Frugal: Printing and Printables

You wouldn't believe the amazing free things you can find on the internet! Ever since I started SMASHing a little over 6 months ago, I've found hundreds of FREE PRINTABLES online. And when I say hundreds, I mean hundreds! If you don't believe me, check out my "SMASH* & PL" or "Printables/Templates" pinboards on Pinterest. My Smash* board has over 300 pins of printables, DIYs, Ideas, and Inspiration for everything Project Life, Smash Books, & Daybooks. My "Printables" board alone has close to 300 pins of nothing but printables! My personal collection of journal cards and printables is so large, that I have never had to purchase any to use in my books.

I belong to various social networks and like to share the fun things I find. I get exceptional feedback when it comes to photos of my printables. I have people across the different social sites asking me why my printables look so good. I've been bombarded with questions... from the paper I use, to the printer I have! They basically want to know what I'm doing to make my printables look like they came from a print shop. I thought what better time than now to share my "Printables Process" with you. And you wouldn't believe how cheap and easy it is!

You just need the right tools and some helpful tips...

Tips & Supplies to Get You Started:

• Ink -- I print my printables on a monthly basis. But I have to set a budget when it comes to buying ink every month, or else it gets really spendy! A box of  ink (1 color, 1 black cartridge) costs me less than $30 and I make it last about a month or two. (My black ones last for 3+ months!) Those cartridges have to go a long way and cover all of my printing needs for the month! I do A LOT of printing... instagram pics and standard photos for Project Life each week, printables for my personal stash, as well as the extras I print and share with my happy mail buddies every month.
• Printer -- I use an HP 2050 All-In-One Inkjet Printer. 
• Cardstock -- 110lb White Card Stock by Georgia Pacific. You can purchase a ream of 150 sheets for less than $6- at Walmart. It's perfect for printables!
• Before printing, be sure to adjust your printer settings! For the best results, choose "Best Quality, Specialty Paper."
• Remember: Just because your printer's "Low Ink" notification pops up, it doesn't mean you need to change the cartridge right away! (When printing my most recent batch of printables, the "low ink" light came on. I got 16 more "perfect" pages printed before the ink started streaking, and I had to change it!)
• Cardstock uses more ink than regular paper, as will the "Specialty Paper" setting. So be prepared for that...
• Paper Trimmer -- This tool helps make the "process" much easier and faster. The clean, straight lines it gives you, makes your printables look fantastic! I own an EK Success "Cutterpede" Straight Edge Trimmer in Pink, which I purchased here.
• A Good Pair of Scissors -- It makes a world of difference when cutting out the intricate paper embellishments you printed. I cannot live without my Tonic Studios Spring-Cut Detail Scissors that I purchased from amazon!

But before you can do anything, you need to find your printables first! Feel free to check out my pinboards on pinterest :) I'm sure there'll be something there that you'll like! Throughout the month, I'll find something I know I want to add to my collection. So I download it and save it to a folder on my desktop titled, "To Print." Then at the end of the month, I don't have to go searching everywhere to find my new stuff. Once that batch is printed, I move those files to my "Smash & PL" folder on Skydrive and separate them into the appropriate sub-folder. This way, I know exactly what I have, and can easily reprint anything that I use.

You obviously know by now that I'm a huge fan of FREE SMASH* and Project Life printables. So, you may be wondering who my favorite designers are. 

Here are two of them:

Some of the Fabulous Designs by Rebecca B. of UPrintables

Rebecca B. is such an awesome designer, and she's also a fellow SMASH*aholic sister! She is most known for her amazing cutouts. From cute little animals (like owls, or hedgehogs), to different styles of cameras, and much much more. Her designs get more gorgeous with every post, and her newest ones are absolutely amazing! You should see what she has coming up for this year! A lot of what you see around the internet, when it comes to free SMASH or PL printables, is journal cards (don't get me wrong, I love them!),  but Rebecca is the only designer I've found that also does these fun cutout shapes and designs! Which in my opinion makes UPrintables a wonderful resource for FREE SMASH and Project Life printables. Check out her blog here, and be sure to follow her... she is constantly coming out with new and fun designs I just know you'll love!

The Everyday Collection by Miss Tiina

I was ecstatic when I first came across Miss Tiina's stuff 6 months ago, when I first started SMASHing. I fell in love with the fun fonts and rainbow of colors she uses! But most of all, I absolutely adore her designs! They are so happy and cheerful and just my style. The best thing about Miss Tiina's stuff is that she makes "Collections." She has sets of cards ranging from 75 to 100+ different designs, that all coordinate together. Each set has a mix of 4x3 and 4x6 designs. In each set you'll find different styles of journal cards like ones with quotes, calendars, prompts, graph or lined paper, chevrons, stripes, labels, etc. Pretty much, a little bit of everything! These "collections" are the perfect addition to add to your collection. Take a peek at Miss Tiina's blog here. She has lots of fun, free stuff!

I really hope you enjoyed this post and most of all, found it useful! It's stuff I wish I learned early on when I first started gathering supplies for my personal stash. Be sure to follow my "SMASH* & PL" and "Printables" boards on Pinterest to stay updated with my recent "Free Printable" finds. I'll also be posting some pics of my recent favorites here in the future, with direct links to where I found them, so be sure to follow my blog as well.

Want another way to stay updated on my recent posts and projects? Be sure to "like" my new fan page on Facebook!

Do you print at home too? Did you find this post useful? Do you have any tips you'd like to share? Any thoughts, questions or comments? Please let me know, your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.

Mahalo for stopping by!