How do I print business cards?

[lemelman]

I'm a far from expert, but long-term user of CorelDraw, and have just found Xara P&GD, which is quite a revelation.
I've re-designed my business card and went searching the help for how to print to A4, pre-perforated card.
CorelDraw can make use of Avery templates for printing the single business card design, multiple times, on the same sheet of card, but I can't find a way to do this with Xara without physically copying the design to make a composite A4 layout.
Can Xara do this the "template" way?

[angelize]

Hi Lemelman, What I do is to group my card and drop it into a blank pre made template that I made up myself. I've attached the template here. Click the little magnet icon on the info bar to turn on snap to objects and drop your grouped card into one of the spaces in the template. The inner rectangle in the template is a safe zone all text and important graphics such as a logo should be kept inside of that. Once you have one copy placed right click and drag to place another beside it, then select both copies and right click and drag to place 2 more copies below now select all 4 and repeat the right click and drag now you have 8 copies. select the bottom 2 and repeat once more and you are done. It only takes a min or two to fill a 10 up layout.

[Albacore]

I would use Avery's site they have both desktop and browser programmes to use if you are using there card. The desktop version runs as a plugin to MS Word so therefore you can import a PDF/Metafile from Xara and copy and paste. Honestly it works a treat and the only hassle you have is to make sure you are using the the correct template as there are hundreds to pick from. To do it all in Xara would not be that difficult and Frances has given you a template but I would watch if I can remember correctly the perforated card is a strange size as I did some printing for a friend on that. I am sure if you found Frances template not to the correct size there would be many here that would guide you through the process of doing it in Xara.

[lemelman]

Thank you both for your help.
I used the template method after creating one to match the cards I have, and it works fine, but I can't deny that the CorelDraw method is much more convenient. I considered using the MS Word route, and will give it a try - I was uncertain about the fidelity of using a PDF as a transport medium Xara->Word.

Incidentally, now I've made my own template, as per angelize's suggestion, and saved it, how do I use it later? When I use the Design Gallery, as per the Help, I can't find the template I saved.

[pauland]

I've done this in the past and found the end-result quite inferior to having them professionally printed and the price differential isn't that great.

[Albacore]

In your File menu - Save Template.

I have loads saved their for different for many publications I do and others for brochures/biz cards in many page sizes. I save the guides, draw on crop marks, bleed boxes for layout and have layers added which I can turn off/on depending on job. For a Biz card to use your example I would have 4 layers:- Top layer for Text (always do this or top of the stack if you don't use layers) - Next down "crop marks"/bleed guide if full colour. -Next Logo or design. -Bottom is Background colour if using full colour.

[gracehjs]

One thing to add. If you make the copies "live copies" any changes will reflect in all the copies.

[angelize]

One note about live copies though they are only in Designer Pro, and the OP indicated that he is using Photo and Graphics Designer.

A second way to save templates: I keep a folder of extra templates on my hard drive and any document I want to reuse as a template I save to this folder. I added this folder to the designs gallery by clicking the disc designs button at the top of the gallery. Then navigate to the extra templates folder and open it and then click add.

Once the folder is added to the gallery you can use the templates as you would any other content in the gallery. If you add new documents to this folder you will have to update the folder in the gallery (same process but click update instead of add)

[Grenou]

Wow Frances, that's excellent!

I usually print my cards using Visual Labels, but doing them in Xara will give a much crisper result.
Thanks for the template :-)

Grenou

[angelize]

You are quite welcome Grenou