Free Printables

I love to keep tabs on which of the printables at the various (nearly 80!) FreePrintable.net sites are most popular. Did you know you can check it out, too? Just visit this link: http://www.FreePrintable.net/popular/week/. You might even get some ideas on stuff to download for yourself.

This week, for example, the June 2011 calendar from Printable2011Calendar.com wins the popularity contest. Honestly, I’m not surprised – the July 2011 calendar is getting a lot of action as well. Several resumes from InstantResumeTemplates.com are also popular, and a repeat favorite is the master grocery list from FreePrintableGroceryList.com. (That one has dozens of store-bought items written in, so it’s especially handy.)

I guess people are getting ready for some summer boating, because the boat bill of sale made the most popular list this week.

People are also downloading lined paper from PrintablePaper.net like crazy – maybe for school finals? And, despite the big selection of printable diplomas at FreePrintableCertificates.net, I see that the cute kindergarten diploma is the only one to make the top-20 list this week.

Printable stationery, fax cover sheets, and invoices are always favorites. Take a look at the page and see the most popular printables anytime you’d like. They’ve probably changed just in the short time since I wrote this blog post!

PrintablePaper.net is one of the most popular FreePrintable.net sites, and because I’m always getting great suggestions from users, I’m always adding to it. The most recent printable paper additions include a mileage calculator chart, an annual budget planner, and Wulff net paper, (graph paper of a sphere projected onto a plane.).

There’s also an entire new category: printable postcards. There are full-color, illustrated postcards for marriage announcements, moving, and events. Download both horizontal and vertical postcard backs: they are preformatted with spaces for a postage stamp and addresses. Print on both sides –cardstock is great for mailing. The PDF versions are free, and you can get the editable DOC (Microsoft Word, Google DOCs, etc.) versions are $4.

Since I made the custom banner maker at PrintableBanners.net free (it used to be $5.99), I’ve noticed people have been making some especially cool and interesting banners.
Thousands of custom banners have been generated. I love that it’s getting some real use now that it’s free. And the ways people are using it fascinates and surprises me. I’d like to share some of the banners people have created:

For business:
ONE STOP CANNOLI SHOP
WINTER CLEARANCE SALE

For school:
Let’s Invent
WORLD LANGUAGE WEEK
EXPLORING FRACTALS  SIERPINSKI TRIANGLES

And just sweet:
Just Married
WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ALEX?

And funny:
Happy 15th Anniversay of your 25th Birthday
Also, I recently added new color choices to the banner maker, and it now handles special characters like ë and ñ. So happy birthday Niña and Zoë!

Remember, there are also more than 60 pre-made banners to choose from at PrintableBanners.net. Messages range from Happy Birthday to Grand Opening, and the banners print out on regular printer paper so you can easily piece them together and hang them up!

It’s mail time! (Hey, that makes me want to sing the Blue’s Clues song. But I’ll spare you.) Thanks so much to all of you who write me with your compliments, complaints (seriously!), and suggestions for new sites and printables. I have a few pieces of FreePrintable.net user mail I’d like to answer today.

Carol wrote:
Your stuff is fantastic Kevin. I wish I had Microsoft office

I often write that “printables are compatible with Microsoft Word or Excel”, because that’s what a lot of people use. But those aren’t absolute requiements for the vast majority of my printables. Most printables have PDF versions, which you can open. And many of the DOC files and XLS files can be opened with Google Docs. Not everything is formatted correctly, but a lot of them will look just great. There’s also the free OpenOffice software which can open those files pretty well.

And Andy asked:
I would like to know how you do this so well and so easily. I run a recycling business, I’ve made many forms and it takes me forever to get them as easily printable as your forms. HOW DO YOU DO IT?

Thanks so much for the compliment, Andy! I’m closing in on 20,000 printable templates, so I guess the answer is … practice.

Lynn wrote:
Thank you so much for offering the business plans! I am trying to start a website design business, but it’s been difficult. I have one person who is willing to invest, but I need to do a business plan first. He sent me a sample that’s been already filled out, but it’s a little overwhelming. Your fill-in-the blanks and explanatory language business plan are perfect for me so I can get off the ground.

Yay! That’s great, Lynn! I’m glad your business is taking off.

Garry may have had a bit too much caffeine the morning he wrote:
JUST GIMME GIMME GIMME MORE GREAT PRINTABLE GOODIES! MORE AND MORE.

Ha! I’m working on it!

It’s always an honor when one my sites gets mentioned in the media, so I was pretty thrilled to see that www.FreePrintableStationery.net, as well as my free faxing service, FaxZero.net, were featured in the May 2011 article “Grab 25 Fabulous Freebies.” The magazine has more than one million readers!

FreePrintableStationery.net, of course, has handy stationery to download and print for free. And FaxZero.com is your go-to place for free and low-cost Internet faxing to the U.S. and Canada, as well as international fax destinations.

Please let me know when you see FreePrintable.net sites mentioned in print or online. I like to save the clippings. And, of course, continue to spread the word about the printables among your friends and family. I really appreciate it!

I hope you’re having as much fun playing with the newest FreePrintable.net site, PrintableFlashCards.net, as I have setting it up. There are already nearly three dozen flash card sets on the site, with topics as diverse as numbers in Spanish to the parts of a cell.

When you visit the site, you can either look for an existing flash card set that suits your needs, or instantly create your own with the custom flash card maker. Just type in the questions and answers, and it will generate a set of flash cards (four or six per page — your choice.) Print out the PDFs, cut along the dotted lines, fold on the solid lines, and start studying.

Like everything else on the site, the flash card maker is free.

I’m looking forward to seeing PrintableFlashCards.net grow as more and more people create and share their flash card sets.

Guess who will soon be hopping down the bunny trail? No, not me (I’m too tall for the costume). It’s the Easter Bunny, that’s who. Today’s post is a roundup of Easter-themed printables available at the various FreePrintable.net sites, with a special focus on FreeEasterPrintables.com’s letters from the Easter Bunny.

At FreeEasterPrintables.com, relatives and friends of little kids can “help” the Easter Bunny with his letter-writing tasks by customizing and printing a colorful, illustrated letter in either free PDF or customizable ($5) DOC form. There are 20 letters to choose from, for boys and girls, letters with spiritual themes, and specialty letters such as baby’s first Easter.

There are coloring pages at FreeEasterPrintables.com, and even more Easter coloring pages at FreePrintableColoringPages.net and BibleColoringPages.org. They’re great for home, school or church.

Here are some more Easter printables for your printing pleasure. Most are free, while some offer both a free PDF and paid, premium DOC version (The DOC versions open in Microsoft Word and other compatible programs so you can type directly onto them.):

FreePrintableGiftTags.net has 15 printable gift tags for Easter, all free.

FreePrintableRecipeCards.net features a pink bunny Easter recipe card.

PrintablePlaceCards.net has Easter place cards with colorful eggs.

FreePrintableGreetingCards.org, offers an Easter greeting card in both free PDF and paid, premium DOC versions.

There’s even a funny, illustrated Easter fax cover sheet.

Happy Easter! Or should I say, “Hoppy Easter.” (Sorry!)

I recently launched two all-new FreePrintable websites especially for small business owners. BusinessPlanTemplate.net has a variety of business plans, and PressReleaseTemplates.net offers press releases, all free to download and print.

There are preformatted business plans for a variety of industries, as well as fill-in-the-blank style and one page business plans. Simply find one that suits your needs and use it as a jumping off point and customize it to suit your business. (Besides being great organizational and planning tools, written business plans are often key to securing financing.) The site also has articles with tips on preparing a business plan, as well as financial forms that commonly accompany them, such as balance sheets and a startup capital calculator.

PressReleaseTemplate.net has launched with a dozen sample press releases, formatted just the way journalists like them. Just pick one and type in the information about your event, company news and so on. There are also tips on how to write a press release, or create a video press release.

When I decided to create these sites, I thought back to when I was just starting out, with a business that grew slowly at first. I knew how to write, format and send out a press release, but only because I had a journalism degree. And, in retrospect, a business plan really could have helped me lay out my thoughts and goals.

In the couple of weeks since these sites launched, I’ve also heard from people who don’t own businesses but rather are using the press releases to help spread the word about nonprofits, school events and volunteer projects with which they are involved. I hope you can find these sites helpful as well!

I know it’s barely spring, but I’m already thinking about what to put on my summer reading list. Are you an avid reader like I am? While I’m a fan of the ereader (Kindle, Nook, etc.) concept, as well as computer- and phone-based reading apps, there’s just something I love about a paper book. It’s not just the “feel” of a paper book in my hands (and you know how we printables fans enjoy paper), but also I can find books cheap at thrift stores and library sales, and (TMI) I can read them in the bath.

I usually have several books going at once: everything from business inspiration to sci fi. So, I’m often reaching for a bookmark. I like a nice, sturdy marker, not some tiny scrap of paper or napkin that’s going to fall out, or this month’s power bill that I’ll forget is there.

If you are in the need of nicely designed, themed bookmarks, check out FreePrintableBookmarks.net. My site has more than 45 to choose from, plus dozens of bookplates to let everyone know to keep their mitts off your book (or at least return it in a timely fashion.)

The bookmarks can be downloaded and printed for free, and they’re easy to assemble. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the process:

1. Visit FreePrintableBookmarks.net and download your favorite bookmarks. There are holiday bookmarks as well as themed designs such as mystery, Western, religious and technology.

2. Print your bookmark. Use cardstock if you’d like it extra sturdy.

3. Check out the handy folding and cutting guide lines. Using scissors or a paper trimmer, cut along the cut lines.

4. After admiring the lovely image on your bookmark, fold along the fold line.

5. Secure bookmark with clear tape (you could even punch a hole and add a yarn tassel if you’d like) and crack open a book!

If you subscribe to the FreePrintable.net newsletter, you know how much I enjoy getting emails from people who use the site. People send me ideas for new printables, thank-yous for existing printables, and other messages.

I decided it would be fun to open up the “user mail” like they do on TV shows and respond to a few of the messages.

Recently, I wrote in the newsletter about attending a Devo concert with wife.

I subsequently heard from several Devo fans, including a guy who wanted me to pose wearing the Devo hat/energy dome. Um, no, can’t oblige. One reader wrote:

Personally, I find Devo to be much more reasonable than most of what is being foisted upon the public these days.

They were WAY ahead of their time during their first wave of popularity, and if you review the lyrics of many of the songs from that era, you will find that they pretty accurately predicted the social meltdown that has occurred since then.

Not only that, but they ROCK!

Also on the topic of Devo, Hue wrote:

Oh, Whip It!! . . .I miss punk!

And what is better than Rock Lobster?

Rock Lobster’s a great song! But that’s the B-52s. Minus one Music Geek point for you, Hue.

And someone — name withheld by me, and think you’ll understand why in a minute — wrote about the new character reference letters site.

Are you kidding me? Really?? A student asks me to write a letter of recommendation yesterday. I set out to write it last night with no success (she wasn’t great, truth be told.) I plan to scour the internet landscape for a suitable letter the next day. This morning, guess what’s in my inbox?? You’ll never guess… Your newsletter! And guess what’s in the first section? Yes!!! Character reference letters. You are amazing. Thanks!

Hey now, I didn’t mean for you to use the letter templates to endorse people you don’t really like that much. Anyway, glad you’re finding the site useful.

Another note about CharacterReferenceLetters.com:

Just wanted to say thank you for all the “free printable” information. The character reference letters are going to help us immensely. We are a Non-Profit Organization that trains people to become public safety officers. We provide job placement assistance once they graduate, that’s where these character reference templates come in to play. Thanks again for your services.

Excellent! I’m glad the new sites are helpful. I love mail. Please write anytime, here: contact form.