I Still Have To Send Out Invitations!

Party coming up? Need to mail those invitations
asap? Not to worry! Use your computer to create
them!

Making your own invitation is like picking the
right card for the person you are sending it to.
Your design can show what type of event and the
type of person you are designing it for. For
ex--if it's a child's party, use bright colors
and maybe an image that is for children.

Before you begin, sit down and write down the
date, time, location and any other information
you might want to include on the invitation.

TIP: Decide what size you want the invitation to
be before you start. If they are small enough,
you can print 2 or 3 on a standard piece of
paper.

You will use Microsoft Word to create them. Go to
'start' -- 'programs' -- 'Microsoft Word'. When
the new document appears, go to the 'file' menu
and click on 'Save As'. Choose a location to
save it. I suggest 'My Documents'. That way you
can find it easy. Type in a name for the file (Ex
-- Janes BD Invititation. BD stands for
Birthday.) Click 'Save'.

Go to the 'File' menu and click on 'Page Setup'.
Click on the 'Paper Size' tab and make sure
'Letter (8.5 x 11in) is selected in the 'Paper
Size' box. Click on the 'Margins' tab and choose
'0 in', for the bottom and top margins. When you
click 'ok', a warning box will appear -- Click
'Fix', then 'ok'.

Now we are ready to add text. Type in the text
you want. Next we will 'style' it. Do this by,
highlighting the text -- go to the 'Format' menu
and click on 'Font'. This is where you choose the
font type, color of the text, size and effect of
the text. Click 'ok' when finished. You can now
style the rest of your text or you can use
'Special Graphic Effects' (WordArt). We will
explore 'WordArt' next week.

Tips For You:

1) If you are creating a traditional invitation,
you might want to use the following fonts:

Baskerville Old Face
Book Antiqua
Brush Script MT
Copperplate Gothic Light
Garamond

2) For a Fun look, you may want to try these
fonts:

Beesknees ITC
Comic Sans MS
Curlz MT
Juice ITC
Lucida Handwriting

You can use a wizard, if you choose, by going to
'Start' -- 'Programs' -- ' Microsoft Works. Go to
the 'Works Task Launcher' and choose the 'Task
Wizard' tab. Double-click on the 'Correspondance'
folder in the window, then double-click on
'Flyer' and follow the instructions.

Let's Put In Some WordArt!

In the WordArt Gallery, you will find different
text designs that you can edit and customize for
your own use. Highlight the text you want
different. Click on the 'Cut' toolbar button.
Your text will disappear from your document, but
will be in your PC's memory.

Go to the 'Insert Menu' and choose 'Picture'.
Then click on 'WordArt'. You will then choose a
style. After you make your choice, click 'OK'.
You will then be asked to type in your text. Hold
down the 'Ctrl' button (located at the bottom
left of your keyboard), and press the 'V' key.
Your text that you cut from the original document
will appear, in the style you have chosen. Go to
the top of this box. You will see a 'Drop-Down
Box', with the word 'Font' above it. Click on the
arrow and choose the font you like. Right next to
the 'Font' box, you can choose the size of the
font. Next to that, you can choose 'Bold or
Italic style (you don't have to use this if you
don't want to). The choices you have made for the
font will appear on your screen, so that you can
preview it. You can change the settings until you
get just the right effect. Click 'OK'. You can
also choose a different color for the font, if
you choose. The changes will then appear in your
document.

To change the color of the text,go to the toolbar
and click on the 'Format WordArt' button. Click
on the 'Color and Lines' tab. In the 'Fill'
section, choose the color for your text. If you
want you can have an outline around the text. You
can do this by, choosing a color for the line
(s), in the 'Line' section. TIP: Black gives a
shadow effect. Click 'OK'.

NOTE: To adjust the spacing between the letters,
click on the 'Character Spacing' button, on the
toolbar and click on your choice from the menu.

Let's say you want to move the text or resize it.
You can move the text by, clicking on it and
dragging it. If you want to resize it, highlight
the text by clicking on it. Click on one of the
corner handles, keep the mouse button pressed
down and drag it across the screen.

A Note: to look professional, your invitation
should be printed on card stock (heavy paper like
regular cards you buy are printed on). If your
computer can't handle this type of paper, you
could copy it to a 'Floppy Disk' How to do
this, can be found at:
http://janes-place.com/contents_newbie-tips.htm
then take it to a printing shop.

Now, to continue making our invitation. You can
adjust the shape of your WordArt by, clicking on
it (to highlight), then click on 'WordArt Shape',
locate on the toolbar. A palette will appear,
offering you a selection of options. Make you
choices. You will be able to view how your
choices will look before your final selection.

We are now ready to position the rest of our
text. You do this, by highlighting each section
and clicking on the 'Left', 'Center' and 'Right'
alignment toolbar buttons.

Add 'ClipArt' images, if you would like. To put
'ClipArt' on the invitation, put your cursor
where you want the 'ClipArt' to appear. Go to the
top of the toolbar and find the 'Insert' menu,
'Picture', click on 'ClipArt'. Choose the image
you want, then click 'Insert Clip' button, on the
pop-up toolbar. Go to the 'Format' menu and click
'Picture'. Click on the 'Position' tab. Make sure
that the 'Float Over Text' box is checked.

Hold down the 'Ctrl' button and press 'A' on your
keyboard, to highlight the text and ClipArt. on
the toolbar, you will see an icon for 'Copy'.
Click on it. Place your cursor at the end of the
text and press the 'Return' key, on your
keyboard, then click on the 'Paste' icon on the
toolbar. Adjust the spacing to your liking, then
print your invitation or copy it to a 'Floppy
Disk' to take to the printer.

Now you have made your own unique invitations, to
send to your guests. There are a lot of different
things you could do with invitations, to make
them reflect your personality. TIP: If you have a
scanner, you can upload your pictures and use
them on the invitations. Ex- It's your son's
birthday party. You could upload a picture of
your son. You can also do the same, if you have a
digital camera. When you take pictures with your
digital camera, you upload them to your computer
and save them on your hard drive. That way, they
are there, if you want to use them.

Use Your Imagination!