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3-D Botanical Print Note Cards

How to Create a Special Effect on Your Note Cards

Computer-crafted note cards can look very professional, especially when enhanced with even a tiny bit of handwork.

This invitation size (4 ¼ by 5 ½ inches) blank note card gets its three dimensional look by printing the botanical prints on glossy photo paper and gluing them to the surface of the card.

Materials for Six Note Cards

• 3 sheets of 8 ½ x 11-inch 225g ivory card stock
• 1 sheet of 8 ½ x 11-inch glossy photo paper
• Paper cutter or straight edge and scissors
• Glue stick<
• Computer graphic software

– I used Print Shop to print the card and found the botanical print artwork in PrintMaster.

[If you plan to sell your cards, just be sure the graphics you use are copyright-free or that you pay for the right to use them. Read more about copyrights here.]

How to Make the Note Cards

Printing the Botanical Prints

Open PrintMaster to a blank project and find six designs for the front of the six cards as follows. Select “Search Art and Photos”. Type “flowers” in the Search Box and click “Go”.

As you can imagine, with such a generic keyword, about a gazillion graphics come up. I found the botanical prints about two-thirds of the way down.

With the six pictures on the blank project page, use the cursor to lasso them, click “copy” to put them on the clipboard. Don’t be concerned about the size or placement.

We’ll adjust those in Print Shop. [You could do the whole project in PrintMaster. I just prefer Print Shop.]

Open Print Shop to an 8 ½ x 11-inch blank horizontal (landscape orientation) page. Paste the pictures you gathered from PrintMaster.

If you want the cards to look like a matched set and the pictures you chose don’t quite go together, give them an edge effect that will make them look more alike.

First adjust the size to fit the page. I made mine 3 2/3 inches wide by 4 ¼ inches high.

Move the pictures into two rows of three pictures each by positioning the cursor on each graphic and holding it down as you move the mouse; then release.

Click on one picture, select “Effects” from the top tool bar, and select “Apply Special Effects, Special Edges”.

Try the different treatments until you find one you like. I used “Texture” to give a very soft edge. Repeat this process with each floral print.

When you’re happy with the look of the flowers, print onto glossy photo paper using “Best” print mode. [Setting the paper type to Glossy Photo Paper will automatically change the print mode to “Best”.]

When the ink has thoroughly dried, use your paper cutter or scissors to cut the prints apart.

Printing the Blank Note Card

Open a new blank 8 ½ by 11-inch project in Print Shop. This time select vertical (portrait) orientation. We will print two cards to a sheet.

Set guidelines to help you position your work. By clicking on the horizontal ruler along the top of the project at its center (the exact center depends on how much margin has been set aside on the left and right edges), you create a blue line that divides your workspace vertically for the front and back of the cards.

By clicking on the vertical ruler on the left side of the page at its center, you divide the workspace horizontally to create two cards.

If this isn’t clear to you, read my article on Creating Guidelines.

The guidelines you have created show you the outer bounds of each card. Since most computer printers do not print to the edge, there is a required margin around your work space.

To help you position your work in the center of each card front and back, add a guideline to each side of the ones you already created. For example, if your printer requires a ¼-inch margin, make a guideline ¼-inch above and another ¼-inch below the horizontal guideline.

Then make a guideline ¼-inch to the right and another to the left of the vertical guideline.

If you have already created a logo for your line of cards, open your logo file, select, copy and paste the logo onto your new project. Select it again and make a second copy. Position the logos at the bottom center of the back of each card.

That is, one logo goes at the bottom center of the lower left quadrant and the other goes at the bottom center of the upper left quadrant.

If you don’t have one yet, here are instructions on how to Create Your Own Logo.

For the front of the cards, all you want to do is create a border or frame for the botanical prints.

Select “Drawing Tools, Insert a Shape” from the tool bar on the left. Click on the square shape if it isn’t already selected. Make it hollow. Give the outline a 2 point thickness and choose your line color by clicking on the color box.

Then click on “More” and “Custom Colors”. I wanted a gold look for my frame, but there is no true gold with RGB inks. The closest you can come is a golden-olive tone.

To create this tone, input the following values: Hue 40; Sat(uration) 240; Lum(inosity) 60; R(ed) 128; G(reen) 128; and B(lue) 0. Click “Add to Custom Colors” and then “OK”.

To size your frame, move the cursor around the edge of the box until you get a cross (the symbol that allows you to move an object), left click and hold while you move the cursor to position the shape at the 0:0 point of both rulers.

Release and reposition the cursor to the lower right corner of your box. Drag the corner to size the box 3 5/8 inches wide by 4 1/2 inches high to frame the botanical prints.

Move the frame to a bit above center of one card’s front. [A correctly proportioned artwork frame should have equal margins on the top and two sides but a larger margin on the bottom.] Copy the frame, paste it and move the copy into position for the lower card.

Print the sheet onto ivory card stock using Normal Print Mode. With your paper cutter or scissors, cut the sheet into two cards.

If everything looks OK, print the other two pieces of card stock. Save your file.

Assembling the Finished Note Cards

Position a floral print within the frame of a card. You may need to trim a bit to get the margins right. Using the glue stick, apply glue to the entire outer edge of the back side of the floral print.

To be sure you get glue all the way to the edge, it is a good idea to put the photo paper face down on a piece of scrap paper. Run the glue stick around the entire border. [A bit of glue will invariably get onto the scrap paper, so take care to position the next print on a clean section.]

Lift the print carefully by the edges and position it within the card’s frame. Smooth all around the edges. Repeat with the remaining five cards. Fold each card in half and smooth the crease with a bone folder.

Always Have the Card You Need on Hand

I just came up with a way to make these cards more flexible. Now I always have just what I need. I print different occasion sentiments four-up on 8 ½ x 11-inch vellum; cut them apart; and put a little strip of double-sided tape on the back along the left edge.

I organize the vellum inserts in photo album plastic sleeves labeled birthday, anniversary, etc. When I need a special occasion card, all I have to do is select an appropriate vellum insert; peel off the tape’s protective cover; and press the vellum in place.

Now no more last minute rush to print the card I need!

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