Robert Watcher
Well-known member
A whole new extension of print making of my images has opened up for me since producing some small zines for my wife a couple of months ago. Mostly that was due to my upgrading Affinity to the full Universal Suite (Photo, Design, and Publisher) and really understanding the value especially of their Publisher App, as well as the purchase of a couple of inexpensive tools like a scoring board and cutter. And the biggest motivation has been on my daughters urgings where she has provided a small section of her new artisan/boutique store for my small matted prints as well as a few wall prints for selling.
A couple of weeks ago, I quickly recognized how effortlessly I could design and produce handmade folded photo cards using those tools - beginning with a modest selection of around 30 to set up on a display in Rachel’s store. Yesterday, I spent an hour and added some new images to the collection for 2025 to have available when she opens tomorrow after being closed for a three day trip Rachel and a couple of her girl friends took to Chicago for holidays.
While I have laid out cards on occasion in the past using Affinity Photo (and Photoshop), there is nothing quite like the simplicity of using Affinity Publisher and generating all of the cards as pages in the one file - using a Master Page setup. Just click on the + button and all of the elements are autogenerated. All I have to do is select what is called the Picture Frame and Place a new image in. The perfectly positioned text area for the image title and location is set and is a matter of typing the appropriate text. My logo and QR code are provided by the Master Page. I have one file for vertical cards and one for horizontal cards.
If simple adjustments need to be made to colour or curves for the image, the beauty of Affinity is that it can be handled in Affinty Photo, without ever leaving Publisher. It’s fantastic, I print the card straight from Publisher using my wireless Epson printer on 8–1/2x11 heavy matte photo paper. The print then gets scored following the center line, two edges trimmed and packaged in a cellophane sleeve with an envelope. They look so pretty and professional when done.
A couple of weeks ago, I quickly recognized how effortlessly I could design and produce handmade folded photo cards using those tools - beginning with a modest selection of around 30 to set up on a display in Rachel’s store. Yesterday, I spent an hour and added some new images to the collection for 2025 to have available when she opens tomorrow after being closed for a three day trip Rachel and a couple of her girl friends took to Chicago for holidays.
While I have laid out cards on occasion in the past using Affinity Photo (and Photoshop), there is nothing quite like the simplicity of using Affinity Publisher and generating all of the cards as pages in the one file - using a Master Page setup. Just click on the + button and all of the elements are autogenerated. All I have to do is select what is called the Picture Frame and Place a new image in. The perfectly positioned text area for the image title and location is set and is a matter of typing the appropriate text. My logo and QR code are provided by the Master Page. I have one file for vertical cards and one for horizontal cards.
If simple adjustments need to be made to colour or curves for the image, the beauty of Affinity is that it can be handled in Affinty Photo, without ever leaving Publisher. It’s fantastic, I print the card straight from Publisher using my wireless Epson printer on 8–1/2x11 heavy matte photo paper. The print then gets scored following the center line, two edges trimmed and packaged in a cellophane sleeve with an envelope. They look so pretty and professional when done.
