Our PrintingPress 6.0 design features a duo of partying skeletons on a White 4.75 x 6.75 inch custom cut card. We added the skeletons as floating images and then dragged them to opposite corners on the card. We added the invitation text in black using the Palatino Linotype font that is included with Windows and is already installed on your computer. We used all capital letters and increased the Character Spacing for most of the text. We set the Text Style to Italic for some of the text to make it stand out. We used a double-stick tape gun to adhere the invitation to a Green A7 card. We lined the Clover envelopes in Black and added coordinating Custom Image StationeryStamps featuring the skeleton holding a cocktail.

download PrintingPress 6.0 project
buy project stationery

For a spooky gathering with an elegant flair, check out our PrintingPress Platinum 6.0 design. We started by adding a gothic chandelier as a background image on a Mandarin Orange A7 card, which will be the backing card for the invitation. Because the chandelier chain runs to the edge of the card, we used our printer’s borderless printing feature. And because borderless printing magnifies the image sent to the printer, we used the new Printer Offset feature in the Print window to perfectly center the chandelier on the card. For tips on using this technique, see this month’s Extreme Tip. We added the invitation text to a Vellum A7 card using the Alyssa Black Tie font from Fonts & Graphics for Weddings and the Palatino Linotype font using all capital letters. We also added ribbon hole markers to the invitation (not the invitation backing) so that we can layer the cards together and then punch the holes out of both cards at once for a perfect match. Then we tied the cards together using a 0.25 inch grosgrain black ribbon. We lined the Mandarin Orange envelopes in Black and added coordinating Custom Image StationeryStamps featuring the skull & crossbones from the chandelier.

download Platinum 6.0 project
buy project stationery

Time for cupcakes!

We pull out all the stops for our kids’ birthdays, and it all starts with the invitation. Whether you’re planning a small family fete or a big bash with your child’s entire class, our adorable invitations will help you get the party started.

For a whale of a good time, check out our PrintingPress 6.0 design. A Southern Right Whale swims along the bottom of a White A2 card. We added the invitation text in blue and green using the Arial font in all lowercase letters. We increased the Character Spacing for a clean look and used a corner punch to round the corners of the card after running it through the printer. We added the whale image to Custom Image StationeryStamps and placed them onto Dusty Blue envelopes lined in Clover.

download PrintingPress 6.0 project
buy project stationery

Our PrintingPress Platinum 6.0 design is perfect for any little tyke who loves big digs. We started by adding a skid steer loader as a floating image to the bottom left corner of a White A2 card. Next, we placed a cupcake as a floating image into the loader’s bucket. We rotated the image a bit to the left and then used the controls on the Align palette to move the cupcake behind the loader in the layer order. Finally, we used a floating text box to add the numeral “2” atop the frosting. We adjusted the card’s margins to move the text to the right of the floating objects, and added the invitation text in blue and brown using the Brina Strong font from Fonts & Graphics 3. We added the floating trio to Custom Image StationeryStamps in the Small Portrait size which we then adhered to Dusty Blue envelopes lined in Chocolate.

download Platinum 6.0 project
buy project stationery

If you’ve got a little fairy princess, then our PrintingPress Extreme 6.0 design is just right for you. We started by adding a purple polka dot pattern to the background of a White A7 card. Next, we added a floating text box with a green background and a 20 point white custom border with the Line Type set to Loop. We increased the Inset on the text box to 50 and added the invitation text in purple into the text box using the Isabelle font from Fonts & Graphics 2. We added a 0.25 point purple out line to the text and set the Skew to 60 to make the font more upright and whimsical. To complete the design, we added a fairy as a floating image in the upper left corner of the floating text box and butterfly as a floating image in the bottom right corner. Since the polka dots run all the way to the edge of the card, we used our printer’s borderless printing feature. We lined the Avocado envelopes in Pink Lemonade and added the butterfly to coordinating Custom Image StationeryStamps.

download Extreme 6.0 project
buy project stationery

Everyone get in line...
Desktop printers these days are fabulous, but nothing is perfect. As designers, we tend to notice tiny little imperfections such as a printed design not being perfectly centered on a card. This particular issue is enhanced when using borderless printing since the printer enlarges the image that it receives in order to ensure that the entire card is covered, but it does not always keep the enlarged image centered on the card. This is exactly why we added the Print offset section to the Print window in all 6.0 versions of PrintingPress.

The Top and Left fields in the Print offset section of the Print window allow you to specify the amount (in inches) that you would like the printer to move the printed image. A positive value moves the printed image away from the edge of the card, and a negative value moves the image towards the edge of the card. In this month’s PrintingPress Platinum Halloween Bash design, we added a 0.03125 inch Left offset to center the chandelier’s chain. You may need to try a few different values to get it right, so try working in 1/32” increments and add or subtract 0.03125 for each test.

Please note that Print offset is a global setting, so it will stay the same the next time you print something. This is very helpful if your printer is always off by just a little bit. However, if you are just making a change for a single print job, you will need to reset the values to zero the next time you print something.

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

previous issuesprojectsbonus articlestech tipssubscribe