Once you find out how easy it is to create some fun personalized sheets of gift wrap for your family and friends,
you'll want to print wrapping paper for all sorts of occasions. Find out how to put your computer, printer,
digital photos and standard Microsoft Word software to good use by creating some very easy, fun, and customized
holiday gift wrap that will surely delight the recipients as much as the gift itself.
Create a sheet of photo gift wrap
When creating photo gift wrap, you can use one photo or multiple photos. If you use multiple photos, you can
either use the same photo repeated over and over, or use various photos as a repeat pattern all at the one size,
or scattered erratically over the page for a fun look.
Follow these steps to create and print a sheet of custom photo gift wrap:
Start a new document and change your margins (using File > Page Set Up > Margins) so your paper
design extends almost to the edge of the paper. If you printer allows you to, select borderless
printing; otherwise, plan to trim the border with scissors or overlap when you are sealing your gift.
Click Insert > Picture > From File and select the picture you wish to use.
Double-click the image.
Click Select Format > Layout >Tight; this allows you to move this image around
your page.
Resize your image either from this menu option, or by dragging the corners of the image.
When you still have this menu option open you can select Picture > Compress;
this will reduce the file size.
The same Format Picture menu box allows you to change the level of opacity of the image. You can
also change the image to black line art as well under the Picture tab and the image control option.
When satisfied with your image, right-click on it and click Copy, then click
Paste. You can do this repeatedly, moving each new pasted item to a new
position on your page.
The choice is yours: you can either let the color of your paper show through your design, or you can add a customized background color that coordinates with the photos you select.
To add a background color, Click Format > Background and choose a shade from the
drop-down menu. You have many options, from simple colors to subtle hues (click More Colors)
through to textures and patterns as well. This is where your plain white paper can change its look dramatically!
If you would like some or all of your photos to have borders, click Format > Borders
and make a selection from the choices given. You can vary the width, style, and color of the border, among other
options. The more you experiment within the functions available to you in Microsoft Word, the easier many of
these steps will become, and even far more new ones that you can try out. TIP: Photos of family members are a great place to start for gift wrap, but why not
take it even farther with photos of cars, houses, pets, sporting events, mascots, and other special objects or
places?
Word's Word Art function is one of the simplest ways of creating some very fun, attractive gift wrap. Starting
with a new blank document, reduce your margins as you did above and click Insert > Picture >
Word Art. All you need to do from here is select a style, a font and the color, then position the Word Art
where you would like it to be placed. Keep in mind the comment above about how to have more control.
The scanning power of an
HP Photosmart All-in-One
expands your creative gift wrap possibilities even further:
Scan vintage photos of yesteryear
Use your imagination and scan in anything that has meaning to your recipient, is relatively
two-dimensional, and will fit on the scanner surface without scratching it
Scan in handprints and/or footprints of your children and/or pets
Scan crayon and painted drawings from your children
To augment your photos, scanned items, and Word Art, add colorful clip art by clicking
Insert > Picture > Clip Art and scanning what's available. Or you can just go
straight to the Microsoft Clip Art and Media
page. Google Images is another resource -- go to Google.com, click Images,
and insert a phrase like "reindeer clip art."
Colorful photos, Word Art, and clip art look terrific on white paper stock, but try turning them into
black line art and printing onto various colored papers to fit the mood of the season.
When wrapping your gifts, think outside the square! Create your wrapping paper so that it is designed
to be wrapped around smaller items such as bon-bons for those tiny little fun gifts to go on the table.
To use bits of leftover wrapping paper creatively, cut up and turn them into gift tags as well as
placecards for your table.
Choose one of the following for the best look and feel:
HP Premium Inkjet Paper:
This paper is whiter and brighter to create a striking contrast with colorful text, photographs, and
scanned images.
HP Glossy Brochure & Flyer Paper:
Thicker than plain paper, this luxurious, glossy paper offers the best possible inkjet print quality for
text and excellent image quality for photos and graphics.
Or you can try printing onto other papers rather than just plain white. For a stylish effect, print your designs
onto vellum and transparency sheets, which you can use to over-wrap your gifts that you first wrap in plain paper.
Try various types of printer paper: specialty paper, vellum, parchment, and various colors of normal office-weight
bond paper. Look for ones that have a satin, smooth finish, rather than straight photocopy paper. You can even use
a speckled recycled paper for an interesting touch.
HP carries a wide assortment of specialty papers.
Printable version
