The more expensive commercially produced greetings cards usually have an extra folded sheet of paper inside with a printed message or verse. In card making circles this is known as an insert. An attractive insert can add a touch of luxury to your card.
You can create inserts on any word processing program that you have on your computer. Print them out on normal printer paper and mount them inside your greetings card. Inserts can also be printed on coloured paper or patterned paper for extra effect. Parchment style paper or marbled paper can add a touch of class to wedding invitations. Paper with Christmas motifs can brighten up your Christmas cards.
The first step in producing your insert is to measure up your greetings card when it is opened flat. Deduct 5mm or ΒΌ inch from each edge to get the size of your insert. The insert needs to be smaller than your card because when it is folded and mounted inside, the fold at the spine will push the insert forward towards the outer edge. It also disguises any small margin of error in mounting the insert in the card.
The next step is to plan how plan the layout of your insert on the paper that you are going to print it on. If you are working on the cards with a finished size of 104 mm x 152 mm (approximately 4 inches x 6 inches) then you should get two inserts out of an A4 sheet of standard typing paper.
Open any computer program that types words. Create two text boxes exactly half the size of your insert. Put them side by side on your layout. Type your greeting or message in the right-hand text box. The left hand text box can remain blank since it is just there to give the correct position for the right-hand text box.
I usually type in the default font to start with. Then I highlight the text with my cursor and adjust the formatting. Centred text usually works well in a greetings card. Various fonts and sizes and be tried until the desired result is achieved.
If you can fit two inserts on your sheet of paper then the first layout can be copied and pasted below when you have a design that you are satisfied with.
Print your insert and trim it to the finished size. Fold it in half and put it in your greetings card to test the layout. You may find at this stage that you want to make some slight adjustments to the size of the paper or the position of the text. It is always worth doing a test like this before you print out a lot of inserts.
I mount my inserts inside the card with a thin strip of double-sided self-adhesive tape. This is applied to the right-hand edge of the cards spine. This allows the left hand flap to open freely.
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