1. What printer do you have.
I have a Canon Pixma MP180. THIS one. It's great. They don't make it any more, but am sure the new model is also just as good.
2. What paper do you print on.
I buy a coated white cardstock from my local stationers. It's really smooth and creates a very professional finish. Details of the cardstock I use are in THIS video.
3. What sewing machine do you have?
I have a Janome sewing machine - THIS model to be precise. It's WONDERFUL. I use it all the time. It never has any problems and I've never even had to change the needle, despite sewing through card for over a year now! Love it.
4. How do you get started with digital?
By playing. Go HERE and download a couple of free digikits. Then just play with them in Word, using some of my tutorials (here and here). You just have to experiment.
5. Isn't digital really expensive?
Not in my experinece. I have to replace my cartridges about every 3 months. But I use my printer almost every day. And I print a LOT of digital papers. It's a lot cheaper than buying sheets of 12 x 12 cardstock... plus, if you are anything like me, you may find yourself buying a lovely piece of 12 x 12, and either not being able to bear to cut into it, or only using a small portion for one card. Digital means that you have the paper for ever, can resize it to exactly the size you need, use only a tiny potion of the pattern etc. etc. I think digital is excellent value. I have a video HERE which explores how to maximise your paper usage to save money. I also have one HERE which compares economy versus standard printing.
6. How do you finish the inside of your cards.
A while ago my husband bought me a card from a real shop. It had lots of stitching on, and it hadn't been covered up on the inside. Did it offend me? No. I liked it. It showed that the card had been hand made and not produced in a factory. So I don't finish the inside of my cards by covering up the stitching. I leave it to show the recipient that love has gone into it :) The only thing I do do is make sure I've taped the ends down with a tiny piece of Scotch Magic Tape and trimmed off any extra bits of cotton. If you tape back over the stitching, it hardly shows.
