Card Setup Tutorial

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 Elements 3

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.

If you think of the canvas you will make as the unfolded card (outside or inside), then learning where to place images, text, borders, etc. will be very easy.

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" h x 7" w
6.25x9	9" h x 6.25" w
5.5x8.5	8.5" h x 5.5" w

We recommend Resolution be set to 300ppi

Your blank canvas for a portrait (vertical open card) orientation greeting card will look like this.

The lower half of the page will be the outside front of the card. The top half 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" h x 6.75" w
6.25x9	4.25" h x 6" w
5.5x8.5	4" h x 5.25" w

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.

After you open and drag an image onto the card canvas, your layers pallet will look like this.

Special Note on PHOTO POSITION

Because Elements does not feature the guides tool, you will have to "eyeball" the position of your image on the card. If you have your photo sizes correctly per the above table, then it should be easy to place. Because you are working with a photo on a layer, you can put the photo anywhere on the card you like - especially if you have text or other graphics to include.

Example of a finished card

On the screen shot at left, the bottom is the outside front of your card while the blank area is the outside back.

To make more customizations, drag more images onto the canvas or add text and borders like the example at left.

NOTE! All text and image on the outside back of the card MUST be UPSIDE DOWN in your layout to print correctly.
Click for help with this subject

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

Next step:

Epson printing

Canon printing