Printable Xmas Gift Tag
(PSP all versions - no filters)
A tutorial by Mar © 2006

You can Drag & Drop the below hand  for a easy use of this tutorial.

Corel PSP. Download a 30 day trial here.
This tutorial has a lot of patters and tubes to download.
One ZIP would be to large so I Zipped the files separate so
you can download them one by one. Each ZIP has one file.
The patterns ZIP has 34 files. Here we go:
The Tag Mask: Download here.
The patterns: Download here (674 Kb).
Tubes 1: Download here (714 Kb).
Tubes 2: Download here (400 Kb).
Tubes 3: Download here (544 KB).
Tubes 4: Download here (552 Kb).
Look at all images in PSP and make a choice.

Save often.
Let's get started. Good luck.....

This tutorial is done in PSP 9.

Open a new image 800 X 400 > Transparent.

Look in the ZIP for a pattern.
You can use two matching patterns but make sure the second and
top fill is plain other wise you can't read the names when done.
Of course you can always use a gradient too for your gift tags.

So choose a pattern or gradient.
I made this tutorial with a pattern.
Don't make your tags to dark. What you see on your monitor
is much lighter as the final print. Also the colors may differ.
That's why a test print at the end of this tut is necessary.

Foreground to pattern.
Look for your opened (your-choice.jpg).
I used MD-Tag-Pattern-7.jpg for this tutorial.
Texture unchecked (blue hand).

Fill your image with the pattern or gradient.

Open the MD-TagMask.jpg mask.

Layers > New mask layer > From image.

Look for the MD-TagMask.jpg and apply.

Layers > Merge > Merge group.

Now zoom in and you will see that between the two
punished holes there is a line to fold the top later.
We will leave that part of the tag alone. We will
only work after the second hole from the left.

With your rectangle selection tool (feather 0), select
a large part in the middle as on the screenshot below.

In my example above I used a pattern.
The selection was easy. I used the stars as my guideline.
When you use a color or gradient you have to see for
yourself where exactly to start and end the selection.

Here an example for a gradient filled tag.

Layers > New raster layer.

Use a matching color or pattern and fill the layer.

Effects > 3D-effects > Drop shadow > Black.

Repeat the drop shadow but this time Vert. and Horiz. at - 2.

Layers > Merge > Merge visible layers.

Look in the Zip's and get some nice decorations.

Click the decoration and copy it.

Edit > Paste > Paste as a new layer.

Move to the spot you like best. Keep the holes and left side free.
Foreground locked and background to a matching color.
Make sure the color is opposite to the tag color. I like to use white.
For a light background use a darker color. For instance black.

Click and look for a nice elegant font.  I used Amazone Bold. Get it here.
Size 24 > Stroke 0,0 > B for Bold > Anti-alias Checked or Sharp.

Adjust the font size when needed.

Now we are going to type. Begin with .....
For_______________
The underscore is done with  the minus key (-) and by
holding down the Shift key whilst typing the minuses.
Don't use the minus (-) on your number keyboard but use
the minus above your letters. That makes a world of difference.

Now click enter for about 5 or 6 times. Your cursor moves down.
Now type From_______________. Of course you can type the names
of the person that gives and the name of the receipting person. But if
you do that, you need to print a lot of different labels sheets. If you do it as I
explained, you can save the unused tags for next year or fill in a name later.

Layers > Convert to raster.

When your Christmas Gift Tag(s) is/are
done we need to merge the layers visible.

Now we want to print our tags.
Use the thickest paper your printer can handle. Here in Europe we
use grams to define our paper weight. Here is a link for you to convert.
Every printer can handle different weights. My printer can have 200 gram
paper but maybe other printers can only handle 160 or 180 gram paper.
The smart thing to do is buy different lose sheets at a print shop to test first.
See how thick (paper) your printer can handle. Buying test sheets
first can save you a lot of money later. A lesson I learned years ago.

Now for how to print.....

File > Print preview.

You will get a new window. You see your tags at the
left and your paper to print on in the right window.

You can drag and drop the tags from the left to your print sheet.
You can do a sheet with all tags the same (Example 1).
Keep dragging and dropping the same tag.
Or you can make a sheet with different tags (Example 2).

To use your paper as economic as possible you can rotate one or more
tags  to the left or to the right. Use the buttons where the hands point to.


If after your test print (important) you think the gift tags need to be larger
you can make them larger by pulling the nodes as you would do in PSP.
 Look at the screenshot below to see the nodes (= blue hands).

Example 1.

Example 2.

When done printing, cut out your gift tags with a scissor.
Don't forget the white holes. Fold the top. About where the line is.
Make sure the 2 holes fall over each other so it ends up as one hole.
The reason for the fold and double holes is that your paper won't rip easily.

Now you can use a nice ribbon and hang the tag on your present.
Or....... buy some eyelets in a handcraft shop and put them in first.

Save your gift tags for future use.

When done printing and cutting the gift tag out,
you can cut of some corners if you like. See examples.

This leaves me with one more tip.
Be careful with using gold or silver. A print will
not have the result as you see on your monitor.
Instead of using gold and silver you can dress up the
tag with a glitter pen or glitter glue after it is printed out.

Your Christmas Gift Tags are done.
I hope you like this tutorial.
Thank you for putting it to the test.

Season Greetings from my home to yours.
Have fun decorating your presents.

Since 11-22-2006: