While before they had to be ordered at the stationery, elegant invitations can now be made at home using specialized software such as Microsoft Publisher. Publisher allows you to create invitations in 2 formats, traditional folding or postcard, using pre-set templates or starting from scratch. The following are instructions for creating an invitation with Microsoft Publisher 2003, 2007 and 2010.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Traditional folding invitation
Step 1. Choose the model you want to work on
MS Publisher organizes invitations based on the type of occasion to which you want to invite recipients.
- In Publisher 2003, select "Press Releases" in the New Publications panel and then click the arrow to the left of Invitations. Click one of the invitations listed to show the templates available in the Thumbnail Gallery.
- In Publisher 2007, select "Invitations" from the list of Publication Types on the left. The invitation templates are grouped according to the type of event, followed by a section of common dimensions, followed by the dimensions grouped according to the required product. You can highlight any model to see a larger version at the top of the top right panel.
- In Publisher 2010, select “Invitations” from the Additional Templates section under Available Templates. The invitation templates are grouped according to the relevant event, followed by a section of common dimensions, followed by the dimensions grouped into folders according to the product needed. You can highlight any model to see a larger version at the top of the top right panel.
- If you don't find the model you want, you can download more from the Microsoft website, if you have an internet connection.
Step 2. Choose the color and font of your invitation
Each model has a preset color and font, but you can change them if you want. Choose a new color and a new font from those available in the drop-down menus of Colors and Characters / Fonts.
You can also create your own custom color or font by selecting the "Create new" option from one of the two drop-down menus
Step 3. Choose the fold of your card
Your invitation will be printed on a single sheet, but can be folded in 3 ways. The choice of how to fold it is up to you, in the “Page Size” drop-down menu in the Options panel. You can choose between:
- Sheet divided into 4 parts (horizontal). The pages will be printed on one side of the paper, and when folded, the card will open on the left side.
- Sheet divided into 4 parts (vertical). The pages will be printed on one side of the sheet, and when folded, the card will open from the top.
- Sheet divided in half. The cover and back will be printed on one side of the paper, and the inside will be printed on the back. You can orient the contents so that the card folds to one side or the other. A card split in half, when folded, will be larger than a 4-part card.
- These options are not available if you choose one of the white models, as their creases are preset.
Step 4. Establish the page structure
Although each Publisher invitation template has a standard structure of the elements within the card, you can change the arrangement as you wish by selecting one of the options in the Structure drop-down menu (Layout).
These options are not available on white models
Step 5. Enter your professional or personal information if you wish
In the case of Publisher 2003, the program asks you for this information the first time you use it. Then, select this information from the Personal Information section in the Edit menu to include it in the invitation. With Publisher 2007 and 2010 you can select your professional information from the relevant drop-down menu or choose “Create new” to create new ones. This information will be included in your invitation.
Step 6. Create your invitation
With Publisher 2007 and 2010 click the "Create" button at the bottom of the main panel to create the flyer (Publisher 2003 assumes you are creating a flyer at this point, and does not provide a "Create" button in the main panel).
At this point, you may want to print the invitation to see if it came as you wish, or create a PDF to email someone to get their opinion
Method 2 of 3: Postcard invitation
Step 1. Choose the model you want to work with
MS Publisher organizes postcards according to their intended use.
- In Publisher 2003, select "Press Releases" in the New Publications panel, then click the arrow to the left of Postcards. Click one of the listed types to show the templates available in the Thumbnail Gallery.
- In Publisher 2007, select "Postcards" from the "Most Used Publication Types" list in the center of the screen or from the list of the same name on the left of the screen. Postcard templates are grouped by purpose, followed by a common size section, followed by sizes grouped by product needed. You can highlight any model to see a larger version at the top of the top right panel.
- In Publisher 2010, select "Postcards" from the "Most Used" section under Available Templates. Templates are grouped by postcard purpose, followed by a common size section, followed by sizes grouped into folders based on the product needed. You can highlight any model to see a larger version at the top of the top right panel.
Step 2. Choose the color and font of your invitation
As for the card, each postcard template has its own color-font scheme that you can change to your liking using the options in the relevant drop-down menus, choosing one of the options listed or “Create new” to create your scheme.
Step 3. Establish the printing orientation of your postcard
Use the options in the “Page Size” menu to print your invitation as a quarter page (4 cards per A4 sheet) or half page (2 cards per A4 sheet).
This option is not available when creating a postcard from a white template
Step 4. Choose what to include on the address side of the invitation
You can choose to show only the sender and recipient addresses on the back, or to include additional information. Make your choice from the "Postcard information" drop-down menu. A partial list of options, those relevant for invitation cards, is as follows:
- "Address only": choose this option to show only the recipient and sender addresses on the back of the invitation.
- "Map": choose this option if your invitation is related to an event and you intend to include a map to help people reach it. This option is mainly used for professional invitations, but a map can help people find the location of a wedding or graduation ceremony as well as a shop (of course you will need to customize the place card).
- "Speaker's notes": choose this option if your invitation concerns an event with political, professional or motivational speakers, to include a short list of the most important personalities.
- "Promotional text": choose this option if the invitation is for a sale and you want to list some of the main elements available in a special offer explained in detail on the other side of the ticket.
- "Appointment text": choose this option to announce the time and place of an event. You can add your telephone, fax and e-mail number (you can edit or delete the line "To confirm or cancel the appointment", if it is not relevant to the purpose of your invitation).
- These options are not available when creating a postcard from a blank template.
Step 5. Include your address
A postcard invitation differs from an invitation card in that the latter is inside an envelope with the addresses, while the postcard presents them on the back. Adding sender information with Microsoft Publisher works for postcards in the same way that your version of Publisher handles personal or business information for invitation cards.
To manage recipient addresses, you can bundle emails using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, Access database, or Word file
Step 6. Create your postcard invitation
As with cards, click the "Create" button at the bottom of the Publisher 2007 or 2010 main panel, while Publisher 2003 assumes creating a postcard from the moment you choose "Postcards" from the New Publications panel.
Method 3 of 3: Edit, save, and print your invitation
Step 1. Replace any standard text with your own text
Click on the words you want to replace and type the new text.
- In most cases, the text will automatically adjust to fit the box. If you need the text to have a precise size, choose "Auto Fit Text" from the Format menu and then choose "Do Not Auto Fit" (Publisher 2003 and 2007), or select "Text Fit" in the Text group of the Text Format Tools section and then choose “Do not self-adapt” (Publisher 2010). You can then manually select a new text size.
- Repeat this step for any other text you want to replace.
Step 2. Replace any standard images with your own images
Right-click on the image in question, then select "Change image" from the overlay menu and choose where to get the image from. Repeat this step for any other images to insert.
Step 3. Save the invitation
Choose "Save" or "Save As" from the File menu (Publisher 2003 or 2007) or from the menu on the left of the File page (Publisher 2010). Give your project a descriptive name.
Step 4. Print the necessary copies of your invitation
If you intend to have your invitation printed professionally, it is best to save it or convert it to PDF, as many printers prefer to receive documents in that format
Advice
- When creating an invitation from scratch for the first time, you may prefer preset cards or postcards, cutting and pasting elements on the standard invitation.
- You can use Publisher's address collection option not only to include recipient addresses in an invitation, but also to personalize the message for both a card and an invitation card.
- Typically, cards are for more formal invitations, such as a wedding, while postcards are more suited to professional or less formal personal events, such as a party. You can use folded cards and postcards together, using the postcard as a "reminder" announcement, followed by a more formal card with the actual invitation, and you can also create a postcard to be included in the formal invitation to use as an RSVP. In this case, look for Publisher templates suitable for both publishing types, and use the same colors and fonts in both.
- Envelopes are available at most office supply stores.
- You can also use multiple fonts in the invitation, but don't use more than 2-3 in total, and choose characters that don't clash with each other. Use bold and italics just for emphasis, and in many formal invitations, you won't need them.
- Even if you will have to print the finished invitations on cardboard specially created for folding cards or postcards, you should first do some tests on plain paper to make sure that the layout is correct.
Warnings
- Although formal cards almost demand elegant writing, make sure the font you choose is clearly legible in the size used (and avoid using only capital letters or other decorative fonts). Communicative clarity should always be more important than a sophisticated style.
- Use only one space after the dots. Two spaces after a period can create large gaps between sentences when the text is reformatted to a smaller size.
