Whether you're announcing an upcoming theater performance, advertising a couch for sale or letting your neighborhood know you've taken in a lost dog, a simple way to catch viewers' eyes is through a poster. There's no need to pay for expensive graphic design costs when you can make your own posters at home for free using your computer. When you installed your system, it came with Paint, a basic sketching and drawing program. Take advantage of this included software to create your poster with just a couple of clicks.
Instructions
1. Open Paint, click "Image" and select "Attributes." Type in the dimensions for your poster. For a standard page of copy paper, type 8.5 inch by 11 inches. Another option is 18 inches by 24 inches, a standard size you'll find frames readily available for at craft stores.
2. Click the "Paintbrush" tool, select the medium round brush head and choose a color from the "Color Picker" at the bottom of the screen. Draw the outline of the picture for the poster, such as a guitar or palm tree. Click the "Paint Bucket" tool and click inside the drawing, which fills with color.
3. Switch back to the "Paintbrush," click the slash mark brush head and change paint colors. Add more designs to the graphic.
4. Click the "Text" tool, which looks like an "A" on the toolbar. Position your cursor over the poster's white space and type the poster headline, such as "Band Gig Tonight!" or "Babysitting Lessons Available."
5. Add more text, such as a description of the event, item for sale or your contact information.
6. Give the poster a background by clicking the "Paint Bucket" tool, choosing a new paint color and clicking in any of the white space on the poster, which then fills with the color.
7. Turn on your printer and load in the paper; take care not to overload or jam the print tray. Pull down the "File" menu and select "Print." Choose your printer from the "Select Printer" box and nudge the "Number of copies" box up to the number of posters to print. Click "Print" to print the poster.
Tags: brush head, Bucket tool, fills with, fills with color, Paint Bucket