2 things Exporting a business card, Graphic Designer doesn't have any print templates

[bobnkb174]

Just bought Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 2013 as I already use web designer MX premium, my issues are:
I wanted to design a new business card which I did using a template from the design gallery, but I have only one card, I don't see any avery print templates? are there any print templates? so I decide to export my design so that I can use it in a template that I have in Microsoft Publisher, the problem is that no matter what format I save it in, once I import the design in, the quality is no where near the quality as in Xara, I have exported to Publisher, Photoshop, Illustrator and Word, any suggestions?

[angelize]

Hello bobnkb174, Welcome to talkgraphics. You can easily set up a page for printing multiple copies of a business card, and print directly from XP&GD. If you don't have the rulers enabled do so by going to the Windows menu and select bars > rulers. Once the rulers are enabled you can simply drag guidelines from them to set up your page.

Here is a template for doing business cards it is a blank 10 up template set up on a standard US letter size page it should get you started.

[bobnkb174]

Hi Angelize,

Thats great, will it work with Avery 8371 business cards, hey not to worry, I will give it a try and just move the guidelines if I have to, thanks very much, how do I get my photo on my profile?

[angelize]

I don't happen to have any avery business cards to measure but you have the right idea to just adjust the guides if you need to.

To add a photo or other image click settings at the top right of the forum page, scroll down and click edit avatar. On the edit avatar page click the button next to custom avatar and use one of the two options to add your avatar.

[bobnkb174]

Thank you, I have just printed my first two pages and everything looks Dandy

[angelize]

You are quite welcome, I'm always glad to help.

[Albacore]

If you copy & paste from Avery it will come in as.emf file and it will not be to correct size as it wil be to a larger scale. If you are printing it from your own laser why not set up your own template page? If your design has full colour bleed set up a rectangle which is 2mm larger than your card all round so if your are using metric then the size would be 94mm x 59mm. Make a new layer and then draw another rectangle but this time to your biz card size, centre them using (ctrl+shift+L) the group the 2 rectangles (ctrl+alt+G) soft grouping. Position this group to the top of your page and lock both layers now draw your design in a new layer. I would also now align guides to the inner rectangles outer edges with the magnetic snap on this will help you place your trim marks on later. Once you have completed your design switch on show print borders, make a new layer and in this layer put your trim marks. Soft group your design & trim marks (ctrl+alt+G) then holding down ctrl+lefthand mouse button drag your design to the right and hit the righthand mouse button to copy in new position. Soft group these 2 groups and do the same again, dragging the 2 designs down and copying them below to give 2 rows of 2. Do the same again to give you 3 rows of 2 therefore filling your page with 6 biz cards. As the Avery perforated sheets are not thick giving a card a thin feel with uneven edges and looking slightly un-professional look, I would buy sheets for your printer something over 200 gms/ If you need any more help please come back and if you are getting your cards printed at a local laser shop which I would do please again ask.

[Boy]

Angelize, I seem to remember that you also wrote a business card template tutorial using Live Copy so that an edit to the design of one of the cards would be copied to all others. Can't find it, though...

[mwenz]

Nice biz card design, Bob.

The only issue I see is that the 8371, or other 10-up letter-sized templates from Avery do not allow for full-bleed. Both sides, but not top/bottom. Frances' template is really designed for no bleed (the inner rectangles).

Which is why most design applications produce a one-up card. You can then have the freedom to produce either a non-bled design or full-bleed and a printer will impose the design.

For inexpensive jobs I use Quantum Digital. A 500 qty, full-bleed batch of business cards shipped to your door is just barely south of $50. If I get the design to them by noon, most jobs are shipped the same day, worse case is the next day. Their specs for design of a full bleed are:

Business Cards
3.5” x 2” (cut size)
3.625” x 2.125” (size w/ bleed)
Important elements kept within 3.43” x 1.93”

Note the important elements line. You would need to move up the web site address a little--this is true of any printer. And I would move up the design block containing the Florida Key Holders in the lower left as well.

Getting your design to print precisely on perforated stock and maintain that alignment through printing X number of cards will be difficult and likely more expensive than Quantum when you factor in the Avery stock and your own ink (much less the time to separate them all).

Take care, Mike

[bobnkb174]

Thanks Albacore,
Great detail as to how to resolve my problem, thankfully Angelize attached a file to save me the work, although what I am finding is in the block of ten the first four cards print correctly and then the print tends to go off and crosses over the perforation marks on the stock card, so I need to make some minor adjustments, although this is just to give me an idea as to how the cards are going to look, I have found a printer who will be printing the cards for me, and I believe that I should save the finished card to a pdf file for the better quality, I am getting 2 x 5000 business cards printed full color both sides in gloss for $99 per 5000 which I think is a great deal....we will see.
but thank you for your response