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A helpful newsletter of tips and highlights from Personalized Expressions
Issue 4 - July/August 2006
(888) 496-7241 www.pecards.com
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The ideas shown below were created using PE PRO's features of Fixed Shapes and AlphaBends. These built in features created designs that were applied directly to white paper stock of the PE pocket card size. Templates for this and all of Personalized Expressions card sizes are located in the PE Blank Templates folder. Although the sample is a custom designed card, these features can be used on any personalized product.
To access the blank templates, click on New Document  then on Image Library Card  , Click Browse (Go) and open the PE Blank Templates folder. Once you have found the template you wish to use, open it and set your margins by right clicking on the card and then selecting Layout. Setting margins always gives you a good "anchor" for all your text, especially when creating custom ideas.
You can now insert a fixed shape ( ) which is a built-in design tool featuring an array of shapes including fun ones like speech bubbles & star bursts. In this case, we've used a simple square. Once selected, it will insert into the top left-hand corner of your card and default to a light blue color. You can move it and change the size by clicking and dragging on the bullets. You can also change the angle on the top tool bar using the tiny arrows and increasing the measurement.
Change the color of your shape by right clicking on it. (You will see that there are many other options in this window as well, like gradient options to fade the color of your shape from a light blue to dark blue. Choose from the many different gradient categories and styles to give your shape the perfect look.)
In the sample shown below, we have not angled our shape nor applied a gradient. We chose a nice, bright yellow for the shape's background color (R255, G237, B0) and chose a perfect blue for a boy (0, 90, 255) for the border color. Proceeding, create a text box using the Insert Text Box icon  & choose the font you wish to use for the card. We used Minya Nouvelle from our Casual Party Font Set. You can purchase fonts from many sites like myfonts.com, fonts.com or letteringdelights.com, as well as from us. We bolded and kerned the text out a bit.
To insert the sun icon, use the Character Map tool and chose the font, CBD Celebration Dings Five. We used an alphabend to have more control on this icon, specifically to layer it on top of the square. For more on alphabends, please refer to the Hidden Program Secret in a previous issue (#2) March/April 2006. The font icon will need to be a larger-than-usual size. We recommend a point size of around 90 to 100 for most icon fonts. For color, we chose orange (255, 156, 0) to really "pop out" in front of the yellow square. Then we used blue text to balance perfectly with the orange and yellow in the rest of the card.
Using these simple built-in features, you can create custom designs for any occasion or add delightful highlights for exceptional personalization.
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Insert art imagery as well as
photos to make truly special pieces
Make a splash into summer! Using the tools shown above, we easily created a very cute, yet simple invitation for a three year old boy's birthday party. This idea is so universal that you could even use it for a "not-so-average" summer barbeque invitation. Or change the sun to a pair of flip-flops, change the colors to turn it into an invitation to a day at the beach just for the girls. This can be done with any of the CBD "ding fonts" available from Personalized Expressions.
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 Have you been hearing talk of a new version of PE Pro? We have released Version 8.1. This upgrade introduces behind the scenes technology which enabled us to create a trendy personalized notecard and invitation line called Write In Style. We are rolling out version 8.1 to the Write In Style customers first, then to all other users over the next few months.
This upgrade includes new features and enhancements to:
•Address Manager
•Imaging (special attributes)
•Web Links to various PE websites
•New - Monogram Feature 
and other great features. As with all of our releases, it has been extensively field tested and used internally. If you wish to receive this upgrade sooner rather than later, please email us.
If you wish to have additional training after you've received your upgrade and reviewed the contents of the "New Feature List," simply contact Cristina Poulsen to schedule a training session.
For any additional questions, please contact our sales department at (888) 496-7241:
Barbara Van Baush (East)
Kimberly Erhardt (West)
NEW - Due to popular request, we have created a variety of specialized fonts, including many handrawn, scripted and specialty Monogram fonts.
• Handwriting Set A
• Handwriting Set B
• Brushes
• Sonetta - Monogram Font
Please see our Fonts section for more information.
Hard to believe but consumers are already shopping for Fall and Christmas invitations. Be sure to put out your Holiday and Photo Card albums and merchandising wings to capture this opportunity.
Coming soon - A new Photo card collection, featuring special image layering and Holiday photo cards.
Recently released - Write in Style, a trendy and popular take on personalized notecards and invitations. New side fold papers available too.
For more information, please contact (888) 496-7241:
Kimberly Erhardt (West)
Barbara Van Baush (East)
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Personalized Expressions has utilities to assist you to print out Font and Color charts. What are Font and Color Charts, you may ask? They are handy reference sheets of fonts and colors to help you when you are setting up a product. To print these, simply click on File from your drop down menu and then select either Color Chart Utility or Font Chart Utility.
Color Chart will print out square blocks of color with the RGB values underneath (RGB is a technical term for the Red, Green and Blue values that comprise a color.) These are the values you enter when choosing a color. When you are personalizing any stationery product, these charts can assist in selecting a font color by comparing the colors in the product to the squares on the color chart. You can print out a chart for each "spectrum" (related color palette) or choose a general "full spectrum".
TIPS - Each printer and every paper stock will yield different color results for each RGB color, so be sure to print out the chart on the paper(s) and printer(s) you will be using. If the printer is clean and not running out of ink, the color chart will print out perfectly. If you have more than one color printer, we suggest printing a chart for each one.
SUGGESTION - Put each of these in a binder and separate them with dividers labeled for each printer and paper stock for easy reference.
Font Chart will print out ALL the fonts that are on your computer, so we suggest printing out only those selected fonts that you want to show your customers. (Giving your customers a list of hundreds of fonts to choose from will only open a can of worms). For your personal reference however, we do recommend printing ALL fonts. Simply click the button titled "Select All." Choose a point size and Click Printer Setup to choose the printer you wish to use.
TIPS - We do not recommend using a laser printer. Due to the amount of information being pushed through, most laser printers will not have enough memory to handle printing all your fonts and some may drop off or disappear. Try an ink jet color printer or alternatively try printing a few pages of fonts at a time. You can select specific fonts by clicking, holding and dragging your cursor down the list of fonts. As you drag, each font will become highlighted. To select random fonts for a smaller display list, hold the Ctrl key and select one font, then another, then another. Make sure to hold the Ctrl key as you're selecting or the ones you've already chosen will not stay highlighted.
These easy to print Font and Color Charts are essential tools to have readily at your fingertips as they eliminate a lot of guess work and waste.
DO YOU HAVE ANY STORIES YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE?
Contact Cristina Poulsen at (800) 832-8436 x4250 or by email to submit your creative ideas. We'd love to publish them in an upcoming newsletter!
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Personalized Expressions / Colors by Design
Van Nuys, CA 91406
800/832-8436
© 2006 – All rights reserved
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Click here for printer friendly version