We’re always encouraging designers to multiply the power of their design, and this week we have another great example of just how to do that. Carynn, one of our in-house designers, is lucky enough to have a very talented painter, Judy Tweeten, in the family. When Carynn saw her adorable gnome painting, she immediately envisioned how amazing it would look on custom print greeting cards and other products, and how much joy it would spread when gifted to others.
Digitizing the Artwork
We first had the studio photograph the artwork to be placed on custom print greeting cards. Most designers would scan the artwork using a scanner or even their cell phones in some cases. However, we’re fortunate to have two very talented photographers who photograph artwork for Courage Kenny Cards. This non-profit organization raises money for the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute (part of Allina Health). The Courage line of greeting cards features beautiful art from artists of all abilities. Check out their Annual Art Show!
Product Templates
Carynn took the image and sized it using the appropriate product templates found on the product’s detail page. We decided to create three different products with the artwork: A2 Side-Fold Cards, Uncoined Beverage Napkins and Luggage-Style Gift Tags. She grabbed the appropriate template for each and used them to prepare the artwork with the right dimensions and specs. She converted the files to print-ready PDFs and ordering all three was a breeze.
Digital Printing
We chose white paper and digital printing for all three pieces. Digital printing offers a great price point, which means more money in your pocket. We also knew we wanted to create an in-store display with everything together. Sticking with digital printing for all meant we knew everything was going to match beautifully. Mixing print processes within a set can be a lot of fun but we recommend having a few orders of each print process under your belt first so you know what to expect.
The in-store display with custom greetings cards, cocktail napkins and gift tags is beyond charming! The gift tags are especially delightful with the gnome on the front and a closeup of the gnome’s hat on the back (with “to” and “from” in the heart). This was such a fun suite of products to work with and we hope it inspires all of you to use your artwork in unique ways.
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