This is a simple tutorial to help you format business cards with your WebTv.   If it works for you then give me the credit-if it doesn't, it's your fault. Hah!!!  Now let's get started.

Most of you will probaly be using the perforated business cards that are on a 8 1/2x11 inch sheet and have ten cards on them.   I have discovered that there are some disadvantages to using these which I will point out as we go along.

These are the codes that you will need to set up the alignment of the text to fit within the cards.

<center>
<table width=484 height=697 border=1>
<tr>
<td align=center valign=middle width=50%>
Type your text here using the font codes if you desire</td>
<td align=center valign=middle width=50%>
Type your text here using the font codes if you desire</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

This only aligns the first two rows of cards so you need to write this code from the <tr> to the </tr> four more times to complete the rest of the rows.   Aren't you glad that we now have cut and paste?

Once you have completed the codes and the text  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PRINT ONTO THE CARD STOCK YET  The table still needs to be aligned with the perforations and you will only waste expensive card stock if you try it now.

If your card stock came with a test sheet to check your alignment then you were lucky.   If not, take one sheet of the card stock and using a pen and a ruler, draw lines over the perforations. Now print up a copy of your cards onto a sheet of paper and hold it over the test sheet to check the alignment.   If the lines are off, you may need to tweak the amount of pixels you entered in the table width and height.

Once the alignment is correct, you now need to adjust the top margin.   In order to move the table lower on the card stock, you can use this code for a block spacer <spacer type=block width=100% height=?>. Where the queston mark is put in the amount of pixels you need. Approximately 64 pixels = 1 inch.

Once everything is aligned, you can reset the value of the border to "0" if you want to remove the lines.    You can also add a backgound if you wish or even a transparent gif such as a logo or a cartoon character etc. Just remember that if you use a gif that is too large, it will mess up the the cell spacing and your cards won't print correctly.  Also, some printers margins won't allow for printing all the way down to the bottom of the card stock.  Therefore if you use a background or if you have a lot of text, the two cards at the bottom may not completely print.

Some of the draw backs to the perforatted business card stock are:
-Even if you carefully fold them at the perforations, the edges appear "fuzzy" after you separate them
-The stock is is very flimsy and does not feel like a "real" business card.
-If using a HP 400 printer to print the cards, the printer has difficulty feeding the stock properly, resulting in misaligned cards.

My solution to the above problems is to first print onto high quality paper, and then have it color copied onto heavier card stock, and then cut to the proper size. This will result in a better looking card with less wear and tear on your printer and less ink from your expensive cartridge. This is especially true if you plan to use a background on your cards and if you plan on printing a lot of them.

I hope this has been of some help to you. Just remember to print onto paper first so your mistakes won't hurt as much!!!!