Get Ready for the New Year With a Custom 2021 Calendar

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Every New Year is filled with excitement. January 1, 2021 is likely to be the most joyous New Year in recent history. It’s the day we say goodbye to an awkward 2020 and hello to the hope of a better year. Most are emotionally ready to turn the page to a fresh, new one. Be actually prepared. Start by gathering essential tools and accessories to keep organized and focused. At the top of that list should be a custom calendar.  

Why Create a Custom Calendar

For keeping track: This seems obvious, but it’s absolutely true. Many types of calendars are used to keep track of appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, and more. While a digital calendar is convenient, a printed version provides options not available digitally. Customize them with stickers, comments, and photos. It also offers more emotional connection to memorable dates. Many people prefer the larger, tangible visual that a custom calendar offers.   

For sentiment: A calendar with generic landscape scenery or random cat photos is nice to look at. However, it doesn’t provide a personal touch. A custom picture calendar can be filled with personal memories. Each month brings a rush of happy feelings, as you remember that special moment.

For inspiration: The New Year is the best time to set goals and commit to resolutions. The only problem is the falloff of those promises. One way to stay motivated is with a custom inspirational calendar. These calendars track progress, deliver moving messages, and serve as a constant reminder to move forward.  

For gifting: A custom calendar is one of the most perfect holiday photo gifts. With so many customization options, it’s easy to make a calendar for anyone and everyone. Neighbors, bosses, family members, spouses, children, and teachers all have memorable days to feature in a personalized calendar. It’s the gift that keeps on giving all year long.

How to Find the Best Custom Calendar Maker

There are certain qualifications that make one custom calendar maker better than another. Let’s break it down:

Custom calendar template options

Whether this is a first project or the 50^th, appreciate having a variety of custom calendar template options. Templates make getting started easier. For those creatively-challenged, let the calendar maker do the thinking. They provide ready-made layouts, font styles, and colors. Typically, the more style combinations available, the better.

Custom calendar paper

The paper found in a home printer is certainly not the best option for a custom calendar. It should have weight to it and a slightly glossy finish. Along with the right printer, premium paper with a silky smooth finish supports rich and authentic colors. Quality paper also guarantees a more durable product. A calendar that can hold up to multiple flips without tearing, crinkling, or folding is always a good choice.

Custom calendar printing

Another factor to consider in choosing a custom calendar maker is the printing service. The right printer creates smooth, even lines, a balanced calendar grid, and eye-popping images. With Motif, the printing is best-in-class. Motif is the official printer for Apple Print Photo Products. Thanks to Motif’s high-quality printing capabilities, photos are always crisp with brilliant and authentic colors.

Custom Printable Calendar Types

Get familiar with all the following custom printable calendar types in order to make the right choice for the year ahead.  

Custom magnetic calendar

A custom magnetic calendar is usually postcard-size or smaller and shows an overview of all 12 months. It’s a useful addition for your home refrigerator or central bulletin board. Many businesses create these types of custom printable calendars to use for promotional giveaways or as employee appreciation gifts. They’re often very small. These do not provide space for adding comments or making notations. Because they’re magnetic, there are limitations on where these can be displayed.   

Custom poster calendar

Poster calendars are an option for an overview of the year. The poster size leaves rooms for photos, background designs, quotes, family names, and other similar customizations. They’re also pretty easy to write on. Highlight or circle special dates, so they can be seen at a glance. However due to their large size, there are limitations on where these custom calendars can be usefully displayed. A poster size calendar covering a fridge may not be a viable option.    

Custom desk calendar

A custom desk calendar literally sits on a desk or tabletop. It’s usually a tent design with multiple pages that can be flipped month-to-month. Each page offers a monthly overview. Some desk calendars spare room for a photo on every page. It depends on the size and shape of the calendar. Custom desk calendars are not recommended for those with limited desk space. Those with typically cluttered desks might consider other calendars that don’t add the mess.

Custom wall calendar

By far the most popular and widely chosen option is the custom wall calendar. These showcase one month per page. These flipbook-style calendars offer the most room for personalization. The large pages – like Motif’s 13” x 10” apple photo calendars – fit multiple pictures. Motif also lets you add a photo and/or caption to a particular date on the calendar.

7 DIY Photo Calendar Ideas

Before jumping into creating a custom print project, be sure to choose a theme. Here are seven creative DIY photo calendar ideas to start:

1.  Family focused

Expand the collection of family photos at work with a wall calendar. It doesn’t require any extra desk space. It lets you enjoy more than one sweet memory at a time. Use a mix of favorite portraits and candid shots from the previous year. If this is a gift for family members, focus on the people and special moments they would want. Consider a honeymoon recap for a spouse or pictures of the grandkids for parents.

2.  Travel adventures

Many people stayed locked down at home in 2020. Showcasing where you want to travel is still one of the most inspiring DIY photo calendar ideas. It offers something to look forward to in 2021. Another option is pulling from a collection of photos from past trips. Frequent flyers can feature one trip per month. Others need to get creative. It’s perfectly fine to include holiday photos from a visit to a family member in a travel adventures calendar.

3.  Food photos

Have you been practicing the top food photography tips? Put your best food forward in a large photo calendar. Arrange the pages by season, featuring foods that speak to winter, spring, summer, or fall. Differentiate the calendar months by course. Alternate breakfast foods, lunch, dinner, and desert imagery. Creator beware: a food calendar might induce sudden cravings.

4.  Paw-esome pets

Creating a custom wall calendar lets you put fur babies front and center every day. For those lucky enough to live with a cooperative pet, dress them up 12 different ways. Each photo theme represents one month of the calendar. Or gather as many great pet photos as possible. Then try alternating closeups with shots from afar and action shots with posed photo-ops. You’ll find the variety refreshing.

5.  Inspirational quotes

The best way to create an inspirational calendar is with quotes. These can be pulled from a favorite book, a song, a speech, or from a random Pinterest account. Any words of wisdom that strike a chord will do. When designing this custom calendar, think about the background or imagery. Select various photos that match the sentiment of each individual quote. Or choose a background that can be used throughout the calendar pages.

6.  Seasonal scenes

These calendars are often seen in the card store or at the mall kiosk. Seasonal calendars can be very generic. You avoid that completely with a custom calendar. Use your own nature photography shots to fill a calendar with one-of-a-kind imagery. Choose the photos with the most striking compositions, lighting, and color contrast. Tip: Motif can help with the selection process. Its smart technology selects your best images then flows them into your calendar project. Your seasonal scenes will be unforgettable.

7.  Holiday celebrations

There’s a noteworthy holiday in every month of the year. Use these naturally built-in themes to guide DIY photo calendar ideas. January might feature a picture from New Year’s and April a photo of Spring flowers or Easter portraits. For a not-so-traditional calendar, celebrate lesser-known holidays like DOGust 1^st, the universal birthday for shelter dogs. There’s also National Friendship Day in August, National Hair Day in October, and National Cookie Day in December. These make for a very interesting – and conversational – custom calendar.

Set the Tone for a New Year

Whether you’re making a custom calendar for yourself or someone else, the images you choose and the highlighted dates offer a promising look at 2021. Motif’s custom wall calendars will brighten anyone’s outlook by showcasing all there is to look forward to in the new year. Cheers!