How to Make My Own Photo Cards & Print for Free

By Maria Victoria

Updated September 22, 2017

Items you will need

  • Photo card creation software (Microsoft Publisher)

  • Photo paper

  • Color pinter

  • Color ink

  • Scanner (optional)

  • Video card (optional)

Adding a photo to a card adds a personal touch to the card and can show off a special photo.
i amalfi postcard image by Lele from Fotolia.com

If you have a photo that you want printed on a photo card, you can create photo cards for birthdays, graduations, milestone celebrations or for any other special occasion. Making your own photo card at home can save you money on printing at photo processing centers. You can print your photos for your photo card to make a scrapbook-style photo card. By making a personalized photo card, you can customize the card to suit your tastes and purposes.

Scan your photo using your scanner or insert your video card to tranfer your photo onto your computer. Right-click on the photo of your choice and select "Copy" from the drop-down menu. Right-click on your desktop or inside your designated folder and select "Paste" from the drop-down menu.

Open your card creator program.

Click your "File" tab and select "New."

Choose "Blank Pages." Go to "Cards and Invitations." Choose your card size. Click "Create." A pop-up will appear requesting to add more pages. Click "OK" to add more pages to the card. Bi-fold cards are regular style greeting cards. Two-fold cards are folded both horizontally and vertically. The fold of the card depends on the style and size you choose.

Go to "Postcards" if you do not see the paper size you want under "Cards and Invitations" or just want to print a postcard-style photo card. Select your desired photo card size. Click "Create."

Create a text box to write your greeting. Click the "Insert" tab and select "Text Box." Draw your text box on your workspace using your mouse.

Click inside the text box to select your font, font size and font color. Type in your text. Create multiple text boxes to separate your text.

Add your photo for your card. Click your "Insert" tab and select "Picture." Choose "Add Image." A pop-up will appear. Select your photo file.

Adjust your photo to enlarge or shrink to fit it to your photo card. Click on your image's guidelines with your mouse and drag the guideline to make the photo bigger or smaller.

Save your file when you are done.

Click your "File" tab and select "Print." A pop-up will appear. Check to make sure you will be using the right printer if you have more than one printer saved on your computer.

Insert your photo paper into your printer and click the "Print" button on your screen.

Tips

You can also print photos at a drugstore with photo processing available. Log onto their website and see if they are offering any free photo promotions for signing up. You can search on the Internet for photo printing sites. They may offer free photo printing for signing up for their website. You can purchase envelopes to match the size of your photo card from most office supply stores.

Warnings

Scanning professionally-photographed printed pictures may distort the photo's color.

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