How to print and laminate our flashcards

Printing individual items

These instructions are for the Chrome browser, but you should find the process similar to other internet browsers. 

Start by clicking the green button on any flashcard tile to open a PDF version of that flashcard in a new browser tab.

Next, click the printer icon on the top right-hand side of the screen to open the print options. 

There are three print options that we will focus on:

• • Destination: Set this to your printer or 'Save to PDF' if you want to print them at another location later.
  • Pages: This is where you specify whether you want to print both pages or a single page. Select 'All' to print both pages. If you wish only to print the image, select 'Customised' and enter the page you want to print.
  • Pages per sheet: If you want your flashcards to be half the size of an A4 sheet, set this option to '2'. This way, you can print the image and word on one side of the paper. You can then fold and laminate it to have a flashcard with a picture on the front and the corresponding word on the back. The image below shows these settings.

When you have the settings you want, select the print button at the bottom right of the print options screen.

TIP: If you don't have a printer connected to your computer, you can also save the file to a PDF from this screen with the printer settings you want. This way, the files are ready to print when you bring them to a store or the office. Just set the destination to 'Save as PDF'.

Printing entire sets

These instructions are for the Chrome browser, but you should find the process similar to other internet browsers.

At the top of each flashcard collection page are two panels where you can print an entire set of cards. You can choose to print them with or without the corresponding text.

Start by clicking the 'View and print' button to open a PDF version of the flashcard collection in a new browser tab. 

Next, click the printer icon on the top right-hand side of the screen to open the print options. 

There are three print options that we will focus on:

• Destination: Set this to your printer or 'Save to PDF' if you want to print them at another location later.
• Pages:  Select 'All' to print all flashcards in the collection. If you wish to print only a subset, select 'Customised' and enter the pages you want to include (e.g. 1-5, 8, 1-13).
• Pages per sheet: Specify how many flashcards you want to print per page (1, 2, 4).

When you have the settings you want, select the print button at the bottom right of the print options screen.

TIP: If you don't have a printer connected to your computer, you can also save the file to a PDF from this screen with the printer settings you want. This way, the files are ready to print when you bring them to a store or the office. Just set the destination to 'Save as PDF'.

Printing playing cards for classroom games

These instructions are for the Chrome browser, but you should find the process similar to other internet browsers. 

For certain activity and game ideas, it can be useful to have small cards with only the image or vocabulary printed on them. We can achieve this quite easily by following these instructions.

Choose to view an entire set of flashcards, including the words.

Next, click the printer icon on the top right-hand side of the screen to open the print options. 

There are three print options that we will focus on:

• Destination: Set this to your printer or 'Save to PDF' if you want to print them at another location later.
• Pages:  Select 'Even pages only' to create a pdf file containing only the vocabulary. Select 'Odd pages only' if you want image cards.
• Pages per sheet: Specify how many flashcards you want to print per page (4, 6, 9).

For example, if you want vocabulary flashcards at 'playing card' size you, you could use the following settings:

Select the print button at the bottom right of the print options screen when you have the settings you want.

Printing a student handout

You may want to provide your students with vocabulary handouts that they can use to support their revision and study. We can easily create a student handout containing the images and words using the print settings.

From any flashcards collection page, choose to view an entire set of flashcards, including the words.

Next, click the printer icon on the top right-hand side of the screen to open the print options. 

There are three print options that we will focus on:

• Destination: Set this to your printer or 'Save to PDF' if you want to print them at another location later.
• Pages:  Select 'All' to create a pdf file containing vocabulary and images.
• Pages per sheet: Specify how many flashcards you want to print per page (6, 9, 16). 16 is perfect for student handouts.

The following example shows these settings:

Select the print button at the bottom right of the print options screen when you have the settings you want.

How to laminate your flashcards

I'll discuss two approaches to laminating flashcards. 

Using a laminating machine

You can purchase a decent laminating machine for under fifty dollars these days, and 100 laminating sheets will cost you between ten and fifteen dollars. 

For instructions on how to use a laminating machine, see this excellent and detailed article on wikiHow. 

Self-laminating sheets

This approach can be more convenient as you don't need a laminating machine. However, it could be more expensive in the long term.  

You can purchase 100 A4 self-laminating sheets on Amazon for as little as $20. Some product descriptions are in inches, so be careful to order the correct size. A4 paper in inches is 8.3" x 11.7", so look for a size that's a little larger than this.