HOW TO ASSEMBLE 5x7 PHOTO NOTECARDS

by Elizabeth Kincaid



These are instructions based on living in Santa Cruz County, CA in 2001. YMMV !

  1. Photographing paintings
    1. We photograph the paintings with Fujicolor ASA 100 (print) film
    2. We use the viewfinder to crop the image so that none of the boundary of the painting is visible
    3. You may need to crop a bit farther if your camera photographs a wider area than you see in the viewfinder
    4. If you choose not to crop using the viewfinder, then you will need to hand-cut every photograph before you mount it or else you will need to have the photos custom printed.
  2. Getting an initial print
    Currently we take the film to Bay Photo and get one set of 4x6 prints made. Their fidelity varies, and if you just take the negatives back to them for another set, it may not come out the same. Worse, if you take them the negatives and a print (that you like and they made) to match, they will tell you that you are asking for custom printing (costly).
  3. Getting a set of prints
    Take the negative and the print to be matched to Costco. They will use the match print if you get 100 printed. They do a pretty good job. They are the cheapest around. If you don't like the results, they've been very good about trying again. Another option is to shoot with a digital camera and take the file or disk to Costco.
  4. Paper for the cards
    1. Currently, we buy the cardstock at Darco (Santa Cruz). They have a large selection of papers.
    2. We print them on the laser printer. Inkjet printers aren't as good for this since their inks are water-soluble (and fingers will smear them). Remember that the orientation of printing should be different for horizontal and vertical cards.
    3. We also have Darco cut the paper to size and score it for folding. They charge for this, but it's not a lot of money. If you once cut it yourself and fold it without scoring, you'll understand why we pay for this; it saves a LOT of work.
  5. Envelopes for the cards
    Buy matching A7 envelopes from Darco, but there are mail-order sources, also.
  6. Clear envelopes for the assembled cards
    1. The clear envelopes are purchased from Impact Images (800-233-2630, west of the Rockies). ( www.clearenvelopesonline.com ) (wholesale at www.clearbags.com )
    2. They are called "Crystal Clear Bags," and we use the 7-7/16 x 5-1/4 bags (B5, $0.06 per bag).
  7. Assembling the package
    1. We fold the paper with a bone folder. The scoring really helps.
    2. Then we attach the pictures. That is done with ATG tape. Some people use spray glue, and Elizabeth used to, but it's got solvent, and the overspray is a BIG hassle. We put the tape on the photos in two lines along the two long edges. Then we remove the backing and place the photos on the paper. We burnish by laying a clean sheet of tracing paper on top to protect the photo from scratching and then rubbing along the top and bottom edges.
    3. I have found that it is helpful (but not necessary) to burnish the ATG tape onto the photos before removing the backing from the tape.
    4. If it is necessary to remove glue from the front (usually not), we use rubber cement thinner, rubbing with Viva paper towel.
    5. We place the envelope inside the card so that the text on the back of the card and the photo will both be visible when the card is in the clear envelope.
    6. We put the card (containing the envelope) into the clear envelope so that the picture is toward the "front." Then when you seal the clear envelope, the adhesive strip will go against the back of the notecard. That way, you don't have the band across the photo.

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