This article is part of our Creative Cards Resource Series. Each resource provider featured in this series shares their tips and words of wisdom, when it comes to creating printable, card-based products.
Shawn, thank you for sharing your wisdom with us, regarding card-based products.
How did you come up with the idea for creating cards that can be used as journal prompts?
One of my prized possessions from my childhood is a gift I got from Santa called “The Creative Whack Pack.” It’s a deck of 64 cards, and each card has this really cool pen and ink drawing at the top and on the bottom are interesting facts that end with prompts to be thoughtful and creative. I still have it, and I still use it, and it dawned on me that something similar for journal prompts would be fun to make, so I created my Gradual Gratitude Cards.
What tips do you have for customers who want to print these out and use them, so they last for awhile without getting torn or wrinkled?
First, cardstock is your friend! These days, most at-home printers can handle cardstock, which is what I’d recommend. I use 110-pound cardstock myself, but 65 pounds or up will give better results than using regular printer paper. If your printer can’t handle card stock, print the cards on regular paper, then affix them to card stock. If you go that route, affix them before cutting, and you’ll get better results.
My second tip is to cover the cards with clear contact paper, laminate them, or even cover them using clear packaging tape – anything to make them spill and rip proof helps.
How can we print out cards on perforated card stock?
Most reliable perforated card brands have an online template you can use to set things up. For example, Avery products offer downloadable templates for their products that will work in a variety of software types such as Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Illustrator, and Apple Pages. Depending on the card template you have, you might need to do some resizing, but that’s reasonably easy to do using Canva or PowerPoint.
How can we print on both sides of the page to create two-sided cards?
That can be a bit tricky as printer setting and layouts vary so much, and the layouts of the card templates you have might not work with the printer you want to use. If you have a printer with duplex (two-sided) printing capabilities, and you have card templates that are designed for that, it’s a simple print job.
If you don’t have a printer with duplex (two-sided) printing capabilities, you can print the front side, then flip your paper to print the back side. Just be sure you know which way to flip your paper based on your printer’s feed, and make sure the card template you have is set up to print the correct backs on the corresponding fronts!
What resolution should the cards be to prevent pixelation?
That depends on the card design. If the creator used high resolution graphics (300 ppi/300dpi), that’s best. It’s the industry standard for anything designed to be printed.
If your card designs were not created at that resolution, there’s not much you can do about that other than to print at the size & resolution the designer used. Sometimes, it IS possible to take a larger card design that’s at a lower resolution and INCREASE the resolution, which will result in a card with smaller dimensions. That’s something that can be done in Canva or PowerPoint.
What types of things can people do to customize the editable templates and what program(s) can the files be edited in?
Application wise, I designed the templates in PowerPoint, which is compatible with Canva, so either of those applications is great to use for edits and customization.
As far as what people can do, this is going to sound like a cliché, but it’s true: The ways the Gradual Gratitude Cards can be edited are as varied as each user’s imagination. Basic things like changing the background color of the cards and changing the font style and color are simple ways to create a range of similar products that will appeal to different people based on their preferred style.
The text is editable, so swapping out the Gradual Gratitude Prompts that come with the templates with new content is another great way to customize things. Changing the graphics is also a great way to customize the Gradual Gratitude Cards.
Of course, there’s nothing that says that you can’t turn the Gradual Gratitude Cards into affirmation cards, recipe cards, shopping list cards, to do list cards, or even lunch box stuffers – it’s all a matter of being creative!
How can these cards be used in conjunction with the coordinating companion journal?
I call this set of cards “Gradual” Gratitude Cards because I think people new to journaling and to practicing gratitude can be overwhelmed by the process and by a blank page. Because the cards are small and portable, they don’t feel as formal as a full-sized journal, and instead of the pressure of sitting down to “journal,” the cards allow users to read and to reflect without presenting a page filled with lines (or blank space) that “must” be filled up.
As users gain more confidence with the process, or when they come across a particularly resonating prompt, their hesitation to fill a blank page will subside, and having access to a full-sized journal is important (and perhaps more meaningful). Those who are in the habit of journaling will enjoy the options the combination of the cards and the companion journals provide.
Because most of us are so busy, and we have so many obligations, having access to the small, portable Gradual Gratitude Cards means that on days when time and space are at a premium – travel days, errand days, appointment days, vacation days – we can take them on-the-go and still keep up our journaling habit – even if we think about a prompt versus writing it out. On other days, the full-sized journal is going to be our go-to item.
What else do you want people to know about your cards product, to help them on their content creation journey?
My Gradual Gratitude Cards templates come with Private Label Rights (PLR), so you can PDF them and then sell them to your customers as is, or you can edit them and customize them before creating your customer PDF.
AND…. I do something EXTRA for you: My Gradual Gratitude Cards include ORIGINAL (not-AI Generated) Graphics. I drew and colored each of the designs myself, and I include Master Resell Rights (MRR) rights to them with every purchase, so what you create with them can be sold with PLR rights.
You can use the MRR graphics I created in your own designs to create cards, planners, journals, t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and more! That means you not only have a set of ready-made items to sell, but also you have MRR graphics you can use to create even more items without having to worry about whether or not you have the proper rights to use them.
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Gradual Gratitude Activity Cards and Journals with MRR Graphics
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Get $10 off the BASIC set with code: DVORAH10
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Editable PowerPoint File and Commercial Use Rights Are Included
Ty so much! This is so very pretty! I love it!