Home Video Hints: Easy-to-make Labels

This time of year, our minds begin thinking of boxes with bows and finely wrapped packages. We go out of our way to make sure the gifts we give others look great. Your video productions, the products of many hours of hard work, should merit the same attention to detail when it comes to packaging. Creating tape jackets or DVD jewel case labels for your home movies can be easy and inexpensive. All you really need is a little imagination, a printer and a few accessories to create nice-looking labels that will give your productions a touch of quality. In this column, we will walk you through the step-by-step process for creating simple, but attractive, labels with your computer and a printer.

Gearing Up
Before you get started, you'll need to gather together a few tools. You'll need a computer, a printer, some bright white paper, a paper cutter, a glue stick, a permanent marker, a pencil and a ruler. You will also need a word processing program such as Microsoft Word and the ability to export a frame from your video production using your editing software.

For straight, clean edges, it is best to use a paper cutter instead of scissors to cut and trim your labels. If you know you will be making a number of labels, a paper cutter will be a valuable and relatively inexpensive investment. If you don't have one, you can get by with a razor blade and a steel…