The next time you're throwing a special party, let guests know their presence is requested through an equally special invitation. Don't settle for generic store-bought invitation cards when you can make your own on the computer. A couple of different graphics software programs are available to help you make invitations for any occasion quickly. With just a couple of clicks, you'll be ready to drop your cards in the mail and wait for the RSVPs to start rolling in.
Instructions
Using Paint
1. Open Paint, click "File" and select "Open." Browse to an image to use for the invitation, such as a photo of the birthday person, and double-click the file, which opens the image in the Paint workspace. Click the "Select" icon, which looks like a rectangle made of dotted lines. Draw an outline around the picture, right-click the outline and select "Copy."
2. Pull down the "File" menu, click "Image" and select "Attributes." Set the invitation card size, such as 4-inches by 6-inches, and click "OK." When the Paint workspace adjusts, right-click the white space and select "Paste" to bring in the copied image. Drag it into place with your cursor.
3. Click the "Text" tool, which looks like an "A" and click the invitation. If a text bar doesn't appear, pull down the "View" menu and click "Text Toolbar." Select a font and size, then type the invitation headline, such as "Look Who is Turning 40!" Add information such as date and time of the party, what to bring and RSVP.
4. Give the card a colored background by clicking a color from the "Color Picker" and clicking the "Fill with Color" tool, which looks like a paint can. Click the white space of the card, which fills with color behind the text and graphic.
5. Pull down the "File" menu, click "Save As," name the invitation and save it to your computer.
Using Publisher
6. Open Publisher, click "Publications for Print" and select "Invitation Cards." Scroll through the available templates, such as "Birthday Party," "Shower" and "Fundraiser." Any card may be customized with your words and images, so double-click a card to open it in the Publisher workspace.
7. Click your cursor into the placeholder text box on the card, which becomes highlighted. Type directly over it with your own headline, such as "Please come to a surprise party, and keep it a secret!" Highlight the text and use the text toolbar at the top of the page to change the words' font, size and color. Repeat this for the other text boxes on the card to supply information about the party's location, date and time.
8. Right-click a placeholder graphic on the card and select "Change Picture." Click "Clip Art" and type a word or phrase that goes with the party theme into the "Search for" box, such as "balloons," "masquerade," "Halloween" or "moving." Click "OK," scroll through the results and double-click a graphic, which opens the image in place on the card. Repeat to add other images.
9. Click the "Color Schemes" link on the "Invitation Card Options" pane on the screen. Scroll through the different color groups and double-click one that matches the party or event; the card automatically is updated on the Publisher workspace.
10. Pull down the "File" menu and click "Save As." Type a name for the card and give it a destination to save to on your computer.
Using Photoshop
11. Open Photoshop, click "File" and select "New." Name the file "InvitationCard" and set your dimensions, such as 4-inches by 6-inches. Click "OK" and a blank card workspace opens. Click the "View" menu and select "Fit on Screen" to give yourself more room to work.
12. Click the "Type" tool, which looks like a "T" on the "Tools" palette, and select a font, size and color from the text toolbar at the top of the page. Click inside the card box and type the invitation information.
13. Double-click the top-left square of the "Color Picker," which is the two overlapping colored boxes on the "Tools" palette. Select a color and click "OK." Draw a design on the card, such as a baby bootie, pumpkin, balloons or cake. Click the "Paint Bucket" tool and click inside the drawing, which fills with color.
14. Pull down the "Fill" menu at the top of the screen and select "Pattern." Click into the pattern box and select a design for the invitation background, such as boxes or bubbles. Slide the "Opacity" bar down to 20 percent. Click inside the white space of the "InvitationCard" box, which fills with the design behind the text and drawing.
15. Click the triangle in a circle icon or the three small lines icon at the top right of the "Layers" palette on the right side of the screen. Select "Flatten Image." Pull down the "File" menu, click "Save As" and save the invitation to your computer.
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