How to Make Your Own Place Cards

Place cards assure that every guest invited to your event has a seat. You may set the place cards out on a table for your guest to pick up, or you may leave them on the table in front of the chair where you want your guest to sit. There is no need to go out and spend money on having a printer create your place cards. You can easily make them at home.

You will need:

Card stock
Colored printer paper
Ruler
Scissors
Word processing program
Glue
Stickers

Follow these steps:

Step 1:
Decide what the theme of your party is. Use that theme to choose colors for your place cards. You need one color for your background. This will be made with cardstock. You need a second color for the name. This will be made with colored printer paper. Try to choose the darker of the two colors for the background. For example, Halloween lends itself to orange and black. The black would be the background, and the orange would be for writing the guest's name.

Step 2:
Take your cardstock sheets and cut out one card for each guest. Each card should measure 3.5 inches by 4.25 inches. You may want to use a ruler for this.

Step 3:
Fold your cards in half so that they are now 3.5 inches by 1.5/8 inches. Set the cards so that the folded end is at the top and the open end is resting on the table.

Step 4:
Open a word processing program on your computer and choose a font for your names. You can use the traditional "New Times Roman," or sometime more fancy like "Vivaldi." Type the first names of your guests leaving a 2 inch space in between each name.

Step 5:
Load your printer with the colored typing paper and print the names out. Then cut the names out. Be sure that you cut 1/2 inch above the name and 1/2 inch below the name so your place card clearly shows two colors.

Step 6:
Glue the names on the center of the front of your place cards.

Step 7:
Add a sticker that goes along with your theme in one of the corners. For example, you would use a Christmas tree sticker for a Christmas dinner. You could use a pair of wedding bells for a wedding, or a pumpkin sticker for Halloween.

Tips:
You can also use a free online program line the one found at Blue Mountain (see resources). They already have place card templates. All you have to do is fill in your guests names and print.

Resources:
Blue Mountain