If you would like to create your own custom greeting cards, you don't have to be a graphic designer to do so. You don't even have to have graphics software on your computer. There are a few websites, like HP Creative Studio and Greetings Island, where you can make your own custom cards and print them for free.
Instructions
HP Creative Studio
1. Click the "Customize Your Card" link on the main "Greeting Cards" page of the HP Creative Studio site. This will open the studio that includes all of the tools you can use to create a custom greeting card.
2. Select a greeting card style from the variety of options. You can browse by style, like a half-fold or 5- by 7-inch, or by theme, like "Holidays" or "Love." When you choose a style or theme, all of the cards in that category will be shown on the page. Select one for your card layout and a preview will come up. Click "Select this template" at the bottom of the preview to open the card style in the custom design window.
3. Add personalized text. Once inside the custom design window, the pages of the card will be listed on the right side of the screen in the form of thumbnails. Click on the "Inside" thumbnail and type any message that you want in the text box provided. Click "Accept" when finished to save the changes to the inside of the card.
4. Click "Preview and print." You will be transferred to a preview page where you can see exactly how the card you created will look when printed.
5. Print the card. The directions on HP Creative Studio advise to print a test page before using specialty paper. To print, click the "Print It" button in the middle of the page. If the print looks good, print on card stock to create a thick, quality card.
Greetings Island
6. Click the "Printables" tab on the main page of GreetingsIsland.com and select a category. Available categories include "Birthday Cards," "Anniversary" and "Thank You." When you select a category, you will be transferred to a page with all of the available designs in that category.
7. Choose a design from the available options. When you hover over each design, you will see a larger version of it. Click on the design you want to use and the design of your choice will be opened in the Greetings Island editor.
8. Edit the card. Move between the pages of the card by clicking on the page number next to "Select page to edit." Use the photo or text buttons on the left side of the editor to insert a photo or customized text into any page of the card. When you click the photo button, a window comes up where you can browse your computer for the photo you want to add. When you click the text button, a box will appear where you can type any text that you want.
9. Print the customized card on card stock. When you click "Print," you can choose to print either a full-page or half-page card.
