Crafts Beautiful - Quick & Crafty - Let's Make Cards Magazine

It's the little extra touches that can make all the difference; in this case, a beautifully wrapped present can be further enhanced with a perfectly co-ordinating gift tag. Designing and printing out your own designs from your computer is a hassle-free way to get creative, plus you have the option of including a digital photo of the recipient along with their name, to make doubly sure there are no mix-ups!

Gift Tags

If you haven't done so already, take the CD from the pack and load the software onto your computer, following the instructions on the screen or from the pamphlet included. Open up Avery DesignPro Home Edition from your desktop. To use one of the motifs provided on the CD, click on 'Pre-Designed Template'. To create your own tag design, select 'Design From Scratch'.

For pre-designs, select your kit in the browser, click open, then choose the product you wish to work on. Open this, then decide on the design you wish to edit and click open. For designs from scratch, first find the software code of the greetings card blank in the kit that you wish to print on. In the 'select template box style', type the code in the 'Find Item Number' field and select 'Find'. Once highlighted, click 'OK'. Your chosen pre-design or template will be open.

To create text or insert your own pictures, select 'Insert' on the menu at the top, followed by the option you want. To edit text on a pre-design, simply 'click and drag' to highlight the wording, then make your changes.

You can insert your own digital photos by clicking on the 'Insert Picture from File' icon. Use the Browser to locate the photo you require then click 'Insert'. You can crop your photo and fix red eye using the picture editing tools on the tool bar.

Once you have edited all the labels on the page, you can view them before printing by clicking on the 'print Preview' icon. You can also save your design to your hard drive by selecting 'File – Save As'.

Manually feed the labels one sheet at a time through the printer. If it loads from the front, feed the sheets with the backing facing up. If it loads from the top, make sure the labels are face up. Print out your design.