People often ask me how to get a professional finish on cards without big machines!
I started researching this when I began my wedding stationery business, White Fire Brides ten years ago. I even made a paper scorer from heavy card and then I discovered that they existed at Stamp Attic and bought one online. Years later I realised this little gem of a shop is just a few miles from me now that I live in Oxfordshire! Later I also saw paper scorers at Blade Rubber Stamps which is quite near the British Museum, at 12 Bury Place.
So this is how it works, and it’s this simple: You need a bone folder and a paper scoring mat. (I’m not sure of their official title). Press the bone folder into the appropriate groove – in this case the A5 groove as I am folding the card in half and guillotining afterwards. Pull it downwards. No ruler – the bone folder finds the groove sympathetically and scores. You get a neat little ridge on the inside of the card. If you are doing tall thin cards there is unavoidable wasteage. There are only so many 55mm x 210mm pieces of card that you can use! My card is 270gsm. (I’ll explain in due course why I print in the middle and waste even more precious card).
Voila!
Now this little member of the heart family is designed for or little daughters or a little granddaughter. (I still have to do the older granddaughter as there are two girls in each of my families! Watch this space!)
And in the meantime, I’m going to run a few posts on the professional touch home printing!
Here she is – looking a bit brighter and more garish on this screen than in real life ! To order a card to tell your little girl that you love her, follow this link
Hi Lin, really useful tip as always – I have bought some of the stuff mentioned. Do you print from your own printer or take to ‘a printer’? Either way, what card do you prefer to use? I usually do all my Christmas/birthday cards by hand and would like to have them printed but I am conscious of costs! Looking forward to the next instalment of Lin’s Life – love Meg
Hi Meg – I’ll chat about printers in a post quite soon! Watch this space – Lin