Printing and Printable Wrapping Paper

Can't seem to find a good wrapping paper design that suits your taste? Maybe you have some idea of a wrapping paper design but can't find a ready-to-print graphics on the Internet? Perhaps you found one but haven't got the slightest idea where and how to start? Below are some helpful tips and ideas that might help you accomplish this task. Of course, you need a computer and a decent colored printer to do this. Make sure you also have plenty of printer ink to spare.

1. The first thing to consider is the size and quality of the wrapping paper that you are going to print on. Economically speaking, kraft paper is the ideal material for printing gift wraps because they are durable. You can buy them in rolls of 9" to 24" in diameter by 900 ft. to 1,000 ft. in length per roll, in brown or white color. If you are planning to print on your color printer, a 9" width paper is the ideal size. They usually cost around $30 to $38 per roll. Look for "buy kraft paper" on major search engines to find the best deals on the Internet. If you have extra bucks to spare, you can also use semi-smooth art papers which are also available in rolls, but will typically cost you extra money.

Consider the amount of paper that you are going to need. It is best to measure the carton or box that needs wrapping so that you will not be wasting precious papers and printer ink. Measure the length of the box. If it fits horizontally on the width of the kraft or art paper with a decent allowance, then the amount of paper that you will need will be four times the width of the box. If you need to wrap a much bigger box, consider joining two 9" width wrapping paper together. (See illustration below.)

2. Next, plan your design. If you know a decent graphics program, then chances are, you are well on your way. However, if you don't like the idea of tweaking graphics, then your next best option is to search for ready-to-print wrapping paper designs available on the Internet at no extra cost. Here are a few sites you might want to review:

FamilyShoppingBag.com - print free wrapping paper from your computer.
http://www.familyshoppingbag.com/wrapping_paper.htm

UWrapIt.com.au - gift wrapping paper you can print yourself or buy online
http://www.uwrapit.com.au/catalogue/
Tip: Select a category (i.e. Anniversary, Christmas, etc.) and then scroll down on the left side and click the design you want to view it onscreen. If you like it, click Print.

Note: You may want to print a test page first, before using the actual wrapping paper.


3. Before printing the design you selected, you must have reviewed it on screen so that you have an idea what it will look on paper, more or less. To print the design, look at the website if it offers a Print button, otherwise you have to use the Print menu from your web browser.

a. Internet Explorer: Select Print from the File menu then click the Print button; -or- press Control+P on your keyboard
b. Mozilla Firefox: Select Print from the File menu then click the OK button; -or- press Control+P on your keyboard

Tip: If you want to be more creative, try printing light foreground graphics on a darker background, such as white dots on a red background, which will serve as your wrapping paper. Next, print red dots on white background and use specialty paper such as vellum paper. Layer the wrapped gift with the vellum as overtop.


Measuring the amount of kraft paper to use