This is a very graphics intensive tutorial, please give it time to load.
Making your own business or calling cards with your computer is so easy.
You have several options.
You can use pre cut perforated sheets of cards ready to tear into size or use
any card of your choice and cut the cards after (there are some great mini guillotines
around these days.)
What information your card contains depends upon the purpose you will mostly use it. In business this is simple - business name, description if needed, and contact information.
However a person not in business may have many uses for a card as well. When researching genealogy cards could have a list of names being researched on them and be included with mail or handed out at libraries or meetings etc.
Simply having a card with your name and phone number may save the search for pen and paper. Including your e-mail address or web page means people don't have to write down @s and dots and www.s and possibly get them wrong.
You can also use them as a calling card, slip them under a friend's door when you have dropped by and they aren't home.
The choices of program to make cards is almost as varied as the number of different cards you can make. For simplicity I'm going to deal here with just three popular programs.
There are so many different ways to make cards in Word that it's hard to pick just one so I've made a few samples and given instructions on how to produce them in the hopes you will become inspired.
To get the basic print layout for your card:
Open a new file in MS Word
Tools Menu - Envelopes and Labels
Then Select the Labels tab - Options
Select Avery A4 then the label size that you are using (or L47415
for a grid to cut your own) - click OK
Then click on new document
A screen will appear, divided into ten squares the size of business cards.
On the first square, press Enter a few times to give space for layout.
Lay out your business card in the first square.
See the bottom of the word section for more on how to duplicate
your card into every square.
Word Art created - Insert menu > picture > Word Art.
Select style, hit OK, type your name, change fonts, etc.
Type your text in the space, explore the menus and formatting box for options on size shape colour and design. When you click off the word art you will be back in your word document and can resize the word art like any other object.
Double click on the word art object and you can edit it again.
Insert other text into the card as usual.
Type name
Format menu > Font- select colour, engrave and bold
Insert menu > Clip Art >select image and click insert.
Clip art square inserted and stretched. (Click on image to show corners, grab one and drag. Format image to be right aligned and behind text. (Format image on the picture toolbar)
Turn the text to make a card in "portrait' orientation by right clicking on the box and selecting text direction.
Insert a symbol
Insert Menu > symbol > select font > select character and click insert,
then close.
Enlarge the symbol as you would any other font character.
Enter the text address etc. as you would any other text.
Type and format text first
To position text exactly open drawing toolbar and use the text
box tool. (View menu > Toolbars > Drawing)
Type the text in text boxes and drag into position.
Insert menu > picture > from file.
Select picture from disk.
Click on picture so edges are showing and size to card.
Format picture (on picture toolbar) and select layout behind text (from layout
tab)
(uncheck move picture with text)
Use the drawing toolbar to create shapes and lines (View menu > Toolbars > Drawing.)
It may already be open at the top or bottom of your window.
Select the shape and click and drag to create it in your card.
Text Boxes mean you can move and layer the text with the shapes.
To insert a text box click the white A icon on the drawing toolbar.
Type your text and size it and the box to suit
.
Right click on the text box and choose format text box.
Selecting No fill will make the box transparent. At the bottom of the fill colour drop down list are other fills, including patterns and merged colours such as used above.
No line will remove the border line from around the text box.
Choose the white arrow from the drawing bar.
Click and drag around your entire card design
This will show all the boxes and objects in your design.
Right click and select Group.
(If you later want to change any element of the design simply right click on it and select ungroup to return to the original objects.)
When you click on the card now only corner markers will show up for the whole card as a single object. Copy and paste it into the other squares. (In word you may have to drag the pasted copy from on top of the original each time. It's one of Word's quirks.)
Print Preview to check alignment
Publisher has several preset designs you can choose from or modify, or you can start from scratch.
Start the wizard and select the card of choice (some are designed with preprinted papers in mind)
Follow the instructions that appear on the left to select a colour scheme
When given the choice select tiled on a page to create multiple copies of your card.
Once the wizard is finished go to the File Menu > Page Setup > and adjust the size of the card to your preference or to suit the premarked paper you may have.
The Wizard will give you options like below. While some are worth playing with, like the logo in some cases in most cases you don't have all your personal information inserted on your computer (well you shouldn't ) and so it is easier simply to click and type where you want to replace info on the card. (See below for how publisher works for more information on editing)
To format text or any other object just right click on it and select change...
To change a picture, right click and select change...
To remove an object from a design right click and delete object.
Publisher users a
series of frames (or objects)to contain all the information on a page, be it
picture or text .
To insert an object (or frame) choose the icon from the toolbar on the left of the publisher window. Then click in your card and drag to the approximate size you require.
A text frame will look like this. Type inside it and format the text as usual. Right click to colour it adjust the borders etc.
To insert an image select the picture or clip art icon. Again click and drag in the card to place the image. The frame will automatically size to the selected image later.
Below the image has been inserted and is sitting across the text frame.
Your design depends upon the layering or transparency of the various frames.
To arrange the layers select a layer by clicking on it and go to the Arrange menu. Select back or forward movement.
The image is now sent
behind the text frame.
Choose New word processor document
Tools menu > Labels > return address labels
> select A4 size and Avery A4 labels - scroll down, there are several business card sizes listed - choose one to match your card size.
Then click New Document.
Works is a cut down version of Word, so many of the options mentioned above for design are available. You can insert Word Art, pictures, clip art and more. There isn't a drawing toolbar as in Word, but if you choose "New Drawing" you get access to Auto shapes as shown below.
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