How to Make a Lost Dog Poster

Losing a canine family member may be a devastating occurrence, but the quicker you're able to get the word out into your community about your lost dog, the sooner someone may recognize him and bring him home. Take advantage of one of a number of different computer programs to create a lost dog poster, featuring your dog and information about him as well as how to contact you, then go out and paper your neighborhood.

Things You'll Need

  • Windows Paint
  • Digital photo
  • Microsoft Word
  • Adobe Photoshop
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Instructions

  1. Using Paint

    • 1

      Open Paint, click the Paint button in the top left corner of the window and select "Open." Browse to a photo of your lost dog and double-click it to open it in the Paint workspace.

    • 2

      Click the Paint button again and select "Properties." Type your preferred poster size dimensions into the "Width" and "Height" boxes. For a page of paper, type "8.5" and "11" respectively. Click the "OK" button and Paint will adjust the workspace.

    • 3

      Click the "Text" tool, which looks like an "A" on the "Tools" section of the toolbar. Click the top of the poster and select a font and text size. Type "LOST DOG," "MISSING" or another eye-grabbing headline.

    • 4

      Click below the dog's picture, reduce the font and type information about the dog, such as breed, colors, comportment, name he answers to, last seen area and how to get in touch with you, such as a phone number.

    • 5

      Click the Paint button, click "Save As," type a name for the poster file and save it to your computer.

    Using Word

    • 6

      Open Word and click the "Page Layout" tab at the top of the screen. Click the "Size" button directly below it on the ribbon/toolbar. Select one of the preset sizes for the poster or click "More Paper Sizes" to create a custom poster size. Word automatically adjusts the page on the screen.

    • 7

      Type the headline of the poster, such as "Please help us find Sparky" or "Missing Since September 2010." Highlight the words, click the "Home" tab at the top of the screen and increase their size, change their font and change their color using the options in the "Font" section of the toolbar.

    • 8

      Click the "Insert" tab at the top of the screen. Click the "Picture" button on the ribbon/toolbar below the tab. Browse to a photo of the dog and double-click it. It appears on the poster.

    • 9

      Click below the photo and type additional information, such as whether the dog needs medicine, how to contact you and ways to approach him, such as "He loves peanut butter."

    • 10

      Click the "File" tab at the top of the screen. Select "Save As," give the poster a name and save it to your computer.

    Using Photoshop

    • 11

      Open Photoshop, click the "File" menu and click "New." Type "LostDog" into the "Name" box and type your preferred dimensions into the "Width" and "Height" boxes, such as "24" and "36" respectively. Pull down the dimensions boxes and select "inches" for each. Click the "OK" button to open the workspace.

    • 12

      Click the "File" tab again and select "Open." Browse to a photo of the dog and double-click it. When it opens on the Photoshop workspace, press and hold down the "Ctrl" key and drag and drop the picture onto the "LostDog" box.

    • 13

      Click the "Type" tool, an icon on the "Tools" palette with a large "T." Select a font, text size and text color from the toolbar at the top of the screen. Click the top of the poster and type the headline, such as "Help find our dog!"

    • 14

      Click lower on the poster and add additional information related to the dog, your address or phone number, the dog's personality and where the dog was last seen.

    • 15

      Click the "File" menu, click "Save As" and save the poster to your computer.