DOCUMENT SIZE: 10x7 at 300ppi for a vertical card or 7x10 at 300ppi for a horizontal card.
If you are designing a vertical card, divide your document into two halves with a vertical guide. The design for the front of your card will go on the right. Any design for the back of the card will go on the left.
If you are designing a horizontal card, divide your document into two halves with a vertical guide. The design for the front of your card will go on the bottom. Any design for the back of the card will go on the top and it will need to be turned upside down before printing.
- You should be using your own idea for the design of the card. You should use a similar process to what we did for your iterations:
- Brainstorm using a word association list
- Instead of creating iterations, roughly sketch ideas out. Your sketches are your iterations.
- You must use your own handwriting, but you may also incorporate other typefaces. Your handwriting should be the primary typeface used though.
- You should design the rest of the card to fit your occasion.
- All type must be kerned properly.
- You should adjust your baseline for your letters where necessary. See tutorial here.
- You should adjust your leading if you are using multiple lines of type.
- You must include a safe zone of 1/8th of an inch from each edge. Your design may go outside of this area, but your text should not.
Once you have finished your design, you can print your card. In the print dialog box, scroll down until you see "Printer Marks." Open that submenu and check off "Corner Crop Marks" so that you can see the corners of your design, even if your back is white. This will help you trim your card once it is printed.
