Holiday Greeting Cards

This question was sent in by M:

I would like to use photos of my paintings to create holiday greeting cards. Would you have any recommendations and/or guidelines for these cards in terms of photograph size? In addition, is there a tool in Photoshop that would allow me to create these cards easily?

Thank you.

And here is my reply:

Paper companies such as Strathmore sell specialty items like card and envelope stock for ink jet printers.

Here is an example from Dick Blick art supplies:
www.dickblick.com/zz128/07/

The above example creates cards that are 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".

When you purchase the card stock, there may be a template or guide that shows you the printable area. You can scan that template, open it in Photoshop, and then use layers to add your photos, images, and text. Be sure to size eveything to fit in the printable area.

Print your card and envelope, and wha-la, you have a custom greeting card. (Be sure to Hide the template layer before you print.)

Here is another link to Blick's assortment of cards and postcards:
www.dickblick.com/categories/cards/details/

Hope this helps.