As desktop publishing documents go, calendars rank among the most universally applicable products. In addition to being useful for almost everyone, calendars also make excellent gifts and fund-raiser products. With a little creativity and publishing knowledge, you can create and distribute your own calendars.
Decide on a Theme
Calendars typically stick to a central theme, though the potential for calendar themes is virtually unlimited. If the calendar is being created for an organization, photos relevant to that organization will likely be well received; a car club, for example, may enjoy a calendar showcasing photos of members' cars, while a family calendar is more likely to contain photos of memorable family moments. Calendars featuring animals, nature and city skylines are generally popular with broad markets, though individuals who wish to sell or market calendars will likely benefit from a definitive theme.
Use Quality Photos or Crafted Artwork
If the calendar features--as many mass-produced calendars do--photography, the photos should be of excellent quality and very high resolution; under- or over-exposed photos, blurry images and images with extraneous background images should be avoided if possible. For a boost in the calendar's appearance, all of the images used should be of roughly the same quality. Not all calendars feature photography, though; some calendars feature artwork assembled by children or crafty adults. These calendars may add an extra touch of personalization for the recipient and create a year-long appreciation for the calendar's beauty.
Determine the Calendar Type
While a typical calendar features 12 photographs or artistic images--one for each month--printed on 12 separate divisions in the calendar, this format is not the only one available. Some calendars simply use a single image and provide tear-away pages for each month, week or day of the year. Other calendars, especially calendars for display on desks or for use with organizations that have an overabundance of photos, feature a separate image for each day of the year. The type of calendar to be created will depend largely on the number and quality of photos available and the capabilities of the publishing software used in creating the calendar.
Use Software
While many of the best and most memorable calendars are created by hand, modern desktop publishing software makes creating quality calendars relatively simple. Professional publishing programs such as Microsoft Publisher and CalendarWiz compete with a plethora of free applications that can develop calendars of virtually any format or purpose. Many of the free applications available on the Internet are capable of creating professional quality calendars and incorporate many of the options found in commercial software packages, though most will append some text or graphic advertisement for the software developer to the finished calendar product. While these programs are adequate for hobby or family calendar production, calendars developed to be sold should be created with professional software to bypass the undesirable advertising addition.
Use Binding to Complete the Calendar
When the calendar has been completed, it will likely need to be bound to keep the pages for each month, week or day together. Simple binding kits are readily available from discount chain stores, though a local print shop like Kinko's or Sir Speedy can professionally bind the calendar at minimal cost.
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