For the past few years I’ve created a garden wall calendar; this year, I did two. Giving someone a calendar is a step up from sending them a greeting card. A calendar is a gift, but not one that people feel they need to reciprocate, so there’s no awkwardness if they don’t give you something, too. Having your own calendars to give away comes in handy if a friend drops by, you need a hostess gift, or you want to do a little something extra for a colleague or client.
Several online companies make it possible for you to create a calendar of photos that you upload to their site. CafePress, Lulu, and Zazzle are perhaps the best known. If you’re a Mac user, iPhoto will walk you through the steps, too. None are a bargain; the price you’ll pay for each calendar is around $20, not including shipping. However, if you watch for sales and/or buy in quantity, the price can be lowered by as much as 50%. You also can offer the calendar for sale on the company’s site, but they’ll keep 90% of the sales price as royalties.
The ideal calendar photo is crisp and dynamic even from a distance. You want the subject easily identifiable, not an extreme closeup or crop that will have people scratching their heads. Make sure your original photo is at least 2MB and not excessively Photoshopped; otherwise, you risk having your digital file reproduce poorly when a different system interprets it. Continue Reading →
