How to Print Your Own Coin Wrappers
Coin wrappers are one of the dullest looking products anyone has ever made. While they are, of course, intended to serve a very practical purpose, helping tellers and cashiers quickly and accurately handle coins, there is no reason that they have to be quite so bland. If you would like to make your own coin wrappers and print them out for your own use, all you need is a good graphics program. The freeware program GIMP is a good one to use for a project like this, since it has many of the tools and abilities of Adobe Photoshop without the sticker shock price.
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Instructions
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Go to the GIMP website and download GIMP. Then install the program to your computer. A shortcut to GIMP can be installed on your desktop.
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Roll out standard coin wrappers and measure the width and height for each type of coin, as well as the area that is used for gluing the wrappers closed. Write this information down since you will need it later.
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Click on the GIMP shortcut to start the application. Select "File" and click "New." In the dialog that comes up, enter the width and height for one of your wrapper types (such as dimes). Make sure that you make the side that will roll and be glued the height number. Since you will be printing these make the resolution 300 and hit "OK."
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Select the "Paint Bucket" tool from the toolbar and in the options below choose whether you want to use a color, pattern or gradient. Assuming you want a pattern, change the "Fill" type to "Pattern" and browse through the ones offered to select the one you want to use. Click on the canvas to fill it with the pattern you picked.
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Select the "Text" tool and in the option at the top set the size, font and color you want to use. Make sure you select a font that is easy to read. Use the vertical type function to type in the word "Dimes" as well as "10¢." Now go to "Layers" in the menu and select "Merge Visible."
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Click on "Select" in the menu and choose "Select All." Now select "Edit" and select "Copy."
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Select "File" and click "New." Choose the standard U.S. Letter size, name the document dime wrapper and click "OK." Now select "Edit" and then "Paste" to place your dime wrapper design into the document. Use the "Move" tool to place the wrapper in the upper left corner of the document. Now repeat this process until you have tiled the surface of the document with copies of the wrapper. There will probably be a slight left over space at the right and bottom.
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Print out the wrapper document. Apply the adhesive to the strips were it should be and let it dry. Now use a cutting board (or scissors) to cut out the horizontal rows. Moisten the adhesive and roll each vertical column of wrappers around a dowel of the right size and seal them. Let it dry and then slide it off the dowel. Cut out the individual wrappers.
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Repeat this process for all the different coin types.
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