Card Help » Setup Home » Advanced Mac » Vertical Image 1

A beginning note: This tutorial uses lots of screenshots to help you understand the process better. If you have a dialup connection, each page may take up to a minute to load fully.

These instructions are based on using Photoshop CS or 7.0.

There are many ways to set up and print a greeting card using Photoshop. This tutorial offers a "Photoshop as a layout tool" approach to greeting card printing.

Red River Paper sells three different card sizes. The table below shows each size and the maximum image area you can fit on each:

Card Size Max Image Area
7x10 4.75" w x 6.75" h
6.25x9 4.25" w x 6" h
5.5x8.5 4" w x 5.25" h

Note that there will always be a small white border around on the outside edges of Red River Paper greeting cards . Borderless greeting cards are possible in only certain instances. You must use a 7x10 card and have a 13" wide printer. Email us for more information on the topic.

 

First, start with a blank canvas. Click the File Menu and Choose New.

Make a new canvas based on these size rules:

Paper Size New Canvas Size
7x10 10" w x 7" h
6.25x9 9" w x 6.25" h
5.5x8.5 8.5" w x 5.5" h

We recommend Resolution be set to 300ppi

 

 

Your blank canvas for a landscape orientation greeting card will look like this.

The blue guide visible in the middle is where the pre-scored fold line is on each sheet of paper.

The right side is the outside front of the card and the left is the outside back.

Next, open the image(s) that you want on the front of your card. You can prepare images beforehand with borders or other special effects like the flower image at right. Or, you can open a simple unaltered image for placement on the card.

NOTE! Remember that our cards have a maximum image area that can go on each side without any cropping. Check this chart for the rules:

Card Size Max Image Area
7x10 4.75" w x 6.75" h
6.25x9 4.25" w x 6" h
5.5x8.5 4" w x 5.25" h

Make sure you crop or otherwise size your images within these contraints.

Now, use the Move tool and drag images onto the blank canvas you created in the step above. They will come into the blank document as new layers.

 

At this point, you can add text to the outside of your card. More images can be dragged onto the canvas for front or back printing.

Remember that you will end up with no less than a 1/8" border on all sides of the card.

Click here for the next step - printing