How Did I Make That Card?

At last I am going begin my "how'd I make that?" series, detailing how I make things like cards, prints, decorative signs, etc.. So, I thought I'd start with cards, and here is my latest card design.

What does it take to make a card from start to finish? I'm going to try and make this explaination as simple as possible and still give you all the information.
1. For me it begins with making an illustration, and then taking that image and scanning it for use on the computer. Once scanned I then create a design with it that fits into the format that works for my card size. The design software I am currently using for card designs is nothing special, but it works great. It's called The Print Shop. You may be using different software, (and it's probably a lot fancier- lucky you!), and this part of the process - the design and layout of the card could be challenging, but just experiment and push some buttons and see what happens! It took a while for me to get this right, but now that my layout card size is set up on the computer, it's easier.
2. Ok, after the design is done, it's time to print. So, what I use to print on are already scored card stock sheets, to make it easier to just print and fold and I'm done. No cutting or scoring to do this way. I use a product from Red River Paper that is a 5x7 card size when it is folded. Here's a direct link to the 5x7 card size that I use. The item # is 1880, and it's called 60lb Polar Matte CIS Scored. This is a great product - it's acid free and the inkjet color looks wow! And, for the printing I use an HP Deskjet 9800 printer with HP Vivera Inks.
3. So, once the printing is done, it's good to have envelopes, and I get mine from Red River Paper, and I use item # 7163, a-7 white envelopes.
4. I like to also put my cards in clear protective envelopes to keep them safe from finger prints and handling. A good place to buy this kind of packaging is ClearBags.com - just be sure to get the right size bag for your envelope, not the card size!
Some other stuff: I made a sort of logo for the back of my cards, so I could make it easier for my clients to get more of my cards and know where to find my art. Here's what it looks like.....

And, now that I've turned you off from printing your own cards (Just Kidding!!), how much does this cost?
Well, not counting set up stuff like computer and printer and software, I figure it costs about .75 cents for card, envelope, ink, and packaging. I sell my cards for $3.50 per, and that leaves me a pretty good profit. I know this all sounds sort of like "why should I bother", but for me it works because I love to play at design and do all this sort of thing, and I get to have quality control and make changes. And, I sell a lot of cards too!