Send an introduction that's as special and unique as your baby!
Birth Photo Announcements like this one are easy to create with the right tools and a little creativity.
We'll walk you through the steps involved with making your own photo birth announcements. Whether or not you're computer-savvy, you'll create stunning announcements and learn how to create all kinds of photo cards in the process.
What you'll need to create Birth Photo Announcements yourself:
(Don't worry - I'll go into detail on each of these below)
1) A digital photograph or photographs.
2) Greeting Card or Graphics software.
3) A color printer (or access to one).
4) Good photo-quality card paper.
2) Greeting Card or Graphics software.
This is the step that will most determine whether your announcement-creation will be an enjoyable experience or a nail-biting, hair-pulling one. With the right software, you'll create beautiful announcements, in just a few hours, that your friends and family will rave over and you'll want to use your knowledge again and again for Christmas Cards, Birthday greetings, Party invitations, and many other photo projects.
There are tons of greeting card and graphics software programs available and we've tried out many of them.
One of our favorites is
Photo Explosion Deluxe.
Another good product is
Greeting Card Factory Deluxe
, especially if you want to print other kinds of "canned" greeting cards. We just tend to prefer Photo Explosion's focus on Photograph cards, since that's our passion. Make sure whatever greeting card software you buy allows you to add your own photos (some don't.)
3) Color Printer (or access to one):If you don't yet have a color printer, surf the web and compare prices on printers and other computer peripherals.
You no longer need a Laserjet printer to get good photo-quality prints. An Inkjet or DeskJet will do just fine. Before we buy any new technology, we always start by reading
Reviews on ZDNet.com.
Another option, if you don't have or want a color printer, is to create your birth photo announcements at home and have someone else print them for you. However, since most printing companies are geared towards business clients, don't be surprised if you end up paying more than you would to have your announcements custom designed and printed for you by a company specializing in birth photo announcements.
4) Good photo-quality card paper.
This is one of the most common mistakes beginning card-creaters make. We know because we've done it ourselves. In our quest to find the cheapest photo-quality card stock paper, we've tried MANY brands and varieties. You wouldn't believe the difference in the print quality!! Low quality paper will make your birth photo announcements look amateur and the photo(s) poor. We feel so strongly about this that we won't even recommend a brand until we've tested thoroughly enough. Until then, we suggest you buy small quantities of several brands and thicknesses, and try printing your announcement on one sheet of each. The paper that doesn't perform as well can always be used for simple greeting cards or invitations later.
Once you have all of your supplies, you'll follow your chosen software instructions to create your announcements. You might want to do a little planning though before you dive into the software: Start by choosing the photo or photos you'd like to include in your birth announcement and decide on the layout you prefer. For birth photo announcements, you'll want your photo or photos on the front of the card, whether it's a folding card or a postcard style (not really a postcard since you still use an envelope.) Now, when you start working with your software, you'll be able to go directly to the kind of announcement card you want without getting side-tracked by all of the other possibilities.
