How To Make Your Own Printable Invitations For Any Occasion
By Criss White, Fri Dec 9th

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Even with modern technology like email and cell phones, printedinvitations have remained the most common way to let people knowabout your upcoming party and will continue to remain populardue to the timeless rules of party etiquette. Invitations can bea major cost, especially for large parties, like weddings andsome baby showers. However, with a little creativity and time,you can make your own printable invitations, even if you have noartistic skills.

1. The first step is designing your card. You can use a simpleword processor like Microsoft Word and if you want, you can goto the Adobe's website at http://createpdf.adobe.com to convertyour file into a pdf file. Select the proper dimensions andprint out a sample on some plain white paper just to make sureit is the right size.

2. Next, you will want to find the proper card stock to printout your invitations on. Your local office supply store willhave these and you can purchase them inexpensively there.

3. Use the word processor to insert text boxes with the wordsyou want on your invitation. Play around with the fonts and textcolor.

4. There are many sites that offer free clip art and picturesthat you can use for your invitations. Just do a search for"free clip art" on the search engines and you will find manysites that provide these services for free. Browse through anddownload the pictures you want and then insert them into yourcard at the desired location.

5. If you use a background image, make sure it does not obscurethe text on the card. Ideally, background images should bewatermarked. Most word processors will allow you to selectbackground images and make them watermarks. Another alternativeis to click on all the text boxes and give them solid coloredbackgrounds.

6. Need a catchy poem or verse? Once again, you can search theinternet for related verses. For example, if I am making invitations, then I can search for "baby shower poem" or"baby verse" and any other related phrases.

7. Save the master copy of the finished card and print out asample copy on plain paper to see what it will look

like. If itlooks good, then you can start personalizing each card andprinting it out on card stock.

8. If you do not have a color printer, then create apersonalized copy for each guest and save it as a separate fileon a disk. Take the disk to your local print shop and have themprint out a invitation for each guest. Some print shops may evenprint out the invitations for you if you give them the guestlist and template. A print shop will cost more than printingthem out yourself, but probably less than buying invitationsfrom somewhere else. Plus the product should look veryprofessional and they may even have the right card stockavailable. Additionally, print shops can do engraved invitationsas well, which are good for upscale occasions like weddings.

Some other guidelines include try to stick to a central theme,don't try to use too many pictures and colors, and compare yourcard to others at card stores to get a feel for what a goodinvitation should look like. Remember that most invitations aresimple and have just a few graphics and maybe one verse. As youcan see, there are infinite possibilities when creating your ownparty invitations and not only is it a fun project, but willalso save you money.

About the Author - Criss White is a professional web writeron baby and new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites.For baby shower supplies, visit My Baby Shower Favors(www.mybabyshowerfavors.com) and for more information, and morebaby related articles by this author, visit Baby ShowerIdeas (www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/articles). Note: If youfind this article useful, you may reprint it on your website,e-zine, or in your newsletter as long as the credits aboveremain in tact and the hyperlinks stay active.

About the author:Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and new mothertopics. For baby shower supplies, visit My Baby Shower Favors(www.mybabyshowerfavors.com) and for more information, and morebaby related articles by this author, visit Baby ShowerIdeas (www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/articles).