For a groovy holiday, check out our PrintingPress Platinum 6.0. We started by writing the words “happy holidays” in blue and green using a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters using the Trebuchet font that is included with Windows on a White 3.5 x 2.5 inch card. We aligned the text to the bottom of the card and decreased the line spacing until the “h”s at the beginning of each word overlapped. For a fun touch, we replaced the “o” in “holidays” with a peace sign. Next, we added some groovy snowflakes as floating images behind the main text area. We used a floating text box to add the signature in orange and rotated it 90 degrees to the left. We used the 4-up feature to print four cards onto a single White A7 card and separated them using a rotary trimmer.

Our PrintingPress Extreme 6.0 design is the perfect mix of modern and traditional. We started by filling the background of a White 3.5 x 3 inch place card with a new onion (black) pattern. Using the place card stationery type allows us to put each recipient’s name on their gift tag. We used the Multiple (P) setting in the Cards Per Page section to allow us to print six place cards onto a single 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of card stock. For tips on creating multi-up place cards, see the Extreme Tip from the March 2007 issue. Next, we colorized the pattern to green and added overprint to allow for bleed when trimming the tags. We used a floating text box to add a holiday greeting in grey using the Palatino Linotype font. We floated the text box behind the recipient’s name, disabled the Make white transparent feature and stretched the text box to fill the width of the gift tag. We added a grey custom border to complete the look. Add the names of everyone on your list to the Guest List and print all the tags you’ll need. Separate the tags with a rotary trimmer and you’re all set.

Now thanking...
Now that you've delivered all your presents, it's time to make sure to thank everyone for the gifts that you receive. Why not pre-print a batch of our stylish thank you notes for the whole family? You will all be able to express your thoughts while the excitement of present-opening is still fresh. We created coordinating Custom Image StationeryStamps for all of the designs for an extra dose of style.

If anyone in your family has traditional taste, check out our PrintingPress Platinum 6.0 design. We started by using a text box to add the first and last initials to the top center of an Ecru A7 card. We wrote the initials in white using the Palatino Linotype font and filled the background of the text box in dark grey. Next, we wrote the first and last names in the same dark grey using all capital letters. We added the same initials to the coordinating Custom Image StationeryStamps and above the return address at the bottom of the back of the envelope. To complete the look, we lined the Pewter envelopes in Ecru.

Our PrintingPress Extreme 6.0 design is perfect for anyone in the family with a modern flair. We started by filling the background of a White 4-bar folded note card in a zig zag (black) pattern. Next, we colorized the pattern to green. We used a floating shape object to fill in the bottom row of zigs (and zags) in green and added the first name in white using the Palatino Linotype font in all lowercase letters. For tips on the technique we used to fill in the bottom of the pattern, see this month’s Extreme Tip. We added a 0.25 pt white outline to the text to make the name really pop on the green. Since the design runs to the edge of the card, we used our printer’s borderless printing feature. We lined the Pewter envelopes in Avocado and added coordinating Custom Image StationeryStamps.

Filling in the gaps
PrintingPress Extreme 6.0 lets you fill any background or border in a pattern. But what if you want to convert part of the pattern into a border? We’re going to show you how you can use a floating shape object to fill in part of an uneven pattern and create a faux border at the bottom of the card. First we started with the background of the card filled with the pattern.

Next we added a shape object with the shape’s Border Shape set to Line (Bottom). We set the border’s Line Type to Zig Zag and increased the outline thickness until the zig zags looked about the same size as the zig zags in the pattern. We made the shape as wide as the card and added a 0.5 inch green fill to the border and disabled the Inner pen adjacent to fill setting so that the fill will run up to the peaks of the zig zag.

Next, we started adjusting the width of the shape to space out the zig zags to match up with the pattern. We stretched the shape wider to add more peaks until the same number appeared as in the background pattern.

We used the arrow key on our keyboard to nudge the shape over to the right until the peaks of the shape aligned with the peaks in the background pattern.

We set the color for the shape’s outline to green and the faux border is complete!

Check out tips on downloading projects, borderless printing and more in our Newsletter Notes section.

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