HP inkjets for homemade business cards using Word->FM templates

[Anonymous, Kinda]

I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.

1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?

2. I'm using an HP inkjet to print (PSC 750). I haven't calibrated
the print heads because it requires that all the color cartridges be
working. I haven't replaced the depleted color cartridges because I
don't expect to use them. Does anyone have experience with how accurate
is the positioning of the printout without this calibration? This is
more critical when printing out on precut cards than when printing out
normally.

[Burt]

Just print a plain paper copy and see how it lines up. Business cards are
usually about 2" by 3.5", so you can calculate the margins outside the cards
and know how much to cut off before cutting the cards apart.

By calibration do you mean the print head alignment? That is a minute
adjustment to coordinate printing of the black and color output. If that is
the adjustment you are asking about it will not affect placement of the text
on the paper. I don't know if this printer has another alignment utility to
adjust the printed image on the paper additional to the usual print head
alignment utility I mentioned.

Why would you want to translate the templates to another program? They work
fine in both MS Word and Wordperfect. I print cards on Wausau 80 # cover
cardstock that I purchase at a commercial paper house that sells to printing
firms. Cut them up with a paper cutter after they are printed. Much
cheaper than the precut cards. I haven't tried this stock with an inkjet
printer, but black text should work just fine.

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?
2. I'm using an HP inkjet to print (PSC 750). I haven't calibrated
the print heads because it requires that all the color cartridges be
working. I haven't replaced the depleted color cartridges because I
don't expect to use them. Does anyone have experience with how accurate
is the positioning of the printout without this calibration? This is
more critical when printing out on precut cards than when printing out
normally.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?
2. I'm using an HP inkjet to print (PSC 750). I haven't calibrated
the print heads because it requires that all the color cartridges be
working. I haven't replaced the depleted color cartridges because I
don't expect to use them. Does anyone have experience with how accurate
is the positioning of the printout without this calibration? This is
more critical when printing out on precut cards than when printing out
normally.
Just print a plain paper copy and see how it lines up. Business cards are
usually about 2" by 3.5", so you can calculate the margins outside the cards
and know how much to cut off before cutting the cards apart.

I'm actually trying to determine if the positioning on the page is the
same on the screen as it is in hard copy. There are no delineations of
the card edges on a plain white sheet.

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
By calibration do you mean the print head alignment? That is a minute
adjustment to coordinate printing of the black and color output. If that is
the adjustment you are asking about it will not affect placement of the text
on the paper. I don't know if this printer has another alignment utility to
adjust the printed image on the paper additional to the usual print head
alignment utility I mentioned.

I'm not sure if it is a fine alignment or a gross alignment. I just know
that the printer use to print out a calibration page with full color, then
I had to put the calibration page on the scanner for it to calibrate.

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
Why would you want to translate the templates to another program? They work
fine in both MS Word and Wordperfect. I print cards on Wausau 80 # cover
cardstock that I purchase at a commercial paper house that sells to printing
firms. Cut them up with a paper cutter after they are printed. Much
cheaper than the precut cards. I haven't tried this stock with an inkjet
printer, but black text should work just fine.

I am much more proficient with Framemaker than Word.

I have considered cutting my own calling cards, but I really have no place
to put a paper cutter. As well, the paper cutters that I have used have
the habit of forcing the paper to change position slightly while cutting, so
the edges are rarely straight. Though it might be a result of cutting more
than one sheet at once.

Paper cutters are big beasts, and my space is small enough that having one
is a nontrivial consideration. However, I will looking into the pricing
of paper cutters.

Thanks for the info about the the card sizes and margins. I actually
scrutinized the postscript printout of the template from word and
compared it to my own home-made template of ten 3.5"x2" cards in Framemaker.
They are almost identical, with only a horizontal shift of 1 point (which
I think is 1/72 inches). So the fact that I'm making my own template in
Framemaker is not a problem. I will see if the positioning on a plain
8.5"x11" sheet of paper is accurate.

[budgie]

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.

(snip rest)

I know it's not the type of answer you were seeking, but IMOE I'd rather buy
cards ex Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com) than bother fiddling with printing my
own. Check them out. (No affiliation other than a more-than-once user.)

[unknown]

I print out my business cards on 28 lb stock, a dozen at a time, then slice them
up with a paper cutter and a very steady hand. Because I don't hand out
business cards a lot, this works for me. Why buy 500 or 1000 business cards
with high odds of a phone number or email change in this day and age? Maybe
tomorrow I'll go VOIP, sign up with another ISP, or do something else to make my
business cards obsolete... Ben Myers

Post by budgie

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.

(snip rest)
I know it's not the type of answer you were seeking, but IMOE I'd rather buy
cards ex Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com) than bother fiddling with printing my
own. Check them out. (No affiliation other than a more-than-once user.)

[budgie]

Post by unknown

Post by budgie

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.

(snip rest)
I know it's not the type of answer you were seeking, but IMOE I'd rather buy
cards ex Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com) than bother fiddling with printing my
own. Check them out. (No affiliation other than a more-than-once user.)

I print out my business cards on 28 lb stock, a dozen at a time, then slice them
up with a paper cutter and a very steady hand. Because I don't hand out
business cards a lot, this works for me. Why buy 500 or 1000 business cards
with high odds of a phone number or email change in this day and age? Maybe
tomorrow I'll go VOIP, sign up with another ISP, or do something else to make my
business cards obsolete... Ben Myers

At the price of the commercial product from Vista, I'm prepared to take the risk
of content obsolescence. There are "free" standard layouts and 90% of the time
their next tier is $US4 for 250 (both plus postage). Beats the hell out of home
brew for anyone with an actual need for biz cards. But hey if it makes you feel
good to do your own printing/cutting then I'm happy for you.

[unknown]

You can't imagine the rush of happiness I get whenever I slice and dice my own
business cards. Pity it happens so rarely, maybe once every 6 months. At that
rate, a supply of 250 would last me 10 years... Ben Myers

On Tue, 26 Jul 2005 17:50:25 +0800, budgie <***@privacy.net> wrote:

<SNIP>

Post by budgie

Post by unknown
I print out my business cards on 28 lb stock, a dozen at a time, then slice them
up with a paper cutter and a very steady hand. Because I don't hand out
business cards a lot, this works for me. Why buy 500 or 1000 business cards
with high odds of a phone number or email change in this day and age? Maybe
tomorrow I'll go VOIP, sign up with another ISP, or do something else to make my
business cards obsolete... Ben Myers

At the price of the commercial product from Vista, I'm prepared to take the risk
of content obsolescence. There are "free" standard layouts and 90% of the time
their next tier is $US4 for 250 (both plus postage). Beats the hell out of home
brew for anyone with an actual need for biz cards. But hey if it makes you feel
good to do your own printing/cutting then I'm happy for you.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
I know it's not the type of answer you were seeking, but IMOE I'd
rather buy cards ex Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com) than bother
fiddling with printing my own. Check them out. (No affiliation
other than a more-than-once user.)
I print out my business cards on 28 lb stock, a dozen at a time,
then slice them up with a paper cutter and a very steady hand.
Because I don't hand out business cards a lot, this works for me.
Why buy 500 or 1000 business cards with high odds of a phone number
or email change in this day and age? Maybe tomorrow I'll go VOIP,
sign up with another ISP, or do something else to make my business
cards obsolete... Ben Myers
At the price of the commercial product from Vista, I'm prepared to
take the risk of content obsolescence. There are "free" standard
layouts and 90% of the time their next tier is $US4 for 250 (both
plus postage). Beats the hell out of home brew for anyone with an
actual need for biz cards. But hey if it makes you feel good to do
your own printing/cutting then I'm happy for you.

I believe that there are other reasons besides a large backlog of
business cards for not wanting to change one's contact information
frequently. A major reason is that you would have to send new
business cards to people who have your old one. Unless they replace
your old one with your new one right away, it could become confusing
for them. If they have you in the organizer, they would have to
update that, too.

Having said that, however, I have to admit that I could be changing my
calling card somewhat frequently for the next little while. I am in
the information gathering phase of planning a next career step; the
details of how I want to present myself will become refined as I meet
with more professional practitioners to get their view on the
industry. Though my contact info remains the same, the content must
be agile -- not only will I change content frequently, and thus need
small quantities, it would be inconvenient to wait several days to get
revised cards.

I have done a cost comparison between printing & cutting my own cards,
printing onto Avery pre-perforated cards, and having a PDF printed and
cut by a local print shop. I am assuming 10 cards/page, though one
can squeeze out 12 with landscape layout; this is not generally
supported by professional print/cut shops.

1. Print & cut myself
---------------------
* 110 lb paper, pprox. $0.10/page
* Injet printing (OK, not super) about $0.07/page
* Assume cutter for 110 lb paper should be lever type, for clean
edge (minimum $50, upto $100+)
* Total: $0.17/page,
plus $50~$100 for a cutter (and space to store it)

2. Avery pre-perforated (clean edge)
------------------------------------
* $1.33/page
* Injet printing (OK, not super) about $0.07/page
* Total: $1.40/page

3. Print & cut by shop
----------------------
* $1.25/page (laser printed)
* $1.00 overhead to extract 10-up content from PDF file
- This is understandable. I spent a while just fiddling around
to find proper layout, which differed on the printed page
versus on-screen PDF (turned out to be a printer setting)
- Assuming 3 page/order, this adds 0.33/page
* $1.00/page to cut
* Total: $2.58/page, clean laser quality

4. Local Campus print shop
--------------------------
* $1.25/page
* $10 fixed cost on top of page charge
* Assuming 3 page/order, this adds $3.33/page
* Total: $4.58/page

For *self-printing* ink-jet quality, #1 is a clear winner for the
long-haul. For the immediate term, #2 is the clear winner. My
ink-jet (PSC-750) is pretty good. There is some fuzziness (more like
a softness) when the printed card is observed at regular viewing
distance. It is not until one scrutinizes the print up close that it
becomes clear that the outline of the letters are a bit "hairy".

For laser quality, #3 is the clear winner, though #4 *might* be more
likely to respond the same day rather then the next day.

So the strategy moving forward is to use #3 for the laser quality
(these things matter to the viewer at an unconscious level). If the
volume seems to be getting excessive, I can revert to #2, with the
associated drop in paper & print quality. For truely large volume or
long-haul, I'll drop to #1. #4 is a contingency for emergencies (and
it isn't even for sure that the turn-around time will be quicker than
for #3 -- it will probably be situation-specific).

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Just a point I forgot to add: For shop-printed cards, glossy finish
is an option that seems to add a touch of class or professionalism
to the card, but if the recipient of the card writes nots on the card,
the writing seems to smear more readily.

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
I know it's not the type of answer you were seeking, but IMOE I'd
rather buy cards ex Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com) than bother
fiddling with printing my own. Check them out. (No affiliation
other than a more-than-once user.)
I print out my business cards on 28 lb stock, a dozen at a time,
then slice them up with a paper cutter and a very steady hand.
Because I don't hand out business cards a lot, this works for me.
Why buy 500 or 1000 business cards with high odds of a phone number
or email change in this day and age? Maybe tomorrow I'll go VOIP,
sign up with another ISP, or do something else to make my business
cards obsolete... Ben Myers
At the price of the commercial product from Vista, I'm prepared to
take the risk of content obsolescence. There are "free" standard
layouts and 90% of the time their next tier is $US4 for 250 (both
plus postage). Beats the hell out of home brew for anyone with an
actual need for biz cards. But hey if it makes you feel good to do
your own printing/cutting then I'm happy for you.

I believe that there are other reasons besides a large backlog of
business cards for not wanting to change one's contact information
frequently. A major reason is that you would have to send new
business cards to people who have your old one. Unless they replace
your old one with your new one right away, it could become confusing
for them. If they have you in the organizer, they would have to
update that, too.
Having said that, however, I have to admit that I could be changing my
calling card somewhat frequently for the next little while. I am in
the information gathering phase of planning a next career step; the
details of how I want to present myself will become refined as I meet
with more professional practitioners to get their view on the
industry. Though my contact info remains the same, the content must
be agile -- not only will I change content frequently, and thus need
small quantities, it would be inconvenient to wait several days to get
revised cards.
I have done a cost comparison between printing & cutting my own cards,
printing onto Avery pre-perforated cards, and having a PDF printed and
cut by a local print shop. I am assuming 10 cards/page, though one
can squeeze out 12 with landscape layout; this is not generally
supported by professional print/cut shops.
1. Print & cut myself
---------------------
* 110 lb paper, pprox. $0.10/page
* Injet printing (OK, not super) about $0.07/page
* Assume cutter for 110 lb paper should be lever type, for clean
edge (minimum $50, upto $100+)
* Total: $0.17/page,
plus $50~$100 for a cutter (and space to store it)
2. Avery pre-perforated (clean edge)
------------------------------------
* $1.33/page
* Injet printing (OK, not super) about $0.07/page
* Total: $1.40/page
3. Print & cut by shop
----------------------
* $1.25/page (laser printed)
* $1.00 overhead to extract 10-up content from PDF file
- This is understandable. I spent a while just fiddling around
to find proper layout, which differed on the printed page
versus on-screen PDF (turned out to be a printer setting)
- Assuming 3 page/order, this adds 0.33/page
* $1.00/page to cut
* Total: $2.58/page, clean laser quality
4. Local Campus print shop
--------------------------
* $1.25/page
* $10 fixed cost on top of page charge
* Assuming 3 page/order, this adds $3.33/page
* Total: $4.58/page
For *self-printing* ink-jet quality, #1 is a clear winner for the
long-haul. For the immediate term, #2 is the clear winner. My
ink-jet (PSC-750) is pretty good. There is some fuzziness (more like
a softness) when the printed card is observed at regular viewing
distance. It is not until one scrutinizes the print up close that it
becomes clear that the outline of the letters are a bit "hairy".
For laser quality, #3 is the clear winner, though #4 *might* be more
likely to respond the same day rather then the next day.
So the strategy moving forward is to use #3 for the laser quality
(these things matter to the viewer at an unconscious level). If the
volume seems to be getting excessive, I can revert to #2, with the
associated drop in paper & print quality. For truely large volume or
long-haul, I'll drop to #1. #4 is a contingency for emergencies (and
it isn't even for sure that the turn-around time will be quicker than
for #3 -- it will probably be situation-specific).
Thanks for your thoughts on this.

[unknown]

In addition, being in a phase of career transition, you may want to present
yourself differently for different professional and business opportunities.
It's very easy to bang out 10 or 12 business cards customized for ones
profession du jour.

I bought a nice sharp paper cutter from Quill a number of years ago. I can lay
out 12 cards of 2"x3 1/2" dimensions in landscape on a single 8 1/2" x 11" piece
of paper. Do the math and that leaves 1/4" to trim off all sides... Ben Myers

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
Just a point I forgot to add: For shop-printed cards, glossy finish
is an option that seems to add a touch of class or professionalism
to the card, but if the recipient of the card writes nots on the card,
the writing seems to smear more readily.

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
I know it's not the type of answer you were seeking, but IMOE I'd
rather buy cards ex Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com) than bother
fiddling with printing my own. Check them out. (No affiliation
other than a more-than-once user.)
I print out my business cards on 28 lb stock, a dozen at a time,
then slice them up with a paper cutter and a very steady hand.
Because I don't hand out business cards a lot, this works for me.
Why buy 500 or 1000 business cards with high odds of a phone number
or email change in this day and age? Maybe tomorrow I'll go VOIP,
sign up with another ISP, or do something else to make my business
cards obsolete... Ben Myers
At the price of the commercial product from Vista, I'm prepared to
take the risk of content obsolescence. There are "free" standard
layouts and 90% of the time their next tier is $US4 for 250 (both
plus postage). Beats the hell out of home brew for anyone with an
actual need for biz cards. But hey if it makes you feel good to do
your own printing/cutting then I'm happy for you.

I believe that there are other reasons besides a large backlog of
business cards for not wanting to change one's contact information
frequently. A major reason is that you would have to send new
business cards to people who have your old one. Unless they replace
your old one with your new one right away, it could become confusing
for them. If they have you in the organizer, they would have to
update that, too.
Having said that, however, I have to admit that I could be changing my
calling card somewhat frequently for the next little while. I am in
the information gathering phase of planning a next career step; the
details of how I want to present myself will become refined as I meet
with more professional practitioners to get their view on the
industry. Though my contact info remains the same, the content must
be agile -- not only will I change content frequently, and thus need
small quantities, it would be inconvenient to wait several days to get
revised cards.
I have done a cost comparison between printing & cutting my own cards,
printing onto Avery pre-perforated cards, and having a PDF printed and
cut by a local print shop. I am assuming 10 cards/page, though one
can squeeze out 12 with landscape layout; this is not generally
supported by professional print/cut shops.
1. Print & cut myself
---------------------
* 110 lb paper, pprox. $0.10/page
* Injet printing (OK, not super) about $0.07/page
* Assume cutter for 110 lb paper should be lever type, for clean
edge (minimum $50, upto $100+)
* Total: $0.17/page,
plus $50~$100 for a cutter (and space to store it)
2. Avery pre-perforated (clean edge)
------------------------------------
* $1.33/page
* Injet printing (OK, not super) about $0.07/page
* Total: $1.40/page
3. Print & cut by shop
----------------------
* $1.25/page (laser printed)
* $1.00 overhead to extract 10-up content from PDF file
- This is understandable. I spent a while just fiddling around
to find proper layout, which differed on the printed page
versus on-screen PDF (turned out to be a printer setting)
- Assuming 3 page/order, this adds 0.33/page
* $1.00/page to cut
* Total: $2.58/page, clean laser quality
4. Local Campus print shop
--------------------------
* $1.25/page
* $10 fixed cost on top of page charge
* Assuming 3 page/order, this adds $3.33/page
* Total: $4.58/page
For *self-printing* ink-jet quality, #1 is a clear winner for the
long-haul. For the immediate term, #2 is the clear winner. My
ink-jet (PSC-750) is pretty good. There is some fuzziness (more like
a softness) when the printed card is observed at regular viewing
distance. It is not until one scrutinizes the print up close that it
becomes clear that the outline of the letters are a bit "hairy".
For laser quality, #3 is the clear winner, though #4 *might* be more
likely to respond the same day rather then the next day.
So the strategy moving forward is to use #3 for the laser quality
(these things matter to the viewer at an unconscious level). If the
volume seems to be getting excessive, I can revert to #2, with the
associated drop in paper & print quality. For truely large volume or
long-haul, I'll drop to #1. #4 is a contingency for emergencies (and
it isn't even for sure that the turn-around time will be quicker than
for #3 -- it will probably be situation-specific).
Thanks for your thoughts on this.

[RSD99]

For cutting - try adding cut marks to your template and buying an Xacto #11
Frisket Knife and a metal straight edge(S/B ~~ $10.00)

For printing - I have made variations of my 'Business Card' on "Kirkland
Photo Paper" (10 mil thickness, nice and stiff, bright glossy surface,
Costco stock number 26352. $18.99 for 125 sheets ... or about 0.15 per
sheet).

Oh ... and if at all possible, use a VECTOR GRAPHICS program such as Corel
Draw or Adobe Illustrator. You can easily duplicate the "template" with
either of these programs, and they are *much* better for typesetting.

[measekite]

Post by RSD99
For cutting - try adding cut marks to your template and buying an Xacto #11
Frisket Knife and a metal straight edge(S/B ~~ $10.00)
For printing - I have made variations of my 'Business Card' on "Kirkland
Photo Paper" (10 mil thickness, nice and stiff, bright glossy surface,
Costco stock number 26352. $18.99 for 125 sheets ... or about 0.15 per
sheet).

GREAT STUFF

Post by RSD99
Oh ... and if at all possible, use a VECTOR GRAPHICS program such as Corel
Draw or Adobe Illustrator. You can easily duplicate the "template" with
either of these programs, and they are *much* better for typesetting.

[Bumbling Elephant]

Post by RSD99
For cutting - try adding cut marks to your template and buying an Xacto #11
Frisket Knife and a metal straight edge(S/B ~~ $10.00)

Hmm, interesting. I can get a wooden board on which to cut the sheet.
Sounds like a good idea to try out. I'm curious, is your suggestion
from experience?

Post by RSD99
For printing - I have made variations of my 'Business Card' on "Kirkland
Photo Paper" (10 mil thickness, nice and stiff, bright glossy surface,
Costco stock number 26352. $18.99 for 125 sheets ... or about 0.15 per
sheet).

OK, I've noted that as a good medium on which to make cards. I don't
have a Costco membership, but something to keep in mind for if I do.
It sounds similar to 110 lb paper. I'd probably go for matt as I found
that writing on semigloss smears easily.

Post by RSD99
Oh ... and if at all possible, use a VECTOR GRAPHICS program such as Corel
Draw or Adobe Illustrator. You can easily duplicate the "template" with
either of these programs, and they are *much* better for typesetting.

I use Framemaker without any pixelized content, which does a pretty
good job. It was easy to come up with the template just by studying
the Word template. The only trick was printing the resulting PDF.
The printing options had to be set to *not* resize to fit page before
it printed out properly. The default setting was to resize the
content. It seemed that this shrunk the entire 8.5"x11" PDF to fit
within the printable portion of the physical sheet, which probably
excludes a margin area around the edges due to limitations in the
physical design of the printer.

Thanks for your suggestion.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by RSD99
For cutting - try adding cut marks to your template and buying an Xacto #11
Frisket Knife and a metal straight edge(S/B ~~ $10.00)

Hmm, interesting. I can get a wooden board on which to cut the sheet.
Sounds like a good idea to try out. I'm curious, is your suggestion
from experience?

Post by RSD99
For printing - I have made variations of my 'Business Card' on "Kirkland
Photo Paper" (10 mil thickness, nice and stiff, bright glossy surface,
Costco stock number 26352. $18.99 for 125 sheets ... or about 0.15 per
sheet).

OK, I've noted that as a good medium on which to make cards. I don't
have a Costco membership, but something to keep in mind for if I do.
It sounds similar to 110 lb paper. I'd probably go for matt as I found
that writing on semigloss smears easily.

Post by RSD99
Oh ... and if at all possible, use a VECTOR GRAPHICS program such as Corel
Draw or Adobe Illustrator. You can easily duplicate the "template" with
either of these programs, and they are *much* better for typesetting.

I use Framemaker without any pixelized content, which does a pretty
good job. It was easy to come up with the template just by studying
the Word template. The only trick was printing the resulting PDF.
The printing options had to be set to *not* resize to fit page before
it printed out properly. The default setting was to resize the
content. It seemed that this shrunk the entire 8.5"x11" PDF to fit
within the printable portion of the physical sheet, which probably
excludes a margin area around the edges due to limitations in the
physical design of the printer.

Thanks for your suggestion.

[g***@yahoo.com]

RSD99 wrote on Jul 27, 8:24pm

Post by RSD99
For cutting - try adding cut marks to your template and buying an
Xacto #11 Frisket Knife and a metal straight edge(S/B ~~ $10.00)
For printing - I have made variations of my 'Business Card' on
"Kirkland Photo Paper" (10 mil thickness, nice and stiff, bright
glossy surface, Costco stock number 26352. $18.99 for 125 sheets ...
or about 0.15 per sheet).

Hi, RSD99,

I find that using a blade & a straight edge works well with Dave C.'s
cut marks. I'm cutting on a wooden chopping board. When you do it,
is there a better surface to use besides wood? That tends to dull the
blade quickly, which really needs to be sharp to have clean edges.
Thanks.

[unknown]

I still favor a good solid paper cutter with finely done marking for inches and
fractioons plus a rock-steady hand. The paper cutter never needs sharpening
and I strengthen my hand lifting cans of beer... Ben Myers

Post by g***@yahoo.com
RSD99 wrote on Jul 27, 8:24pm

Post by RSD99
For cutting - try adding cut marks to your template and buying an
Xacto #11 Frisket Knife and a metal straight edge(S/B ~~ $10.00)
For printing - I have made variations of my 'Business Card' on
"Kirkland Photo Paper" (10 mil thickness, nice and stiff, bright
glossy surface, Costco stock number 26352. $18.99 for 125 sheets ...
or about 0.15 per sheet).

Hi, RSD99,
I find that using a blade & a straight edge works well with Dave C.'s
cut marks. I'm cutting on a wooden chopping board. When you do it,
is there a better surface to use besides wood? That tends to dull the
blade quickly, which really needs to be sharp to have clean edges.
Thanks.

[g***@yahoo.com]

RSD99 wrote on Jul 27, 8:24pm

Post by RSD99
For cutting - try adding cut marks to your template and buying an
Xacto #11 Frisket Knife and a metal straight edge(S/B ~~ $10.00) For
printing - I have made variations of my 'Business Card' on "Kirkland
Photo Paper" (10 mil thickness, nice and stiff, bright glossy
surface, Costco stock number 26352. $18.99 for 125 sheets ... or
about 0.15 per sheet).
I find that using a blade & a straight edge works well with Dave
C.'s cut marks. I'm cutting on a wooden chopping board. When you
do it, is there a better surface to use besides wood? That tends to
dull the blade quickly, which really needs to be sharp to have clean
edges.
I still favor a good solid paper cutter with finely done marking for
inches and fractioons plus a rock-steady hand. The paper cutter
never needs sharpening and I strengthen my hand lifting cans of
beer... Ben Myers

Solid paper cutter is still an option. I'm just trying this
lower-cost method first. Seems to work OK. Just wondering if there's
a better surface to cut on.

Whenever I try to strengthen my hand by lifting cans of beer, I get a
beer gut.

[Elizabeth]

Post by g***@yahoo.com
RSD99 wrote on Jul 27, 8:24pm

Post by RSD99
For cutting - try adding cut marks to your template and buying an
Xacto #11 Frisket Knife and a metal straight edge(S/B ~~ $10.00) For
printing - I have made variations of my 'Business Card' on "Kirkland
Photo Paper" (10 mil thickness, nice and stiff, bright glossy
surface, Costco stock number 26352. $18.99 for 125 sheets ... or
about 0.15 per sheet).
I find that using a blade & a straight edge works well with Dave
C.'s cut marks. I'm cutting on a wooden chopping board. When you
do it, is there a better surface to use besides wood? That tends to
dull the blade quickly, which really needs to be sharp to have clean
edges.
I still favor a good solid paper cutter with finely done marking for
inches and fractioons plus a rock-steady hand. The paper cutter
never needs sharpening and I strengthen my hand lifting cans of
beer... Ben Myers

Solid paper cutter is still an option. I'm just trying this
lower-cost method first. Seems to work OK. Just wondering if there's
a better surface to cut on.
Whenever I try to strengthen my hand by lifting cans of beer, I get a
beer gut.

A rotary matt board may be your best choice for low-cost method. You can
get them at most craft/hobby stores. They're mostly designed to work
with rotary cutters, but I think you use a regular straight edge blade.

[g***@yahoo.com]

Post by Elizabeth

Post by g***@yahoo.com
I find that using a blade & a straight edge works well with Dave
C.'s cut marks. I'm cutting on a wooden chopping board. When you
do it, is there a better surface to use besides wood? That tends to
dull the blade quickly, which really needs to be sharp to have clean
edges.

A rotary matt board may be your best choice for low-cost method. You can
get them at most craft/hobby stores. They're mostly designed to work
with rotary cutters, but I think you use a regular straight edge blade.

Yes, I talked to an arts supply store, and they recommended The
Cutting Mat, imported by Selectum. "A semi-hard rubber -like surface
which allows the cutter to bite into it; yet the cut will miraculously
heal, almost as soon as it is made."

Thanks.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by unknown
I bought a nice sharp paper cutter from Quill a number of years ago. I can lay
out 12 cards of 2"x3 1/2" dimensions in landscape on a single 8 1/2" x 11" piece
of paper. Do the math and that leaves 1/4" to trim off all sides... Ben Myers

Thanks for the info, Ben. Our local major office equipment &
stationary store is Stapes/Business Depot. They seem to cater to
Fiskars and X-Acto. If I go this route, probably better to choose
from the store rather than trying to track down another brand name
in town.

Post by unknown
3. Print & cut by shop
----------------------
* $1.25/page (laser printed)
* $1.00 overhead to extract 10-up content from PDF file
- This is understandable. I spent a while just fiddling around
to find proper layout, which differed on the printed page
versus on-screen PDF (turned out to be a printer setting)
- Assuming 3 page/order, this adds 0.33/page
* $1.00/page to cut
* Total: $2.58/page, clean laser quality

I just spoke to a copy shop staff member, who corrected some of the
above figures I got earlier this week. The cutting charge is not $1/page.
It is $1/cut. In a 10-up layout, this would be 6 horizontal cuts and 3
vertical cuts. Basically, $9 to cut up a 10-up layout. However, this
$9 includes as many sheets of the 10-up business card per layout. For
small batches such as mine, that doesn't amortize well, so the $2.58/page
cost goes up to about $4.58/page (exactly the same as doing it at the
on-campus printing shop). All the more reason to do it at home.

[Chuck]

Always proof spacing on plain paper.
Uncut sheets of stock are a LOT cheaper than microperf business card stock.
A small paper cutter doesn't take a lot of space. Some designs have a wheel
cutter instead of the heavy blade.

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?
2. I'm using an HP inkjet to print (PSC 750). I haven't calibrated
the print heads because it requires that all the color cartridges be
working. I haven't replaced the depleted color cartridges because I
don't expect to use them. Does anyone have experience with how accurate
is the positioning of the printout without this calibration? This is
more critical when printing out on precut cards than when printing out
normally.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by Chuck
Always proof spacing on plain paper.

Yes, I found that this was necessary.

Post by Chuck
Uncut sheets of stock are a LOT cheaper than microperf business card stock.

For sure.

Post by Chuck
A small paper cutter doesn't take a lot of space. Some designs have a wheel
cutter instead of the heavy blade.

I saw some rather compact cutters at low prices ($30+), but the staff
at the store suggested that for heavy paper, and considering that a
clean cut is essential, to go with the bigger lever cutters. Have
you found that the smaller cutters give a clean cut on heavy paper?
Was durability an issue?

Post by Chuck

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?
2. I'm using an HP inkjet to print (PSC 750). I haven't calibrated
the print heads because it requires that all the color cartridges be
working. I haven't replaced the depleted color cartridges because I
don't expect to use them. Does anyone have experience with how accurate
is the positioning of the printout without this calibration? This is
more critical when printing out on precut cards than when printing out
normally.

[measekite]

Fiskars makes a branded rotary cutter that is sold at Costco for under
$30.00/ It does a great job.

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by Chuck
Always proof spacing on plain paper.

Yes, I found that this was necessary.

Post by Chuck
Uncut sheets of stock are a LOT cheaper than microperf business

card stock.
For sure.

Post by Chuck
A small paper cutter doesn't take a lot of space. Some designs have

a wheel

Post by Chuck
cutter instead of the heavy blade.

I saw some rather compact cutters at low prices ($30+), but the staff
at the store suggested that for heavy paper, and considering that a
clean cut is essential, to go with the bigger lever cutters. Have
you found that the smaller cutters give a clean cut on heavy paper?
Was durability an issue?

Post by Chuck

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?
2. I'm using an HP inkjet to print (PSC 750). I haven't calibrated
the print heads because it requires that all the color cartridges be
working. I haven't replaced the depleted color cartridges because I
don't expect to use them. Does anyone have experience with how

accurate

Post by Chuck

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
is the positioning of the printout without this calibration? This is
more critical when printing out on precut cards than when printing out
normally.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by measekite
Fiskars makes a branded rotary cutter that is sold at Costco for under
$30.00/ It does a great job.

Since I don't have a Costco membership, I searched for Fiskars at the
website for our local office supplies store:
http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_results.asp?txtSearch=fiskars

There are two 12" personal trimmers, a 12" rotary trimmer, and an 8.5"
trimmer, ranging from $20 to $70. I mentioned in another post that
home-cut cards may be a good option once I establish my usage pattern
and the volume is adquately high. The trade-off is the inkjet print
quality. Thanks for sharing your experience with cutters for
home-cutting.

[Marc Heusser]

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.

Precut cards works well if you do not have any design elements near the
border of an individual card.
Otherwise (bleeding edges etc) use a full sheet with no precuts, mark
cut lines in FrameMaker, and cut by hand. This is because the image in
laser printers and such will not always end up in the same place on the
page (up to a few millimeters tolerance because of the paper feed).

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?

Why bother - create your own in Frame-Maker. What works best for me is
to create a frame or rectangle (no border) with the exact dimensions of
an ingdividual card, and place all the design elements in it.
Then group and copy as many times as you need, aligning and distributing
accordingly.
If you need a template for the idea, send e-mail, I'll send you mine in
FrameMaker.

HTH

Marc

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by Marc Heusser

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.

Precut cards works well if you do not have any design elements near the
border of an individual card.
Otherwise (bleeding edges etc) use a full sheet with no precuts, mark
cut lines in FrameMaker, and cut by hand. This is because the image in
laser printers and such will not always end up in the same place on the
page (up to a few millimeters tolerance because of the paper feed).

I found that the position on the printed image was slightly different
from the position of the image on the virtual page on the screen, as
measured from the page edge. So your idea of marking where to cut is
certainly practical.

Post by Marc Heusser

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?

Why bother - create your own in Frame-Maker. What works best for me
is to create a frame or rectangle (no border) with the exact
dimensions of an ingdividual card, and place all the design elements
in it. Then group and copy as many times as you need, aligning and
distributing accordingly. If you need a template for the idea, send
e-mail, I'll send you mine in FrameMaker. HTH Marc

Actually, I did create my own template in a manner similar to what
you describe. Thanks for the offer, and your suggestions.

[Dave C.]

I made a simle Word.doc file that prints tic marks on the sides (2 inches
apart) and top edges (3.5 inches apart) on 8.5 x 11 card stock. Then print
business cards using software of your choice (Word, Publisher, etc.). With
a razor knife and a straight edge, I cut the cards out using the tic marks
as a cutting guide.

I can send you this simple file if you email me.

Regards,
--
Dave C.

***@9c4.n9et

Remove the five 9's (leave the 4) for email.

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by Marc Heusser

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.

Precut cards works well if you do not have any design elements near the
border of an individual card.
Otherwise (bleeding edges etc) use a full sheet with no precuts, mark
cut lines in FrameMaker, and cut by hand. This is because the image in
laser printers and such will not always end up in the same place on the
page (up to a few millimeters tolerance because of the paper feed).

I found that the position on the printed image was slightly different
from the position of the image on the virtual page on the screen, as
measured from the page edge. So your idea of marking where to cut is
certainly practical.

Post by Marc Heusser

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?

Why bother - create your own in Frame-Maker. What works best for me
is to create a frame or rectangle (no border) with the exact
dimensions of an ingdividual card, and place all the design elements
in it. Then group and copy as many times as you need, aligning and
distributing accordingly. If you need a template for the idea, send
e-mail, I'll send you mine in FrameMaker. HTH Marc

Actually, I did create my own template in a manner similar to what
you describe. Thanks for the offer, and your suggestions.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by Dave C.
I made a simle Word.doc file that prints tic marks on the sides (2
inches apart) and top edges (3.5 inches apart) on 8.5 x 11 card
stock. Then print business cards using software of your choice
(Word, Publisher, etc.). With a razor knife and a straight edge, I
cut the cards out using the tic marks as a cutting guide. I can
send you this simple file if you email me. Regards, -- Dave C.

Dave,

Thanks for the suggestion. I can do this in Framemaker, but I
appreciate your offer.

[Dave C.]

You're welcome
--
Dave C.

***@9c4.n9et

Remove the five 9's (leave the 4) for email.

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by Dave C.
I made a simle Word.doc file that prints tic marks on the sides (2
inches apart) and top edges (3.5 inches apart) on 8.5 x 11 card
stock. Then print business cards using software of your choice
(Word, Publisher, etc.). With a razor knife and a straight edge, I
cut the cards out using the tic marks as a cutting guide. I can
send you this simple file if you email me. Regards, -- Dave C.

Dave,
Thanks for the suggestion. I can do this in Framemaker, but I
appreciate your offer.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by Dave C.
I made a simle Word.doc file that prints tic marks on the sides (2
inches apart) and top edges (3.5 inches apart) on 8.5 x 11 card
stock. Then print business cards using software of your choice
(Word, Publisher, etc.). With a razor knife and a straight edge, I
cut the cards out using the tic marks as a cutting guide. I can
send you this simple file if you email me. Regards, -- Dave C.
Dave, Thanks for the suggestion. I can do this in Framemaker, but I
appreciate your offer.
You're welcome -- Dave C.

Hi, Dave,

I think I spoke too soon. I'm having trouble envisioning where you might
put these cut marks so that they don't actually run along the edges of the
cut (as in cutted) cards. The only way I can see that happening is if the
cards are not abutted. Is that how you've done it? If so, I can come up
with a pattern of cut marks, but it allows fewer cards per sheet then
abutted cards. The waste paper surrounding each card will also be slim,
but that might not be a problem.

If the cards *are* abutted -- say 10-up, in 2 columns of 5 -- then one
might leave cut marks at the margins surrounding the 10-card
aggretate. But the moment you make a cut, some of the cut pieces will
be missing cut marks either at the starting or ending points of the
cut.

For abutted cards, I can deal with the problem of missing cut marks in
the margins by projecting the cut marks into the 10-card aggregate
(along the edges of the individual cards), but this creates an erratic
shadow along the edge of each card.

Thanks for letting me know. If you have the template, could you
please send it to me at ***@ya4hoo.ca (Remove the three 4's)?
Thanks!

P.S. According to the specs for the printer (HP PSC750), it can print
on 110 lb paper, but it seems to smear. Probably too close to the
ink nozzels. I tried to buy a few sheets of next lighter paper from
the local copy shop, and it works great, but the paper is *way*
lighter than 110 lb. Even though they said it was 90 lb, I can't see
that -- the Avery clean-edge cards have stiffness between the 110 lb
and "90 lb", and there is noticable difference between them. I will
contact them to see if they might have grabbed the wrong paper.
Everything is closed down for today and tomorrow though (Canadian
holiday).

[unknown]

Hammermill "Signs and Notices" 54 lb stock is plenty heavy for my use.

... Ben Myers

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by Dave C.
I made a simle Word.doc file that prints tic marks on the sides (2
inches apart) and top edges (3.5 inches apart) on 8.5 x 11 card
stock. Then print business cards using software of your choice
(Word, Publisher, etc.). With a razor knife and a straight edge, I
cut the cards out using the tic marks as a cutting guide. I can
send you this simple file if you email me. Regards, -- Dave C.
Dave, Thanks for the suggestion. I can do this in Framemaker, but I
appreciate your offer.
You're welcome -- Dave C.

Hi, Dave,
I think I spoke too soon. I'm having trouble envisioning where you might
put these cut marks so that they don't actually run along the edges of the
cut (as in cutted) cards. The only way I can see that happening is if the
cards are not abutted. Is that how you've done it? If so, I can come up
with a pattern of cut marks, but it allows fewer cards per sheet then
abutted cards. The waste paper surrounding each card will also be slim,
but that might not be a problem.
If the cards *are* abutted -- say 10-up, in 2 columns of 5 -- then one
might leave cut marks at the margins surrounding the 10-card
aggretate. But the moment you make a cut, some of the cut pieces will
be missing cut marks either at the starting or ending points of the
cut.
For abutted cards, I can deal with the problem of missing cut marks in
the margins by projecting the cut marks into the 10-card aggregate
(along the edges of the individual cards), but this creates an erratic
shadow along the edge of each card.
Thanks for letting me know. If you have the template, could you
Thanks!
P.S. According to the specs for the printer (HP PSC750), it can print
on 110 lb paper, but it seems to smear. Probably too close to the
ink nozzels. I tried to buy a few sheets of next lighter paper from
the local copy shop, and it works great, but the paper is *way*
lighter than 110 lb. Even though they said it was 90 lb, I can't see
that -- the Avery clean-edge cards have stiffness between the 110 lb
and "90 lb", and there is noticable difference between them. I will
contact them to see if they might have grabbed the wrong paper.
Everything is closed down for today and tomorrow though (Canadian
holiday).

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by unknown
Hammermill "Signs and Notices" 54 lb stock is plenty heavy for my use.
... Ben Myers

The cardstock I got is 65 lb. Seems flimsy. Not that it necessarily
matters. The only thing that matters is how it comes across to the
person receiving it. I can only guess what what that may be based on
my own impression. Now I have your impression as a "data point" too.
Thanks.

[Burt]

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by unknown
Hammermill "Signs and Notices" 54 lb stock is plenty heavy for my use.
... Ben Myers

The cardstock I got is 65 lb. Seems flimsy. Not that it necessarily
matters. The only thing that matters is how it comes across to the
person receiving it. I can only guess what what that may be based on
my own impression. Now I have your impression as a "data point" too.
Thanks.

Have you tried Wasau 80# cover? works fine in my printers.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by Burt

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by unknown
Hammermill "Signs and Notices" 54 lb stock is plenty heavy for my use.
... Ben Myers

The cardstock I got is 65 lb. Seems flimsy. Not that it necessarily
matters. The only thing that matters is how it comes across to the
person receiving it. I can only guess what what that may be based on
my own impression. Now I have your impression as a "data point" too.
Thanks.

Have you tried Wasau 80# cover? works fine in my printers.

Mines is an HP PSC 750 inkjet. I will see if the copy shop have other
weights that they can sell sample quantities of. I thought the sheets
of "card stock" they sold me today was 90 lb (that's what they said).
But it was so flimsy, even as a 3.5"x2" card, that I googled "card stock";
I found that it is actually 65 lb. If necessary, I'll phone around to
various copy shops to see if they have demo cards of various weight so
that I can just drop by see which one that seems reasonably sturdy.
Many stores are closed tomorrow, though, due to the holiday.

[Burt]

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by Burt

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by unknown
Hammermill "Signs and Notices" 54 lb stock is plenty heavy for my use.
... Ben Myers

The cardstock I got is 65 lb. Seems flimsy. Not that it necessarily
matters. The only thing that matters is how it comes across to the
person receiving it. I can only guess what what that may be based on
my own impression. Now I have your impression as a "data point" too.
Thanks.

Have you tried Wasau 80# cover? works fine in my printers.

Mines is an HP PSC 750 inkjet. I will see if the copy shop have other
weights that they can sell sample quantities of. I thought the sheets
of "card stock" they sold me today was 90 lb (that's what they said).
But it was so flimsy, even as a 3.5"x2" card, that I googled "card stock";
I found that it is actually 65 lb. If necessary, I'll phone around to
various copy shops to see if they have demo cards of various weight so
that I can just drop by see which one that seems reasonably sturdy.
Many stores are closed tomorrow, though, due to the holiday.

What I've found, being a novice in the paper area, is that different types
of stock have a different level of stiffness and feel for equivalent
"weight" - i.e. 80 lb. The Wasau 80# COVER was a decent weight for cards in
my estimation. In San Francisco you can go to Kelly paper company, a firm
that sells primarily to printers, and buy a few sheets of any paper they
have as samples to try. I don't know what firms there are in your area, but
generally speaking, stores like office depot and some of the copy shops have
a fairly limited selection. The printing industry and the companies that
cater to them have a very broad selection.

[measekite]

Post by Burt

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by Burt

Post by Anonymous, Kinda

Post by unknown
Hammermill "Signs and Notices" 54 lb stock is plenty heavy for my use.
... Ben Myers

The cardstock I got is 65 lb. Seems flimsy. Not that it necessarily
matters. The only thing that matters is how it comes across to the
person receiving it. I can only guess what what that may be based on
my own impression. Now I have your impression as a "data point" too.
Thanks.

Have you tried Wasau 80# cover? works fine in my printers.

Mines is an HP PSC 750 inkjet. I will see if the copy shop have other
weights that they can sell sample quantities of. I thought the sheets
of "card stock" they sold me today was 90 lb (that's what they said).
But it was so flimsy, even as a 3.5"x2" card, that I googled "card stock";
I found that it is actually 65 lb. If necessary, I'll phone around to
various copy shops to see if they have demo cards of various weight so
that I can just drop by see which one that seems reasonably sturdy.
Many stores are closed tomorrow, though, due to the holiday.

What I've found, being a novice in the paper area,

You are also a novice in the ink area

Post by Burt
is that different types
of stock have a different level of stiffness and feel for equivalent
"weight" - i.e. 80 lb. The Wasau 80# COVER was a decent weight for cards in
my estimation. In San Francisco you can go to Kelly paper company, a firm
that sells primarily to printers, and buy a few sheets of any paper they
have as samples to try. I don't know what firms there are in your area, but
generally speaking, stores like office depot

where you can buy OEM ink for your printer

Post by Burt
and some of the copy shops have
a fairly limited selection. The printing industry and the companies that
cater to them have a very broad selection.

[RSD99]

Post by Burt
What I've found, being a novice in the paper area, is that different types
of stock have a different level of stiffness and feel for equivalent
"weight" - i.e. 80 lb. The Wasau 80# COVER was a decent weight for cards in
my estimation. In San Francisco you can go to Kelly paper company, a firm
that sells primarily to printers, and buy a few sheets of any paper they
have as samples to try. I don't know what firms there are in your area, but
generally speaking, stores like office depot and some of the copy shops have
a fairly limited selection. The printing industry and the companies that
cater to them have a very broad selection.

True ... very true. Your best bet in the USofA would be either Kelly Paper
Company or Xpedx. Both have local outlets in most major cities, and a
*much* better selection than any stationary store. Think 100,000 square
foot warehouse ... full of all kinds of paper products!

Kelly Paper Company
http://www.kellypaper.com/

Xpedx
http://www.xpedx.com/paper/default.asp

[Burt]

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?
2. I'm using an HP inkjet to print (PSC 750). I haven't calibrated
the print heads because it requires that all the color cartridges be
working. I haven't replaced the depleted color cartridges because I
don't expect to use them. Does anyone have experience with how accurate
is the positioning of the printout without this calibration? This is
more critical when printing out on precut cards than when printing out
normally.

I'm not sure what benefit you derive by reinventing the wheel. The MS word
or Wordperfect avery business card templates have a know waste margin on all
sides and are abutted with no waste between them. With any papercutter that
has a decent measuring device or guide on it you don't need the cut marks.
Simply use the ruler guide to cut off the waste all the way around and then
use the guide to cut the cards apart. After you cut the first few sheets
you will not even have to think the measurements through. If you are off by
a hair it really doesn't matter. No one is going to hold one card next to
the other to be certain that you cut them absolutely perfectly. Very, very,
very close is good enough. You can incorporate graphics by importing them
if you wish. If you want something other than straight text you can compose
a file in photoshop or any other program that can manipulate text, save the
file, and import it into the Word or WP page once the format is set to the
avery business card template. It can be resized, moved, and copied mulitple
times to fill out all the slots in the template. Very short learning curve
in either program.

I don't mean to appear mean-spirited when I say that by the time you have
thought the problem through, communicated with several very well meaning
and capable people on this NG, and gone back to the computer to put all this
newfound knowledge to work, you could have printed and cut a few hundred
cards, several times over! Of course, this discounts the intellectual
challange to do it in a different manner with other software, and I do
recognize the pleasure of figuring out something yourself rather than
following a well-worn, beaten path. For many of us the journey is as
important as reaching the destination.

[measekite]

Post by Burt

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?
2. I'm using an HP inkjet to print (PSC 750). I haven't calibrated
the print heads because it requires that all the color cartridges be
working. I haven't replaced the depleted color cartridges because I
don't expect to use them. Does anyone have experience with how accurate
is the positioning of the printout without this calibration? This is
more critical when printing out on precut cards than when printing out
normally.

I'm not sure what benefit you derive by reinventing the wheel. The MS word
or Wordperfect avery business card templates have a know waste margin on all
sides and are abutted with no waste between them. With any papercutter that
has a decent measuring device or guide on it you don't need the cut marks.
Simply use the ruler guide to cut off the waste all the way around and then
use the guide to cut the cards apart. After you cut the first few sheets
you will not even have to think the measurements through. If you are off by
a hair it really doesn't matter. No one is going to hold one card next to
the other to be certain that you cut them absolutely perfectly. Very, very,
very close is good enough. You can incorporate graphics by importing them
if you wish. If you want something other than straight text you can compose
a file in photoshop or any other program that can manipulate text, save the
file, and import it into the Word or WP page once the format is set to the
avery business card template. It can be resized, moved, and copied mulitple
times to fill out all the slots in the template. Very short learning curve
in either program.
I don't mean to appear mean-spirited

Why don't you recognize what you are.

Post by Burt
when I say that by the time you have
thought the problem through, communicated with several very well meaning
and capable people on this NG, and gone back to the computer to put all this
newfound knowledge to work, you could have printed and cut a few hundred
cards, several times over! Of course, this discounts the intellectual
challange to do it in a different manner with other software, and I do
recognize the pleasure of figuring out something yourself rather than
following a well-worn, beaten path. For many of us the journey is as
important as reaching the destination.

[Frank]

Post by measekite
Why don't you recognize what you are.

You stupid fool! People have been asking that very question of you for
months now.
Frank

[measekite]

Post by Frank

Post by measekite
Why don't you recognize what you are.

You stupid fool! People have been asking that very question of you for
months now.
Frank

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by Burt

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
I would like to make up calling cards at home using 8.5x11 sheets of
Avery precut cards. Templates are provided for Word & Word Perfect.
1. How well do people find the translation of the templates to
Framemaker? Is the positioning of the business cards correctly
preserved?
2. I'm using an HP inkjet to print (PSC 750). I haven't calibrated
the print heads because it requires that all the color cartridges be
working. I haven't replaced the depleted color cartridges because I
don't expect to use them. Does anyone have experience with how accurate
is the positioning of the printout without this calibration? This is
more critical when printing out on precut cards than when printing out
normally.

I'm not sure what benefit you derive by reinventing the wheel. The MS word
or Wordperfect avery business card templates have a know waste margin on all
sides and are abutted with no waste between them. With any papercutter that
has a decent measuring device or guide on it you don't need the cut marks.
Simply use the ruler guide to cut off the waste all the way around and then
use the guide to cut the cards apart. After you cut the first few sheets
you will not even have to think the measurements through. If you are off by
a hair it really doesn't matter. No one is going to hold one card next to
the other to be certain that you cut them absolutely perfectly. Very, very,
very close is good enough.

I realize I'm reinventing the wheel, but from past experience, I know
how much difference it makes for me to use FM versus Word. With FM, I
don't have to think about how to do things, I just think about what
visual effect I want to achieve. With Word, I'm spending all my time
wrestling to achieve every single effect, and no energy left to
contemplate how I might want to change the look. Besides, I've found
that duplicating the margins and layout of the Word template is not
hard.

Post by Burt
You can incorporate graphics by importing them
if you wish. If you want something other than straight text you can compose
a file in photoshop or any other program that can manipulate text, save the
file, and import it into the Word or WP page once the format is set to the
avery business card template. It can be resized, moved, and copied mulitple
times to fill out all the slots in the template. Very short learning curve
in either program.

It's just me. I've used FM too long. I've done huge technical reports with
Word, with technical drawings, and incorporated huge sections from other
authors (repairing all cross-references in doing so), but feel much more
comfortable with FM. I'm glad to find that it's not really an issue, and
didn't take an inordinant amount of time.

Post by Burt
I don't mean to appear mean-spirited when I say that by the time you have
thought the problem through, communicated with several very well meaning
and capable people on this NG, and gone back to the computer to put all this
newfound knowledge to work, you could have printed and cut a few hundred
cards, several times over! Of course, this discounts the intellectual
challange to do it in a different manner with other software, and I do
recognize the pleasure of figuring out something yourself rather than
following a well-worn, beaten path. For many of us the journey is as
important as reaching the destination.

You don't sound mean-spirited, though you are presuming my
motivations. The original problem described at the top was resolved
very quickly, and I am now resolving other issues which would
certainly have gotten in the way of making a few hundred cards several
times over. If I just wanted mass quantities, I could simply do it up
in FM and send the PDF to the print shop. It's pretty cheap. Instead,
I want to find a replacement for my current method, which is small
batches of constantly evolving cards, done on expensive Avery precut
cards by an outfit with access to a laser printer. It is too
expensive to simply choose any old way and "just do it" to find out
whether it works. Doing small batches at the local copy shop is
prohibitively expensive and would not give me the quick turnaround
time of doing it at home.

Another example of expense is the paper cutter; in my town, they cost
anywhere between $20 and $120. Which one to buy? Would the smaller
ones break down after a few weeks of thick paper? Are they so flimsy
that they leave unsharp edges? The size is also important, as I will
have a hard time finding space to store the bigger leaver-based
cutters in my apartment, even though they look like they are heftier.
Will the leaver design cause the paper to move as you cut, like the
big ones at school? Even assuming the store takes back an unsuitable
cutter, it takes time to constantly commute to the retail outlet to
try different models until I get the right one (and I'm sure it
wouldn't make them happy). Contrary to the impression I get from your
reply, the suggestions presented in this newsgroup represent valuable,
much-needed information e.g. cutter manufacturer and clues to its
model, as well as the alternative of using a sharp exacto-knife and
steel straight edge. Experimentation shows that it works like a
charm, circumvents uncertainties with the cutters. The whole point of
asking for this information was to *not* reinvent the wheel -- others
have been down this road before.

Aside from the cutter, I'm still answering the question of whether my
inkjet can print good enough. If it isn't good enough, I still have
to use Avery cards. The inkjet prints fine on 20 lb paper, but smears
on 110 lb paper. Good thing I didn't "just do it" by buying an entire
batch of that paper. As an alternative, I was given "card stock" to
try, which was described as approximately 90 lb -- it is actually 65
lb, and seems flimsy. How much does it matter? Subjectively, it
seems to make a difference to me. Do they have intermediate weights
that they can sell me several sheets of so that I can try them before
purchasing a whole package? More commuting, but if they have other
weights, I will purchase several sheets of each weight to avoid having
to go back so often. The goal is to get the heaviest weight that
won't smear.

As you can see, when one does this at home for the first time, it is
not just a matter of belting out large quantities on the first try.
I've done that using the local print shop, before realizing that my
needs were different. I now have a backlog of various drafts of my
calling card, which I no longer wish to use since the format and
content has evolved significantly with greater knowledge. Once I get
a method which works for my circumstance, though, I certainly will
belt them out without too much thought. And I will have no qualms
about saving people some trouble by sharing what I've learned. Since
this thread has been captured by google forever, however, there is
probably no need to worry about that.

[Burt]

(snip)

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
As you can see, when one does this at home for the first time, it is
not just a matter of belting out large quantities on the first try.
I've done that using the local print shop, before realizing that my
needs were different. I now have a backlog of various drafts of my
calling card, which I no longer wish to use since the format and
content has evolved significantly with greater knowledge. Once I get
a method which works for my circumstance, though, I certainly will
belt them out without too much thought. And I will have no qualms
about saving people some trouble by sharing what I've learned. Since
this thread has been captured by google forever, however, there is
probably no need to worry about that.

I do appreciate the problem solving issues you have noted. I also do very
small quantities of business cards at a time so they can be changed as
needed. I do them on an old HP5p laser and, because of the thickness of the
card stock, I have to feed it through one sheet at a time and slightly force
it into the feed pickup, but it works great. This printer has a nearly
straight paper path when using the drop-down paper feed area and opening a
rear paper exit tray. I'm blessed with more space than you apparently have.
My paper cutter is an 11 inch guillotine model that I've had for 40 years
from working in my darkroom. I've found that it cuts straight as long as I
hold the paper stock down firmly. It has been used extensively but still
has a very sharp blade that makes a clean cut. The blade is spring loaded
and can be adjusted. It was not an expensive unit when I bought it at a
photo supply firm, but I don't have a clue as to what it would cost now.

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by Burt
The MS word
or Wordperfect avery business card templates have a know waste margin on all
sides and are abutted with no waste between them. With any papercutter that
has a decent measuring device or guide on it you don't need the cut marks.
Simply use the ruler guide to cut off the waste all the way around and then
use the guide to cut the cards apart. After you cut the first few sheets
you will not even have to think the measurements through. If you are off by
a hair it really doesn't matter.

Oh, yeah, thanks for this. The reason why I like cut marks is that I have an
inherent distrust of the repeatability of absolute print positioning. Not sure
where it comes from, though it was mentioned a bit earlier in this group that
some printers can vary in positioning by (one? several?) millimeters. Even if
this is the variation between different printers of the same model, it means
you have to fine tune the positioning on the soft copy to tailor it for a specific
printer. But if I do end up using cut lines, I will be keeping an eye out to see
the accuracy of absolute positioning on the hard copy. If it is good, then I will
use your idea of forgoing the cut lines and simply rely on measuring the cut for
the hard copy.

[Marc Heusser]

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
Not sure
where it comes from, though it was mentioned a bit earlier in this group that
some printers can vary in positioning by (one? several?) millimeters. Even if
this is the variation between different printers of the same model ...

It is even worse, it can vary by millimeters from sheet to sheet on the
same printer - because of the paper feed that is not precise (even in
more expensive printers).

This is the reason why you'll find registration marks (features that
match from the front and the backside) on bank notes - matching to 0.01
mm - this is something difficult to replicate on ordinary printine
machines even.

HTH

Marc

[Anonymous, Kinda]

Post by Marc Heusser

...it was mentioned a bit earlier in this group that
some printers can vary in positioning by (one? several?) millimeters. Even if
this is the variation between different printers of the same model ...

It is even worse, it can vary by millimeters from sheet to sheet on the
same printer - because of the paper feed that is not precise (even in
more expensive printers).
This is the reason why you'll find registration marks (features that
match from the front and the backside) on bank notes - matching to 0.01
mm - this is something difficult to replicate on ordinary printine
machines even. HTH Marc

Thanks for clarifying. If it varies that much from sheet to sheet on the same
printer, I certainly won't be able to use the idea of registration marks on the
back side, since I have to feed the paper in again to print on the back side.
I just printed out 3 copies of a page of orthonormal crosses ("+" symbols drawn
at the corners and the center). 2 of them match perfectly, the 3rd one is offset
both vertically and horizontally by the better part of a millimeter. I'm sure that
if one were to make a study of this (and HP probably already has the data), there
would be a normal distribution where a standard deviations would be in the order of
a millimeter. Or more -- remember that the "measurement" I made above is with the
copies made one after another. With time, physical "calibration" of the position
probably varies (maybe as parts expand/shrink with temperature, etc.).

[Anonymous, Kinda]

[print positioning] can vary by millimeters from sheet to sheet on
the same printer - because of the paper feed that is not precise
(even in more expensive printers). This is the reason why you'll
find registration marks (features that match from the front and the
backside) on bank notes - matching to 0.01 mm - this is something
difficult to replicate on ordinary printine machines even.
Thanks for clarifying. If it varies that much from sheet to sheet
on the same printer, I certainly won't be able to use the idea of
registration marks on the back side, since I have to feed the paper
in again to print on the back side. I just printed out 3 copies of
a page of orthonormal crosses ("+" symbols drawn at the corners and
the center). 2 of them match perfectly, the 3rd one is offset both
vertically and horizontally by the better part of a millimeter. I'm
sure that if one were to make a study of this (and HP probably
already has the data), there would be a normal distribution where a
standard deviations would be in the order of a millimeter. Or more
-- remember that the "measurement" I made above is with the copies
made one after another. With time, physical "calibration" of the
position probably varies (maybe as parts expand/shrink with
temperature, etc.).

By the way, would you have any idea on how to print cut marks to cut
abutted 10-up cards? (I realize that 12-up is possible, but that's

I'm having trouble envisioning where you might put these cut marks
so that they don't actually run along the edges of the cut...cards.
The only way I can see that happening is if the cards are not
abutted...If so, I can come up with a pattern of cut marks, but it
allows fewer cards per sheet then abutted cards. The waste paper
surrounding each card will also be slim, but that might not be a
problem.
If the cards *are* abutted -- say 10-up, in 2 columns of 5 -- then
one might leave cut marks at the margins surrounding the 10-card
aggretate. But the moment you make a cut, some of the cut pieces
will be missing cut marks either at the starting or ending points of
the cut.
For abutted cards, I can deal with the problem of missing cut marks
in the margins by projecting the cut marks into the 10-card
aggregate (along the edges of the individual cards), but this
creates an erratic shadow along the edge of each card.

[Marc Heusser]

Post by Anonymous, Kinda
If it varies that much from sheet to sheet on the same
printer, I certainly won't be able to use the idea of registration marks on the
back side, since I have to feed the paper in again to print on the back side.
I just printed out 3 copies of a page of orthonormal crosses ("+" symbols drawn
at the corners and the center). 2 of them match perfectly, the 3rd one is offset
both vertically and horizontally by the better part of a millimeter.

If your card is similar to mine, it needs to be cut precisely on one
side only, ie only on one side the design is sufficiently close to the
border so you'll notice the misregistration. On the other side there is
sufficient clearance. So just put your cutting marks on the critical
side and you'll be fine.
BTW: It does not work to cut a bunch of sheets together therefore.

Marc