Since I was very young I've been surrounded by ink, paper, photocopiers, printers, typewriters, rubber stamps (commercial and homemade), scissors, pasteup knives, light tables, waxers, scanners, rulers, pencils, pens, markers, and a constant desire to create things with them!

The current result of all of this is Kalyani Designs! Hope you enjoy the fruits of my experiments and wonder!

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~ HINTS ~
for bringing your new printable items from Kalyani Designs to life!


~ Choosing Good Paper ~

With so many wonderful papers available, the choices are a little overwhelming! My suggestion is to experiment, and choose one that you like the look and feel of. Naturally, papers react differently with different inks, different printing processes (laser vs inkjet, for instance), and different printer settings. In general, I prefer PLAIN PAPER (meaning thin) for envelopes, wrapping paper, some scrapbooking applications etc. And I prefer CARDSTOCK for posters, bookmarks, cards, gift tags, boxes and calendars.

If your printer can handle it, why not try printing your new item on a piece of recycled cereal board, rice paper, handmade paper etc. Be adventurous and have fun!


~ Cutting and Folding ~

For cutting, I prefer to use a nice small pair of scissors or a sheet of wrapped glass, a ruler and a small knife. Personally, I prefer small tools because my hands are tiny and I like obsessing over every curve and angle, but fast straight cuts work well too. Find your own style!

For folding, I prefer to score the paper first (on both sides) - particularly if I am using cardstock. To do this, I use a blunt wooden letter-opener-type-tool on a cork mat (a square of fine corkboard will work nicely) and a metal ruler.

For making holes in cardstock (for tree ornaments, bookmarks, boxes, holes for hanging calendars on a corkboard, etc), I use a Japanese-made spiral punch (mine has 5 different sized tips, giving me multiple sizes to choose from!).


~ Sizing ~

All of the items in my shop have a listed size. These are the maximum dimensions for optimal printing (at 300dpi). You can easily scale your items down in photo, graphic or printer software before printing to any size your choose! (You can also try increasing the size of any item before printing, but some crispness and detail will be lost…)


~ Some Specific Tips You’ve Asked About ~

Bookmarks
For my bookmarks, I often add a handmade embroidery floss or gold thread tassel, and a little wooden or glass bead. There are lots of tutorials online about tassels. Search: “how to make a tassel”


Gift Boxes
After cutting, scoring and folding my gift boxes, I use either double-sided tape or stick glue to seal the flaps. (Standard white glue works too, but is a little squishy for me!) In some of the designs, I use my Japanese-made punch to make holes for tying a string or ribbon. Sometimes I make two holes next to each other and use a small stick to close the flaps! A broach or safety pin would also add style! Alternatively, you could skip the holes and use a small office-style clip or mini clothes peg! A box should be easy but fun to open, so experiment!

Note: I have found that while laser printing provides vibrant colours for boxes, it can crack easily at the edges when folded (as the fibres of the paper are more flexible than the coating of the ink). Take extra care when scoring and folding to prevent the ink cracking on the surface of the paper.