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How to Design and Print Your Own Custom Cards

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It's hard to beat the sentiment of a heartfelt greeting card for a special occasion. You can make someone's day even better with a card you create just for them. It doesn't take an art degree or professional talent to make a beautiful custom card. In fact, it's easy to print high-quality cards you designed yourself right from home. All you need are a few simple tips to get started.

Gather Paper and Printer Ink

If you want to print your own custom cards, you have to make sure you have the right paper and plenty of color ink — unless you want a deliberate black and white look — in your printer. You can use regular paper or cardstock to print your cards, but specialty cardstock that's scored for folding is also available. If you're mailing your cards, be sure to match envelope size to the card size you're printing.

Remember that it's critical to have enough ink to print your cards. It's a waste of both paper and pricey ink if the printer starts skipping lines in the middle of printing a card.

Design Your Cards

The internet offers plenty of options to help you design the perfect card. Some websites allow you to upload your family photos or a design you created. Others provide you with tools to create beautiful cards from scratch, while still more sites offer templates for various occasions and events. The possibilities are virtually endless, so get creative and have fun designing your cards.

Start Printing

Once you finish designing your cards, you can start printing. You could rely on trial and error to make sure all the parts of the card line up just right, but that usually isn't necessary. Many websites and programs include a print preview feature to ensure the card will print on the page the way you expect it to print.

If you can't print your cards yourself, numerous companies offer printing services for a fee. Online retailers will ship professionally printed cards right to your door, so don't worry if you don't have the capability to print your own cards. Once you've gotten the hang of it, you may never buy a card again.