From Jan's Free Content

Free Printable Baby Shower Invitations

Posted in: Baby Shower
By Jan K., The Proofer
Feb 21, 2008 - 5:26:11 PM

Free Printable Baby Shower Invitations

Baby shower invitations can be as easy as 1-2-3 or A-B-C using these free printable invitations and matching address labels. The invitations come with decorative baby rattles that spell out 1-2-3 or A-B-C. The invitations are pre-printed with the basic invitation details (date, time, and place) and can easily be personalized using the simple instructions given here.

The free printable baby shower invitations are decorated with clipart that is available at Mom's Break (http://www.momsbreak.com/), in the Baby Shower section. These clipart baby rattles are exclusive to Mom's Break and are available as free printable downloads (just in case you want to use different letters or numbers on your invitations).

The baby shower invitations are to be printed on postcard stock, which can be purchased from any office supply store such as Office Depot or Staples. The matching address labels are printed on blank sheets of labels, which are also available at office supply stores. Everything that you need to download, personalize, and print them is included in this article. The links to the free printable baby shower invitations and matching address labels are shown at the end of this article, as well as a link to the illustrations of printed invitations and address labels that go along with this article.

The baby shower invitations are printed as postcards, which can be mailed at the cheaper postcard rate. Using the matching address labels, you can make the address labels for the people you are inviting as well as your own return address labels. This means no envelopes and no need to address the envelopes by hand!

For the baby shower invitation, you will need postcards that print two per page, compatible with Avery postcards #5389 (I buy the Office Depot brand, Item #916-732). For the address labels, you will need the small 1 x 2-5/8 address labels, which print 30 per page, compatible with Avery label #8460 (again, I buy the cheaper Office Depot brand, Item #612-301).

To begin, click on the links for the invitations and address labels. Each will open as a Word document that you can save to your computer so that you can print as many as you need. Once you have saved each file to your computer, you can then personalize them.

Personalize the Baby Shower Invitation

Open the Word document that you saved for the Baby Shower Invitation. You will see that each postcard has a short verse and then lines for party details. Simply double-click on NAME and type in the name of the Mommy-to-Be. For the remainder of the party details, delete the prompts (such as "Day, Month, Year" for the "When" line), and fill in the details for your party.

You can use the pre-printed invitation as it is, or personalize it in any way that you prefer by typing in the text box.

Complete the second postcard, and then do a Save As so that you can print this page of postcards as many times as necessary.

Personal the Baby Shower Address Labels

On one sheet of address labels, fill in your own name and address. If you are familiar with working with Word, you can fill in the first label in the upper right-hand corner, and then block-highlight your address, copy it, and then paste it in to the rest of the labels.

On another sheet of address labels, complete each label for the mailing address of the person you are inviting. You'll have to type in each individual address in a separate label.

For more help with working with address labels, please review "Baby Shower Invitation and Matching Envelope" (http://www.jansreadingroom.com/Baby_Shower/babyshowerinvitation.htm).

Each sheet of labels has 30 blank labels, so if you are inviting less than 15 people, you can use a single sheet of address labels. Simply make as many of your return address labels as you'll need, and then make a mailing label for each person you are inviting.

Adjusting the Formatting of the Baby Shower Invitation and Address Labels

Even though the pre-printed baby shower invitations and address labels are formatted so that they are compatible with the Avery forms as given above, you might find that yours don't print out exactly within the margins of the postcard and address blank pages. If you need to modify the size or position of the clipart or the text boxes, you can do this very easily. The link given above to "Baby Shower Invitation and Matching Envelope" will provide some easy tips for reformatting. Also, be sure to check the "Tutorials" section of Jan's Reading Room (http://www.jansreadingroom.com/) for more articles that provide easy-to-follow steps for working with JPG (clipart picture) files and text boxes in Microsoft Word.

Mailing the Baby Shower Invitations

Once you've printed all the invitations that you'll need, and the address labels, all you'll need to do is "address" the invitations. Peel and stick the mailing labels and your return address labels in the usual positions. You can use postcard-rate postage to mail the invitations (be sure to check with the Post Office for the current postcard rate).

Links to the Free Printable Baby Shower Invitations and Address Labels

Each link shown below will open in a new Word document (it may take several long seconds to open). Once you've opened the file, go to the toolbar, click on File, then click on Save As, and save the document to your computer. Make sure you remember where you've saved the documents (such as saving each to the folder named My Documents).

Baby Shower Invitations and Address Labels 1-2-3:

Baby Shower Invitations and address labels A-B-C:

Illustrated example invitation and address labels:

Due to the differences in computer systems and printers, you may find it necessary to "move" the blocks of text and clipart in order to make them print within the margins of your postcards and address labels. Be sure to visit the "Tutorials" section of Jan's Reading Room (http://www.jansreadingroom.com/) for tutorials that provide easy-to-follow, illustrated steps for working with JPG files (clipart pictures) and text boxes in Microsoft Word.

Jan K., The Proofer is a freelance copyeditor and proofreader. Visit Jan’s Portal (http://www.jansportal.com/) for more information about Jan's free crafts, recipes, tutorials, other resource sites, and free content articles, as well as Jan’s business services. Be sure to visit Mom's Break (http://www.momsbreak.com/) for free printable crafts and projects. © Copyright 2005 to present. All rights reserved.


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