Folded Card

TYPE OF CARD: The folded card

COOL FEATURE: It can have a clever punchline or amusing photo and if it's from Grandma, it can have a check!

PREP WORK: Fold a standard sheet of paper in half, then in half again. Note the relative positions of each of the four panels. (In the card below, see how the illustrated family portrait is upside down?) Decide how you'd like your card to unfold (either horizontally, as we show, or vertically), then plan something for each quadrant. Decide where you want your family photo, if any, and what to say on the cover and inside. Do you want a made-up family logo on the back? Decide what type or style you'd like. Assemble the elements into a master document.

AT THE COPY SHOP: Have the master color copied onto standard white paper, then (if you'd like) machine folded.

ENVELOPE: Size A-2

COSTS: Roughly $1 per copy, 7 cents for folding by machine (20 cents by hand), 10 cents per envelope and 33 cents for postage

VARIATION: HOW TO TAKE A GREAT PORTRAIT

• Keep backgrounds simple, rather than busy. Try draping a solid colored sheet behind your subjects.
• Match your pose to the shape you want your card to be. For a Skinny Postcard, for example, line up vertically, totem-pole style, instead of side by side.
• Make sure you have plenty of "fill" lighting to get rid of unflattering shadows. Take a few shots with the flash even if you think you have enough light.
• If you're not color copying, consider using black and white film.