How to create the best results with the FREE Calendar templates available for download at calendarsgalore.co.uk

STEP 1 - Photography

Make sure you have the best looking snaps you can on your calendar. Bright colourful shots are always the best, and ones with lots of smiling faces if you're taking pictures of people. Remember that the calendar will be in pride of place in your home or office and should always make you smile when you look across to check those dates. There are hundreds of books on the subject which can assist you in becoming a better photographer, but I think that they need to mean something to your audience - so maybe keep the images of the local areas and think of places people use and walk past everyday.

STEP 2 - Printing

Photocopies of photocopies are not the best quality. Always make sure that you have a really good quality paper loaded in the printer. Heavy papers will last longer as you'll always be looking at the next month when you use the calendar, which means the paper needs to be durable.

The cololur needs to be as punchy as it can be, and a good way to make sure of this is using the 'Photo quality' setting on your print dialogue window when you print the pictures from your PC.

STEP 3 - Adhesive and glue

A messy job if you're not confident. Spray mount in a can is really good, but not very environmentally friendly to use, so maybe just an even spread of glue. A good tip would be stick any photos onto the calendars by placing them face down on a scrap piece of paper. Use another sheet of scrap paper for every photo you stick down, that way you won't get any glue on the front of the photograph. If you need to use an adhesive tape, then take a strip and make an even border around the photo, so that it looks neat when you hang the calendar up. Always remember to make sure the photos are LEVEL when you are going to glue them. Mark a line with a very sharp pencil on the calendar to give you a guide before you stick anything down.

STEP 4 - Laminating

This step can prove expensive, but can really make the pictures look more vibrant and of course it will make the calendar far more durable when it is being used regularly. Having said that, it makes it impossilbe to write on it with a normal pen - unless you use a permanent felt marker/pen.

STEP 5 - Hole punch

You will need a way of hanging the calendar, so a good hole punch will come in useful at this stage. Centre the calendar BEFORE you stick the first hole in the pages, as this will be crucial when you hang the calendar. Hanging a slanting calendar in January, starts to get tiresome by June and is totally annoying by the end of August!

STEP 6 - Binding

There is plenty of room at the top of the calendar to bind the paper together and keep the months from falling appart once they are hung up. Metal or plastic wiro bindings are usually the best type because they look good and it allows the pages to be turned over freely.

STEP 7 - Hanging

ALWAYS make sure that any pins or nails that are going to be used are not pushed or nailed into a wall which has any pipes or wires underneath. I know it sounds a little obvious, but you'll know that you should have checked for this when you give the nail a gentle tap and the entire street goes dark after you hear a loud pop from inside the fuse cupboard. Check first is my advice, and if you are unsure, then find another way of fixing the calendar to the wall which could be adhesive hooks or pads.

STEP 8 - Admiration

You had better take yourself off to the nearest biscuit barrell and help yourself to a digestive, maybe even put the kettle on and make yourself a very gratifying cup of tea to celebrate the completion of this monumental project. Stand back and admire the calendar with a mug in one hand and a biscuit in the other. Dunk and absorb the feeling of creative satisfaction. You did it yourself. Well done... now, is there any chance of another biscuit?