Printing a Christmas Card

Scenario: Create digital composition with photo and text, print as a photo at Walmart for about $0.15/card. Get the print back from Walmart and run the photo through a home printer to put text on the back and make it a card.

Consider: It's fun to make things by yourself. There are challenges to solve. $.15/photo vs. $.55/ea. for a front/back Christmas postcard at Walmart. $0.35/ea difference isn't much to have them handle a good piece of this process. There goes the fun... and the challenges... and the growth. Wait, that $.35 is mine! And the experience!

Problem 1: First print after changing to 4x6 paper orientation, printed with card top on right side of input paper. Afterward, showed the 4x6 in landscape preview, text still fitting. It printed the card top on the left hand side of the paper for the rest of the time.

Solution: Pay attention to print preview orientation. If portrait, prints top on right side. If landscape, prints top on left side. Feed photo into printer accordingly.

Problem 2: Too much ink. It smears. It's too heavy, gets blurry.

Solution: Use Courier New, as lightest font. Use Printer Media - Glossy Paper. Use Printer Quality - Best.

Problem 3: When printing the back of the card, the last little bit will shift the card in the printer, smearing and offset-printing the last few columns of text.

Solution: Make the right-hand margin bigger (about 2 in total) so that it's not trying to print that close to that edge of the paper.

Final fun suggestion: Use mail merge and print the names and addresses of your Christmas correspondents on the envelopes. Fun and efficient.