Create Custom Blank Greeting Cards for the Upcoming Year

Recently, I've sent out a lot of cards -- thank you, sympathy, birthdays and congratulations. Most of those times, I dug into my trusty box of all-purpose cards, searching for appropriate ones. They didn't always match my or the recipients' personalities, but I figured it's the thought that counts. However, now I realize that what would be more thoughtful is if I printed my own blank greeting cards for most any occasion. It's easy, it’s affordable and it lends a more personal touch than a store-bought card. The beauty of a custom blank card is you can showcase a favorite photo you took or a collage of images Photoshopped together. I have a number of friends who fancy themselves as photographers, yet they just post their photos on Flickr, never printing and framing them. Any number of their shots of Half Dome at Yosemite would make a fine greeting card, or their beloved golden retriever, or that whimsical design they created in Illustrator. Once you have your image, it's easy to create your card with PsPrint's free templates, which provide dimensions, layout, bleed, safety zone and folding guidelines. These templates allow you to build a PsPrint-ready file using programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Pagemaker and QuarkXpress. After you’ve built your card, it’s time to choose your paper stock: 14-point glossy or 13-point matte, the latter being 100 percent recycled paper. The glossy makes photos and details really pop out, while the matte provides a more classic look. You can also choose to have a UV coating on your cards or accent them with foil stamping. A custom blank greeting card is perfect for those last-minute events in which you don’t have the time to go out and buy a card. You can have them stocked away for whenever necessary, and the recipient will likely hold onto yours longer than an impersonal, store-bought card. Hmmm ... sounds like that’d make a good marketing tool for your business, too.