Create Clergy Cards
Whether you wish to create greeting cards as a gift for your favorite priest, rabbi or pastor-or you'd like a career designing greeting cards appropriate for use by members of the clergy-you'll find a waiting market in this day and age of sarcasm and humor. It helps to have desktop publishing experience and some creative flair. Looking for an occasion for presenting customized cards to your favorite religious leader? October 11th is Clergy Appreciation Day, so you'll have the perfect gift for the person who truly doesn't have everything.
Instructions
1. Get direction from members of the clergy to make certain the messages you'll place on your cards are appropriate. Ask if the cards you'll create are to be holiday-focused or for general, year-round use and ask about using scripture on the cards. Make certain every phrase you choose is available for use to avoid sayings protected by copyright law.
2. Make a list of the type of clergy cards you're planning to create. Start out with a modest number of designs. Find copyright-free art on the Internet, buy religious-focused clip art software on CD, or use images provided by stock photographers after paying a modest fee to obtain high-resolution photos or drawings.
3. Match the images you've chosen to place on your clergy cards with phrases, scripture, inspirational text (see link below) or original copy taken from sermons and writings of the clergyman or woman for whom you're producing the cards. Boot your computer, launch your word processing program, and keystroke the phrases you've chosen to include on the cards.
4. Work backward from the envelope size you plan to use for your clergy cards to determine the size of the finished product. Open a 10-inch wide by 7-inch high page that will allow you to fold the output card in half to wind up with a 5-inch by 7-inch, four-sided card. Import images into each of the pages you've created and either import or copy and paste the matching phrases onto each card.
5. Output the finished card art on plain paper to check positioning of the art, verify font size and typeface style. Check for spelling and other errors. Load your printer paper tray with card stock. Print the fronts of the cards first and then replace the card stock in the paper tray so you can run the second side of each one.
6. Fold the cards in half, pair them with envelopes and present them to your spiritual leader. Alternately, contact greeting card companies and ask to be put in touch with their product development, marketing or research and development departments. Send samples of your clergy card designs to the card company, and you might wind up with an inspiring career.
