A card a child can finish
Eight front designs, each with six to ten shapes and 2mm outlines. A child of four can colour one in ten minutes. A child of eight can do a whole class set in an afternoon, which is the usual reason people print these.
The ruled lines inside are 10mm apart. Most card templates leave the inside completely blank, and a six year old writing Merry Christmas on a blank panel produces something that slopes off the edge.
Doing a class set
Thirty cards is thirty sheets, which is the only real cost. Print in greyscale draft mode, which is fine for line art and uses about a third of the ink. On 160gsm card, draft mode still gives a clean outline.
Get the children to write the names on the envelopes before they start colouring. Doing it afterwards, when the cards are spread out and the glitter is open, is how cards end up in the wrong envelopes.
Wet media and folding
If children use paint, glitter glue or felt tips, let the card dry completely before folding, and score the fold. A damp fold on 160gsm card tears along the spine. Coloured pencils avoid the whole problem and are what most teachers end up using.
Questions
- What age is the colour in card for?
- Four upwards. Each front design has six to ten shapes with 2mm outlines, so a four year old can finish one in about ten minutes.
- Is there space inside to write?
- Yes, three ruled lines 10mm apart, which is what a young child needs. A blank inside panel usually produces a message that slopes off the edge.
- How do I print a class set cheaply?
- Greyscale draft mode on 160gsm card. Draft is fine for line art and uses roughly a third of the ink, so thirty cards cost very little beyond the card itself.
- Can children paint on these cards?
- Yes, but let the card dry fully and score the fold before folding, because a damp fold tears along the spine. Coloured pencils avoid the problem entirely.