Software Package to Design and Print Your Own Personalised Greeting Cards: A Personal Review

Software to Design and Print Your Own Greeting Cards

This is the latest version of the software from Nova Development that is very similar, but greatly improved, from the greeting card software demonstrated in this review article.

This Card Studio program suite is great for designing and printing your own personalised greeting cards easily and quickly. And with the option to either select clip art from the vast library of images provided with the package or using your own photos gives you great versatility in design and layout. As with the clipart you can choose either from a vast library of personal messages or write your own, and with the inbuilt spell checker be sure of no spelling mistakes.

The ideal software for making your own personalised and professional greeting cards on your computer for all occasions couldn't be simpler with a program like Card Studio by Nova Development. As Ive discovered over the years these programs by Nova Development are great for making your own personalised greeting cards for all other occasions and celebrations including Christmas, Birthdays, Valentine's Day, Easter and Anniversaries. In this review article I demonstrate how easy it is to make personalised greeting cards using an older version of the software currently installed on my computer; namely Greeting Card Factory Deluxe.

I've been making my own personalised greeting cards for over ten years, originally using a simple program by Microsoft but when we upgraded our operating system and it became incompatible I found another program that was just as good but it was limited in the number of available templates and clip art. So eventually, after a lot of research and reading user reviews I treated myself to Greeting Card Factory Deluxe and I haven't looked back since; the variety of templates and sheer quantity of clip art means that I'm never short of ideas for quickly knocking up an original personalised Greeting Card.

These days we make all our own cards using Greeting Card Factory Deluxe by Novel Development Art Explosion which contains thousands of templates, clip Art and Text Greetings and messages to choose from. I've never been short on ideas using this program and you can incorporate your own photos into the design too if you wish which at times can be useful for further personalising the card.

Thousands of Clipart Provided for Your Card Project

And Options to Integrate Your Own Photos

Below is a step by step guide on the basics for quickly and simply creating a personalised Christmas card as an example of the power of this program, my overview only scratches the surface of the power and flexibility of this program, but it should give you some idea of what this program is capable of and how you can use it with either the clipart provided or your own images.

The version I have and which I’ve been happily using for years is version 3; this simple step by step guide is based on this version 3. The current version is much higher, and no doubt even better, so this guide may differ from the current version and it will differ from other similar Greeting Card programs but the principle is the same so it should give you an idea of what expect and what to look for when looking to buy this or any similar product.

All the images in this lens are screen dumps taken by me to provide you with an added aid in visualising the power and flexibility of these programs.

The Tutorial, as with all good programs, teaches you on how to use the basics of this program but the program is intuitive so you might not require the tutorial; but if you do get stuck it’s there to help you on your way to creating stunning personalised greeting cards for all occasions.

Creating a Personalised Greeting Card

The version of software I have from Nova Development as well as creating Greeting Cards also allows me to create Photo Cards, Speciality Cards, Pop-Up Cards, Puzzle Cards, Scrapbook Cards, Note Cards, Announcements, Certificates, Labels, Gift Tags, Electronic Greetings, Envelopes and Stationery, Signs and Posters, Crafts, Web Projects and Matching Sets.

Most Nova Development Greeting Card programs include elements for some of these other projects but the most important option is the one to make your own greeting cards quickly and easily; its what I use the program for most of the time.

With this program you have the option of ether using your own photos or selecting clip art from the vast library of images bundled in with the package. So you can either spend ages editing your own photos e.g. erasing the background to just leave your family or friend; or just use the clipart provided with the software and then personalise the card with the person's name and a personalised message, or you could just pick a suitable message from the vast library of messages available in the program; the choice is yours.

A Card for All Occasions

The first step in designing your personalised Greeting Card is choosing a theme (category and subcategory) and a template design that best matches what you have in mind. It doesn’t matter if the image or text doesn’t match what you’re looking for as these can be changed later when you’re personalising the card. The important thing is to choose something as a starting point to help inspire you and to give you some ideas.

As you’re browsing through the vast library you can switch to Jumbo view at any time to better see the clipart and text; and when you’re ready just click Next.

Initial Tweak of Text and Choosing the Card Size and Fold Type

This is your initial chance to view the front and inside of your greeting card to tweak the text and change the card size e.g. A4 card folded in half or folded twice to make a 'quarter size' greeting card; what you choose is personal choice.

The Fun Begins

Once you’ve imported your chosen template into your project the fun and creative element begins. If you’re happy with the card as it is you could just print it straight out ‘as is’. However, you can change anything on the card that you wish, or even add additional elements to the card including your own family photos. If you like Crafting you’ll love this, if you want an easy life then just simply browse the vast libraries of clipart, sentiments and other objects and make your choice from there.

The program is very intuitive so you should find navigating it easy.

Fine Tune the Graphics on Your Greeting Card

If the clipart on your chosen template isn’t quite what you want then either browse the vast library of clipart and choose what you really want; or alternatively to really personalise your greeting card replace it entirely with your own family photo from your hard drive.

Edit the Existing Text or Add Your Own Sentiment Text

Adding or editing the text sentiments on your card design is as easy as ABC, and the program will spell check for you too.