Stationery Set

Use Photo-Editing Software to Create Custom Stationery with Matching Envelopes

You can find directions for making stationery paper like that above here. Here's how to complete the set with the elegant touch of matching envelopes.

These directions are for Photoshop, but most photo-editing programs are very similar, especially the its much less expensive cousin Photoshop Elements.

I made my paper 5 ½ by 8 ½ inches to fit a standard 5 ¾ by 4 inch invitation-size envelope.

After designing your paper on a 5 ½ by 8 ½-inch canvas (with 300 psi resolution), you want to double the canvas size to make space for the envelope insert.

Click on Image>Canvas Size. Leave the Relative box unchecked. Move the white Anchor box from the center row and column to the center row, left column. Change the width to 11 and click OK.

Activate the Layer with the original paper and Layer>Duplicate. Select the Move tool and move the copy over to the empty right half of the canvas.

Select Edit>Transform>Rotate. Move your cursor near one of the corners until the double-pointed curved arrow appears. Right click and hold while you move the cursor to get the corner of the design you want facing straight up; release.

Click on the Move tool and then Apply.

Since most envelope flaps are not right triangles, you will need to Transform again. To determine the angle, measure the height of your envelope's triangle from the envelope fold to the edge of the mucilage strip.

Measure the length of the triangle's base so that it will fit within the mucilage lines. My measurements are 1 ¾ H by 4 3/8 W.

Use View>New Guide to create two vertical guidelines and two horizontal ones. It doesn't matter where you place them because they are easy to move.

Move your cursor over each guide until a double line appears over the guideline. Left Click/Hold and move each guide into place to form a box with the dimensions of your triangle as shown in the screenshot above.

Edit>Transform>Skew and move the lower corners until you get the right skewness with the triangle's top point at the center of the guideline box and the two bottom angles touching the lower corners of the box. Apply the transformation.

Measure how deep you want the bottom rectangle of your insert. Mine is 4 inches. Create another horizontal guideline as shown above to mark the bottom of the rectangle.

Take the Rectangle Marquee tool and outline the rectangle using the guidelines. Since you want to cut away the paper outside the guidelines, click Select>Inverse and delete.

Save your work. Print, cut and assemble your stationery.