VIDEO: DIY Photo Cards & Saying Thanks

In this video, Sara demonstrates how to make DIY Photo Cards.

As you know, Mother's Day, Father's Day and graduation season are just around the corner. This year, instead of sending a generic greeting card with a message penned by some unknown copywriter, take the time to create something personal, beautiful and showcase your work while you're at it.

We make cards like those featured in the video all year round. Because we're making them ourselves, we can make as few or as many as we need, and choose the perfect image for each occasion. Check out the video and give it a try. We think you'll be happy with the results.

Not only will you have a high quality photo greeting card to send out to friends and family, but you'll also be featuring your own imagery. One of the simplest things you can do to advance your artistic career is to start sending your work into the world. Let people see the images that you've created. Once you do, you'll be surprised by how quickly you'll start hearing from people who want to see more.

Photo Cards: creative possibilities

The holiday season is quickly approaching, which means greeting cards may be on your mind.

We get a ton of requests for printing folded greeting cards. Unfortunately, printing on card stock is a totally different printing process than photographic or giclee fine art printing, so we can't just print them up anytime we want. We've looked into finding a good partner to offer the services, but haven't found one yet that meets our criteria in terms of quality, turnaround & guarantee. Until we do, we'd be happy to help you make photo cards.

We've got some great ideas (that many of you are already using) that we think can make for some really attractive and high quality cards.

Combining Images and Text:
Using Photographic Paper to make your promo prints, invitations and greeting cards can help you cut through all the clutter and make something that really stands out.

I (Sara) got married this past August. Here are some examples of invitations I sent out for my "Save the Date", engagement party and bridal shower.

All of the images were created by combining a single image with text in PhotoShop. I created 5x7 images, ordered 5x7 prints from those images and then sent the prints to my guests in greeting card envelopes that I picked up from an office supply store. Easy peasy. :)

Because the photo cards are more than just invitations, because they feature actual photographs, people seem to save them. While greeting cards eventually get tossed, photographic prints are put on display.



For information regarding file preparation, please click here.

Premade Photo Mount & Frame Cards:
We have heard from a few different customers that they purchase photographic prints from iPrintfromHome.com and then insert them into premade photo frame cards.
You can purchase these types of premade cards from a variety of vendors. Here are two sources that we've heard good things about: Blick Art and RediMat.

DIY Photo Cards:
If you're the creative type (and, we know tons of you are!), you might be interested in a more crafty approach. click here to watch a video that we found on About.com where Rebecca Ludens gives step-by-step instruction for creating your own photo cards.

Best Practices:
We've included sample images in this article to give you some ideas. But, many of you have some great designs that you've been ordering that we would love to share with your fellow customers. We'd like to create a page on the site where people can share their ideas and tips about creating photo cards, invitations and posters combining images and text. If you have a design or tip that you'd like to share, please contact us to let us know.

Happy Creating!!

Thanks,
the iPrintfromHome.com team

Support Cancer Research with your Holiday Card Purchase

iPrintfromHome.com is proud to be partnering with The Paint Box Project and Cure to the Kids to leverage the healing power of art in this fundraising effort.

When you purchase The Paint Box Project and Cure to the Kids Photo Cards, the proceeds from the sale directly benefit cancer research. For more information about how your Photo Card purchase can help fight cancer, please go to iPrintfromHome.com, scroll down to the “Products & Services” section, and click on the icons pictured above.

Thank you for your interest and for your contribution.

Thanks,
the iPrintfromHome.com team

What, How & Why: A Closer Look - Featuring Anna L. Sexton, owner/maker of Greetings that Grow™

At iPrintfromHome.com, we work with artists and photographers from across the United States and Canada. We're inspired everyday by the images that they send to us and by the stories they share.

In our "What, How & Why" interview series, we take a closer look at some of these fascinating people.

We've asked each participating artist or photographer three simple questions:

1. What do you do?
2. How do you do it?
3. Why do you use iPrintfromHome.com?

Please read on to find out more about Anna L. Sexton, owner/maker of Greetings that Grow™.




Anna L. Sexton
owner/maker of Greetings that Grow™
Dunkirk, NY




What do you do?
I make (the original) plantable photo greeting cards and note cards.

How do you do it?
I take post consumer papers recycled from my own junk mail, a couple local schools, the university where my husband teaches, and from friends who collect it from their workplaces. I shred the paper, make it into pulp, and then embed seeds in it so it can be planted.


I hand cut all my sheets of paper and then adhere a print of one of my photographs (always printed by iprintfromhome.com!) onto the front of each card with a removable adhesive. Each greeting card also has a matching plantable envelope that I hand make as well.

All of my wildflower seeds are organic and by Jan 2010, all the rest of my seeds will be organic as well!

Why do you use iPrintfromHome?
I have been using iprintfromhome since October 2008. Prior to that, I had used several other local and online labs to develop my pictures. I found that the labs were inconsistent in quality and service. I asked around the Etsy.com forums and was told by several people to try iprintfromhome.com.

When I placed my first order, I was very skeptical b/c I could not believe that a professional lab could have fantastic prints AND such reasonable prices! I was ecstatic when I received my first order and was not only proven wrong, but AMAZED by the (gallery) quality of print, packaging, and quick turnaround time.

I love that iPfH offers such a wide variety of sizes and finishes, as well as Giclee prints. Not only that but with iPfH's 1 day turnaround time, I am able to get my prints within 2 days of ordering, which means running out of prints and turning down rush orders b/c I can't get the prints on time is a thing of the past for my business!

The few times I have had questions about ordering, prints, etc. the customer service has been 100% FANTASTIC. When you call, you get a live person, not a recording or robot to talk with, and the people answering the phones are always friendly, knowledgeable and patient. Same goes for email customer service, which likewise involves fast, courteous, knowledgeable responses.


Contact Information:
Anna L. Sexton
www.greetingsthatgrow.etsy.com
greetingsthatgrow@gmail.com