Create Cards in Affinity

Create cards for yourself or to sell

  • Looking for the perfect card but struggle to find it? Make it yourself and let it send the perfect message
  • Have a cutting machine and want to take your designs beyond your machine’s software? Designer is much easier than Illustrator!
  • Want to sell or giveaway project files on your blog? I’ll show you how to export for printing and for machines.

Despite a small decline, the greeting card industry is still projected to gross 20 billion in sales (yes, billion) in 2022. There is also an increase in the use of digital cards.

Yet despite an increase in digital, greeting cards are one thing that people are still more likely to send in physical form. And, with the popularity of crafting machines like Cricut and Silhouette, more people are making their own cards.

According to Research and Markets, there is opportunity in:

  • Luxury cards
  • Eco-Friendly cards
  • Customized and personalized cards
  • Corporate cards used for marketing
  • And that’s just a few trends identified in this report (opens in new tab)

What You Will Learn

  • Setting up a template
  • Designing an envelope
  • Cards with cutouts
  • Cards with paper flowers
  • Create a collage with licensed or public domain art
  • Export your projects to bring to your cutting machines
  • Where to find sentiments and graphics for your cards
  • Materials to use
  • Card occasions
I’ll walk you through several card projects teaching you a variety of common card techniques.

Pre-Requisites: This course is aimed at those with a basic knowledge of Affinity software already. It is beginner friendly, but not for those brand new to Affinity. If you have successfully created a few basic documents or projects with Affinity, you are ready for this course. If you are brand new, there will be the option to add on my Affinity Designer Basics course at a very special price which will help you get up to speed first.

These Card Projects Are Some of the Included Lessons

Single Sided Valentines Card: Learn guides, transparency, adding texture with brushes

5×7 Folded Valentines Card: Learn collaging stock images, layer opacity, creating foiled looking text, adding folding and cutting lines

4×6 Folded Thank You Tent Card: Learn to split your background with text, pattern fill, using glyphs, and joining text

Birthday card: Learn to create curved edges, add a layered insert, create a layer with cutouts, text on a curve, and exporting for cutting machines

Simple window cutout card with insert: learn to cutout, add an insert with an image from Stock, crop images, and export for cutting machines

No cutting machine? No problem. These projects can be printed on cardstock with no 3-D elements, but are also simple enough to cut with a craft knife and/or scissors.

Do I need any special tools to make cards if I don’t have a cutting machine? If you are casually making cards, not really, but for better results I recommend a small craft cutter such as the Fiskars Sure Cut 12″ to help create straight lines, something to score with (I use the EkTools one, but a bone folder works too), and a craft knife (e.g, Xacto knife) with self-healing cutting mat. You can also get simple craft tools at some dollar stores for scoring or embossing.

Will you demonstrate using a cutting machine? In the Happy Birthday balloon card, I will go through the entire process of importing the image into Design Space (I am using a Cricut Maker) as well as sending it through the machine. For other projects I will export it from Affinity with the proper layers, and take it into Design Space if there is anything special about the setup.

Your cards are kind of ugly, what gives? I will be the first to admit I am an adequate artist at best. My job is to show you the methods used to create these common card techniques. The projects in this course are meant to demonstrate the different ways you can accomplish this in Affinity Designer. Each project is chosen to help you learn something new so they are not always the most beautiful, but hopefully are educational. My hope is that you will take these methods and run with them and create something stunning!

Course Outline

Module 1: Getting Started

  • Planning & Considerations
  • Card Occasions
  • Paper & Materials
  • Finding Text & Images

Module 2: Card Projects

  • Card Template set-up
  • Card 1: Single Side Valentines Card (4 to a page)
  • Card 2: Valentines card with collages graphics
  • Creating a custom envelope for our 5×7 Valentine’s card
  • Card 3: Thank you tent card
  • Card 4: Birthday card with layers, cutouts, and curved edges
  • Card 5: Window cut-out card with silhouette background

Module 1 is text format with audio narration if you prefer to listen.

Module 2 is video format with transcripts. Each project is broken up into short videos on the same lesson page so you can follow along.

Still Coming:

  • Card 6: Mandala cutout card
  • Card 7: Card with paper flower, and alternate paper flower
  • And at least 2 more card projects
  • Tips for selling your cards as digital files

More Card Projects

Simple flower card for Mother’s Day. Flower petals are cutouts and glued on. The stems have a foiled effect (stroke fill) that is done in Affinity and printed (not foiled with Cricut).

Blank Card. Learn to create curved edges using a different technique. Create a perforated look. Make a paper flower with multiple layers.

Alternate way to create paper flowers using individual petals

Mandala Cutout Card: Make a more intricate cutout card with a stock SVG. Cut out from cardstock and foil cardstock and glued together.

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