When preparing for a big presentation, index cards or 3-by-5-inch note cards help keep you on track. The cards allow you to hit key points in your speech without reading from a script. For greater ease on presentation day, you can print out your notes directly onto these small cards. Changing your printer's paper size to 3 inches by 5 inches is not difficult.
Open Microsoft Word on your computer. Do this from the "Start" menu if you use a PC or from the "Applications" folder if you use a Mac.
If you use another word processing program, open your program from the "Start" menu or "Application" folder.
Select "Tools," then "Letters and Mailings," then "Envelopes and Letters" for Microsoft Word. Other program users should navigate to the envelopes and labels setting for their program.
Choose either "Avery 8388" or "Avery 8389" from the label size to set up the page size for one index card. Or choose " Avery 5388" for three cards of that size. These labels are 3 inches by 5 inches, so selecting this size will configure the printer to print onto your paper or index card. You don't need to be using Avery labels, but you do need to select those label sizes since they tell the printer to print on a 3-by-5-inch size.
Click "OK" to save the preferences. In Microsoft Word, click on "New Document" to open a 3-by-5-inch document and begin entering your information.
Turn on your printer. Feed one card into the manual-feed slot on your printer, then adjust the printer's prongs so they support the index card.
Finish typing your information onto the document, then hit "CTRL" and "P" simultaneously to print onto the index card.
Tip
From any word processing program, open the document preferences and change the size of the document to 3 inches by 5 inches. This bypasses the label method and also allows you to print onto an index card.
