards, certificates, stationery and signs.

Paper is 8 1/2" x 11", 28 lb. textured bond and is designed to work well with laser and ink jet printers. You can order flat sheet or pre-scored paper for easy folding of cards. Matching A2 envelopes are available for the 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card size.

You can order paper by the 100 sheet box or try the Sample Pack to get smaller quantities of all available colors.

>	Call our toll-free number: 1-800-796-9469 or

>	Print out a Paper Order Form and mail it to:

Peacetree Recycled Paper

523 N.E. Davis

Portland, OR 97232

To print out an order form:

>	Choose Print from the File menu, then click the Paper Order Form button in the Print dialog box. Choose OK to print the order form.


Greeting Cards

Greeting cards are a convenient way to say "I care about you". People usually send cards to celebrate a holiday or other kind of special occasion or to express personal feelings. You can also create party invitations, thank-you notes and announcements with Card Shop.

Personalized cards are the latest trend. Now you can make your own personalized cards whenever you want, for a fraction of the cost of the do-it-yourself kiosk cards.

See Also

Certificates & Awards

Ordering Special Paper

Signs

Stationery & Letterhead


Certificates & Awards

So your friend just got a promotion or your son hit a home run? You can use the "Certificates and Awards" occasion to create your own special commemorations.

Add borders and art and then enter your own text. If you want to add a signature line, use the Underbar key and then type text beneath the line.

Certificates and awards look best printed on high-quality, textured paper, like the kind you can order directly from High Desert Software.

See Also

Greeting Cards

Ordering Special Paper

Signs

Stationery & Letterhead


Stationery & Letterhead

Now you can create all the letterhead, stationery and note cards you can use for yourself or to give as gifts. The "Any Day" occasion provides borders and clip art you can use for your designs. Add your name, if you like, your address and phone number in a decorative font.

Create note cards by adding art to a blank card, leaving plenty of room for writing personal notes.

See Also

Certificates & Awards

Greeting Cards

Ordering Special Paper

Signs


Signs

Need to announce a special event? You can create signs for any occasion, such as a Valentine's Day Dance or Christmas Bazaar. You'll also find art and borders in the "Any Day" occasion that you can use in your signs.

Make the text large enough to read from a distance. You might also consider mounting your finished signs on cardboard backing.

See Also

Certificates & Awards

Greeting Cards

Ordering Special Paper

Stationery & Letterhead


Color Wheel

A circular diagram of the color spectrum that clearly shows color relationships. The three primary colorsred, yellow and blueare the key spokes of the wheel. The other colors lie between them and are mixtures of the primaries.


Dither

A method of color mixing by which desktop color printers produce numerous colors by placing dots of color in various patterns on the page.


CMYK

A subtractive color model based on cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K) ink. CMYK is used in the commercial printing process and by desktop color printers to mix colors printed on paper. Mixing equal amounts of cyan, magenta and yellow produces the fourth color, black.


RGB

An additive color model based on red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light. RGB is used by computers, televisions and film recorders to display colors.


Hue

A basic color family distinguished by a name, such as red, purple, green or yellow.


Phosphors

Tiny light-emitting dots that compose a computer monitor's screen.


Color Model

A way of representing colors as numerical data for printing, computer displays and software applications. The most common are CMYK, RGB, HSL and CIE.


BMP File
BMP and WMF Files

Standard graphics file formats. BMP files are bitmaps produced by many popular paint applications. WMF (Windows Metafile) files are produced by many draw applications (and some paint programs).


Good Books to Read

Your local library and book stores carry books that can tell you more about greeting card designs, uses, history and much more. The following books give you information from the experts:

Designing Greeting Cards and Paper Products by Ron Lister, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1984.

How to Write & Sell Greeting Cards, Bumper Stickers, T-Shirts and Other Fun Stuff by Molly Wigand, Writer's Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1992.

The Art and Craft of Greeting Cards by Susan Evarts, North Light Publishers, Westport, Connecticut, 1975.

The Greeting Card Writer's Handbook, edited by H. Joseph Chadwick, Writer's Digest, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1968.