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Everyone at your university is ready for some pomp and circumstance. To make graduation day even more memorable, prepare a detailed program that all guests will enjoy perusing and tucking inside a graduation keepsake frame or memento box.

Not sure what to include beyond the event date and speaker schedule? We’ve got you covered when it comes to selecting the paper to the words your should include. Let’s get this program designing started!

Choosing Graduation Program Paper

As you browse paper choices, you’ll be making decisions about color, folding pattern, and weight. You have two choices when it comes to choosing the color of the paper you’ll use: school colors or classic neutrals such as cream, grey, or white. Both options can be expressed with solid-colored, bordered, or patterned paper. We love the elegance and colorful variety of the Pristine Specialty Foil Programs and the whimsical pattern of the beautiful gold Brighton Specialty Programs.

When choosing the fold of the paper, single or tri-fold are the most popular. For small schools or mid-year graduation ceremonies, a single sheet of decorative paper printed on the front and back might do the trick.

Since the graduation program will likely be saved, choose a heavyweight paper. As you browse the selection of specialty program paper options, you’ll notice each one has a rating, such as “65 lb stock”. The higher the number, the heavier and more durable the paper.

Then, embellish the program! Embossed seals featuring the school emblem or colorful ribbon bookmarks inside multi-page, single-fold programs add a luxe style to the program.

What to Include in the Program

Once you’ve decided on the perfect paper, start crafting your words. On the front of the program, use the formal name of the university followed by the date, location of the event and, if relevant, the specific group of students who are graduating. If the ceremony is just for those who are receiving their doctorates, indicate that it’s a specialized ceremony.

Inside the program make a sequential list of the commencement activities. Here are a few suggested headings:

• Processional: List the order of the people entering, such as faculty, graduates, board of trustee members, and special guests. You can also make a note of the musical selection being played. If it’s being performed by a live band, name them.
• Welcome: This section will briefly list speakers and what they are contributing to the day. Are you starting with a few words from the university president? Do you have a special guest welcoming everyone?
• Commencement Address: Name the person giving this speech and their title or affiliation with the school. They may be a student, guest speaker, or faculty member.
• Conferring of Degrees: Name the people and their titles who will be presenting the graduates with their diplomas.
• Closing: Will there be a final speech from a class valedictorian or faculty member? List their name and title.
• Recessional: Name the people who will lead the graduates out of the room and the song being played during this part of the ceremony.

Finish the program with a short invitation for guests to attend a social hour in an adjoining facility, a few words of wisdom for the future of the graduating class, or the class motto. Create the program to fit your institution’s unique event, which may include singing, prayer, or viewing a photo slideshow. This is your event – customize it!

Most universities will also include a list of graduates as part of the program or as an added insert, depending on the number of names. Consider placing special symbols next to each name indicating special honors, designations, or type of degree obtained.

Skip These Non-Essentials

As you gain momentum on this project, it’s enticing to start including more and more information. Remember this document will become a keepsake for the students and their families, but it does not need to tell the entire history of the school or become an entertainment piece for guests.

Avoid lengthy school histories, listings of faculty members, yearbook-style photographs, school trivia, artwork, or descriptions of degree requirements.

Are you ready to pick out the perfect paper for your program? Browse the Specialty Programs collection at PaperDirect today to get ideas for your project!

Over the course of the next few months, business owners and managers across the country will host countless company picnics to celebrate the hard work and dedication of their team. However, most of these company picnics will be low on attendants – doomed to fail from the moment an employee sees the drab flyer and decides not to drag his or her family out to such a seemingly boring event.

Whether you realize it or not, your company picnic’s flyer says a lot about the event you’re planning to throw. Advertising on a template you simply printed on the office printer isn’t going to convey the right sense of excitement that you want to generate for your next company outing. To get the buzz going from the beginning, make sure to follow these tips for creating the best company flyer possible.

Make Sure to Use the Right Paper

Printing your flyer out on regular printer paper, or even low-grade colored paper is a mistake. Let your employees know that you’re going all out with this year’s company picnic by printing your flyer on high grade, richly colored paper. Details like this matter.

Use More Than One Font …

Don’t stick to the same font throughout your flyer. Mix it up to keep your readers entertained. That being said, make sure the pertinent details (contacts, time, and location) are printed clearly and prominently.

Don’t Use Comic Sans or Times New Roman

It’s a real graphic design no-no. Comic Sans looks like a kid drew on your company form with a crayon and Times New Roman is too stiff and formal to be anything but boring.

Don’t Forget to Highlight the Events

Make sure you’re giving your staff a reason to attend your company picnic. If there’s going to be free food and fun games, say so! Organizing activities to keep kids entertained? Explain what they are. You can even use the flyer to enlist ideas and event volunteers.

Don’t Be Afraid of Pictures or Exclamation Points

Remember, you aren’t sending out a corporate memo. It’s okay to use the dreaded exclamation point in your company flyer. In fact, when you first mention your event, do so in big, bold letters and kick things off with a nice, friendly exclamation point!

A Great Flyer Begins and Ends with PaperDirect

Don’t rely on your office printer to create the most effective flyer possible. At PaperDirect, you can customize the perfect flyer with ease; then we’ll print it out on the highest quality paper before ensuring the finished product arrives in your office in ready-to-post condition.

In this era of Facebook invites and email e-cards, it’s hard to know what events still need paper invitations. For a casual get-together, sure, online invites will work. However, we have compiled a list of 5 events in your child’s life that are too important to leave to the online design of invitations.

1. Bar Mitzvah/ Bat Mitzvah– In the Jewish culture, this event marks a huge moment in a child’s life – where they make the transition from being a boy or girl into a man or woman. Generally, you will invite all your family and friends to attend this event months in advance. Most Bar/Bat Mitzah’s have a theme – which should be matched on the invitations.
2. First Communion— This is such an important religious ceremony for Catholic children – all family and friends should be there to witness this milestone in a child’s life. Definitely not a Facebook Invite appropriate event – it must be an elegant invitation.
3. Sweet 16 Birthday Party– A 16^th birthday marks a turning point in your child’s life (and your life) – they can finally drive themselves to soccer practice. If you’re planning on having a big blowout for their birthday, you’ll want to make it extra special by sending out invitations. These invites can be fun or elegant, depending on the style/theme of the party – get your 16 year old involved!
4. Baptisms– Having friends and family around to celebrate in the baptism of your child is a joy that is cherished in life. Make sure you make this event extra special by getting sophisticated Baptism invitations for this occasion.
5. Graduation–This one is somewhat of a no-brainer. When your child (who is not so young anymore) is graduating from high school, you’ll want to make sure you are doing anything you can to make this day as memorable as possible. Sending out invites to a graduation celebration will show your son/daughter that you are really proud of them and want to share this day with friends and family.

From elegant, sophisticated invitations to birthday theme invites, PaperDirect has it all. Make sure you have the perfect invitation to add to the scrapbook album for each event!

It’s that time of year–time to choose your Christmas cocktail invitation for work and home holiday parties. If you have the yearly task of choosing the perfect holiday cocktail invitation for your work crew or for a party you’re having at home, you have come to the right place. PaperDirect has a large selection of Christmas cocktail invitations for all tastes and styles.

Our Favorites:

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Types of Christmas Invitations

PaperDirect has a variety of Christmas cocktail invitation styles including:

• Casual invitations
• Flat invitations
• Fold up invitations
• Folded invitations
• Layered invitations

Here are some suggested Christmas cocktail invitation wording to get your creative juices flowing:

Good friends & good cheer,
it’s that time of the year!

Please be our guest at a
Christmas Cocktail Party
on Saturday, December 21st
at 6 o’clock in the evening
The Green Hill Mansion
1214 Green Hill Avenue

Macy & Ryan Matthew
Regrets: 555-2010

_____________________________________

Set your sights on Christmas lights
and eggnog ‘round the tree!
Please join us for a night of fun at our annual
“Christmas Celebration”
Sunday, December 16th
6:00 in the evening
The Home of Lynn and Fred Banks
765 18th Avenue
Kingsport, Tennessee

______________________________________

The air is getting colder,
the holidays are near,
a time for celebration with
those we hold so dear!

Parkson Construction
cordially invites you to join us
for a festive holiday celebration!

Friday, the seventh of December
two thousand eighteen
six o’clock in the evening

The Sandals Resort
4900 W. Cypress Road
Scottsdale, Arizona

_________________________________________________

Celebrate the Season

We’re planning a holiday party and please say you’ll be here.
Let’s celebrate the season
with good friends and good cheer!
Friday, December 8th
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
The Green Room
1265 Falling Leaves Lane
Falling Leaves, Maine

The West Leaves Insurance Company

Hopefully one of these designs, paired with one of the above wordings inspires you for your Christmas Cocktail party this year! Looking for the best Christmas cocktails to serve? Check out this list of 12 Cocktails of Christmas!

Fall border paper from PaperDirect is the perfect way to announce your special event by way of personal invitations or by posting around the neighborhood, local stores and schools. Fall border paper’s beautiful autumn colors like brights reds, rich oranges, vibrant yellows and a variety of subtle Earth tones add autumn flair to any special event you need to announce this fall. From hay rides to Halloween parties, fall border paper from PaperDirect is a great choice for event needs!

If you’re wondering what else fall border paper can be used for, the list is really boundless. For instance, you can use border paper with fall colors to create newsletters to announce family happenings or school events; fall border paper is perfect any type of invitation; you can craft greeting cards using the lovely fall border paper selections offered from PaperDirect; border paper can be also be used to enhance flyers–especially with the eye-catching colors of fall; and border paper is commonly used to send out announcements of various events.

Check out these examples of fall border paper that will liven up any type of message you want to get out to a lot of people at one time. Or, if you’re just having an small, intimate gathering at home (say, a dinner party), you can use fall border paper to craft a lovely personalized invitation to just a few special friends or family members.

DIY invitations are a fun way to create your party and wedding invitations while saving  money and giving your event your unique flair and style. PaperDirect can help you make do-it-yourself invitations that get noticed! Whether you’re planning a wedding shower, baby shower, birthday party, anniversary party, family reunion, wedding or graduation party, DIY invitations are fun to make and not quite as difficult as you may think. DIY invitations are truly one-of-a-kind, and your guests will be impressed that you made them yourself, infused with your sense of style and your personality.

DIY Invitation Tools and Tips

Handmade invites are invites with a one-of-a-kind sense of style and personality. With proper planning and a little know how you really can save a lot of money by making homemade invitations. Especially where weddings are concerned. By being careful and avoiding common DIY invitation mistakes, you can save yourself a lot of money and stress.

Whether you’re a budding Martha Stewart, or a complete crafting newbie, homemade birthday invitations are a great way to add something unique to your party. Invitations set the tone of your event, so a wonderful, “inviting” invitation is a must!

Give your guests a fun and whimsical first impression by inviting them in style with something you made with your own hands. Your guests will really know you put a lot of effort into the invitation when they see you took the time to make it yourself.

To make birthday invitations using an invitation template is an easy way to get handmade invitations using your own printer. To create invitations with a template all you have to do is download one of PaperDirect’s printable birthday invitations, change the wording within the template to match that of your party, print it, and trim the paper. If you print on a heavy paper then there’s nothing else to it, but you can also take it further by attaching them to the inside of a pocket fold invitation, or layer them onto a colored card stock backing. Add some final touches with matching ribbon. The finished product is a lovely handmade DIY invitation that will wow your friends!

DIY Wedding Invitations

When times are tough and money is scarce,  brides look for simple, yet creative, ways to have the invitations they want without spending a lot of money. DIY brides can get the best of both worlds by creating one-of-a-kind designs without the custom made price tag.

Pocket Invitations

When you send out your invitations for the next party, think of adding a touch of class with a PaperDirect pocket invitation. Whether you are planning an anniversary party or a birthday celebration, we have a wide selection of pocket invitations to choose from so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. Browse through the different styles of pocket invitations available including:

• Anniversary pocket invitations
• Party pocket invitations
• Graduation pocket invitations
• Save the date pocket invitations
• Wedding pocket invitations

Our stylish patterns will compliment any theme you have chosen for your celebration, and the sleek look of our pocket invitations will elevate the elegance for all your invites. When your invitees receive their modern invitation they will revel in the amount of thought you have put into making them feel important.

At PaperDirect, along with having the largest selection of pocket invitations online, we also have printable pocket invitations available so you can save money and time. When you need to invitations fast, you can order the pocket invitation template from PaperDirect, so you can print the invitations on your home computer. Many of the pocket invitations available from the wide selection at PaperDirect is available in template form for your convenience.

In this age of everything electronic, the act of sending greeting cards via regular mail has fallen by the wayside. It seems that now everything from party invitations to thank you cards are sent via email, or even worse, text message. But most people will tell you that they really enjoy receiving greeting cards via “snail mail.” PaperDirect has a full line of greeting cards for all occasions, and you can make your greeting card even more impressive by including a heartfelt greeting card message that the recipient will truly appreciate.

Whether you are sending a birthday greeting, anniversary, sympathy, congratulatory or thank you card, hand-written greeting card messages will add a special touch that will let the card recipient know you truly care. PaperDirect has greeting cards for these special occasions (just to name a few):

• Easter
• Birthday
• Valentine’s Day
• Christmas
• Anniversary
• Graduation
• Mardi Gras
• Wedding

Blank greeting cards with decorative designs can be used for any occasion, and there is plenty of room for you to hand write a greeting card messages regardless of the event or occasion.

PaperDirect greeting cards also come in a variety of themes including:

• Kids’ events
• Church events
• Patriotic celebrations
• Tropical designs
• Floral designs

When writing greeting card messages, be sure to write a personal message rather than a generic message that obviously has been used in everyone’s card. If you have relatives or friends who live far from you, you can send a greeting card just to say hello and that you’re thinking of your loved one or childhood friend. You will be amazed at how much joy a simple greeting card with a thoughtful message inside can mean to someone. Photo greeting cards are a great way to show off your beautiful family, especially to those friends and family members you have not seen in years.

Once you’ve chosen your greeting cards from PaperDirect, the challenge of writing the perfect greeting card message comes next. Depending on the occasion, your message will vary. Many people take the humorous route and write funny greeting card messages. The best tool for writing a funny message in someone’s greeting card is to use familiarity by thinking of something you know that the recipient is familiar with. Use that topic, information, or situation, to make up something funny. This will take some creativity on your part, but the funny greeting card message lets the recipient know that you thought about your message.

If your card is more serious or romantic, you may write a greeting card message that will bring the recipient to tears (but in a good way). If your goal is to make someone cry with your greeting card message, you are going to have to put a little extra effort into your writing. We suggest getting a really great gift, delivering the card in a special way, and writing an extremely personal message. Love poems are a great way to express specific romantic thoughts. The more specific you are the better the chance of bringing about the tears. If you are hand delivering your card, set the scene for romance and love by playing mood music, lighting candles, and cooking a fabulous dinner. All of this, combined with a beautiful greeting card message will let your significant other know how much he/she is loved.

Take a look at PaperDirect’s full line of greeting cards and order online today. Lovely cards, like those from PaperDirect, with greeting card messages from the heart will make anyone’s day special.

As we sit in our pews every week, looking at the church programs we were handed when we walked in the door, we rarely expect more than a list of what’s going to occur during the service. There’s usually a list of events for the next week and a prayer list. Sometimes there’s an attendance list and offerings from the previous week on the other page. But rarely do we expect the bulletin to look “great”.

Typically, a program is a simple, maybe “dry” source of information for those who attend Sunday services, but there’s no reason we can’t make informational church programs that look great. Giving your church programs a bit of flash can do wonders for your service.

Program Options:

Church programs have always been bland pieces of paper with information in it, but with Designed Programs and Specialty Programs available and your printer at your church, we can make create elegant church programs for any service or special event.

View all programs options here

The best thing about the above programs is that you can download a program template, design them in Word, and print at your office. Doing this eliminates the need to go to a print shop. Additionally, if you want to change your church service rather suddenly, you didn’t waste any time or money on ordering programs.

What to Include in a Program

No matter what service or event you’re presenting,  there are a few key items to include in your program.

• Name of Presenter leading the service
• Theme of the Service
• Date and Time of Next Service
• How your church is contributing to the community
• Upcoming Events

Things to Keep in Mind

Less is More: Don’t overcrowd your church program. While there may be a lot of information needed, try to keep it short. Otherwise, your program could look cluttered.

Know Your Audience: If you’re a part of a modern gathering, you can use looser language.  If your goal as a church is to stay close to traditional services, be traditional with your program text, too.

Get Technical: Include your Facebook link on your program, which will encourage people to communicate with your church and stay in the know. It is also great for increasing awareness and registration for certain events.

There are lots of great program designs available with a wide variety of themes. This means you can actually have a different program for every week without having duplicates. Plus, for special occasions like Easter and Christmas, there are church programs especially for those. To simplify things, there are templates you can download for your word processor that makes setting up the programs a breeze. No longer do you have to fiddle with how things look until its right, just fit everything in the templates and you’re done.

Let’s face it, congregations get used to things being one way, and church programs are one of the things that they rarely expect to change. With a few minutes of time and some great blank program stock, you can make a change that will impress everyone in the congregation. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to set up and print off your new church programs, so take a look at all the great programs available on PaperDirect.