Folding Postcard

Sure, email is a great way to send photos to family and friends, but wouldn't it be more fun to send a hand-written postcard with your photos? With this design, the postcard becomes a keepsake and can easily be displayed on a mantle or desk. You can also use this design for a party invitation or a holiday card. With this project, you will learn how to crop and combine images into one document, and how to duplicate and merge layers.

STUFF YOU WILL NEED

8-1/2 × 11-inch double-sided matte photo paper, such as Staples Photo Supreme

Craft utility knife

Ruler

Bone scorer

Double-sided removable tape, such as Tombo Mono Removable Adhesive

1.	Open three images you would like to include in your postcard. To clearly view all three images simultaneously, choose Window > Images > Tile. Make sure the resolution for each photo is the same by choosing File > Open and then choosing Image > Resize > Image Size for each one. Click OK. (For more information on image resolution, see page 13.)
2.	Create a new document by choosing File > New > Blank File. The New dialog box appears. Enter a name in the Name field. Enter 9 inches in the Width field and 4.25 inches in the Height field. Enter the same resolution that your chosen photos have. Choose White for Background Contents. Select RGB for Color Mode. Click OK.
3.	Select one of the photos to be the main cover photo and choose Rulers from the View menu or press Shift+Ctrl+R. Reposition it by dragging the lower right-hand corner of the image window. Select the Crop tool in the toolbox. In the Options bar located at the top of your work area, enter 6 inches in the Width field and 4.25 inches in the Height field and then enter the same resolution as your image.
4.	Drag a marquee over the area of the image you want included in the crop. If necessary, reposition the crop box by dragging inside of it or nudging the marquee using the arrow keys on your keyboard. Click the check mark to apply the crop. Choose Window > Images > Tile.
5.	Select the Move tool in the tool box, click on the photo and drag it into the blank document. Note that the photo is now on its own layer in the Layers palette. Position the image flush left as shown here.
6.	Select your second photo for the cover. This time, change the crop width to 3 inches in the Options bar. Crop the image and position it flush right.
7.	Crop the third photo, (the one that will appear inside the card), the same size as the second one, and drag it into the document. Position it flush left.
8.	Temporarily hide the first two photos by clicking the Eye icon next to each of the layers in the Layers palette.
9.	Create a new layer by clicking on the New Layer icon located at the top of the Layers palette.
10.	In the next few steps, you'll design the address area of the postcard. Press D on your keyboard to set your Foreground swatch in the toolbox back to the default black swatch. Press N to select the Pencil tool. In the Options bar, enter 1 pixel in the Size field and 50% in the Opacity field.
11.	Press Shift and drag a vertical line at the 6-inch mark on the ruler.
12.	Create another new layer by clicking on the New Layer icon located at the top of the Layers palette. Press Shift and drag a horizontal line approximately 2-1/2 inches long starting at the 6-1/4 inch mark on the ruler and approximately two inches from the top of the document. [View full size image]
13.	Duplicate this layer three times by dragging it on top of the New Layer icon. The duplicate lines are exactly on top of each other, so at this point you'll only see one line, not three. In the next step, you reposition them as address lines.
14.	To evenly space out the address lines, Select the Move tool in the toolbox and with the top layer selected, press the down arrow on your keyboard to nudge the line below the others. Repeat this step with the other two layers that contain lines. Pressing Shift while using the nudge keys moves items in 10-pixel increments. Pressing just a nudge key alone moves items in 1-pixel increments.
15.	Temporarily link the four layers that contain the horizontal lines (don't include the vertical line) by Shift+clicking each layer. You can now reposition all four horizontal lines at the same time using the Move tool or your nudge keys.
16.	Next, hide all of the layers except all five layers that contain the lines by clicking on the Eye icon next to the image layers and Background in the Layers palette. Select Merge Visible from the Layers Palette menu.
17.	Choose File > Save. To print the cover of the postcard, make visible those two layers that contain the cover photos. Hide the layers that contain the lines and the inside photo. Choose File > Print.
18.	Specify the following settings in your Print dialog boxes: Paper Size: 8-1/2 × 11 Orientation: Landscape Media Type: Matte Paper - Heavy Print Quality: 720 dpi Print Area: Standard and Centered Add Crop marks
19.	Allow the print printer in the same direction. Again, allow the print to dry. Trim the postcard with a craft utility knife and ruler and then use a bone scorer to dry. Hide the cover image layers and reveal the inside image and line layers. Turn the sheet over and feed it in to your to score and fold at the three-inch mark. Write a note on the inside center panel. Place a strip of removable double-stick tape to the inside left flap. Check with your post office for the correct postage amount, and address and mail your postcard.