October 24, 2007

Print It Yourself: Halloween Masks

By Taeho Lim

PrinTip: How to Print Your Own Halloween Mask

From Batman to the Lone Ranger, masks appeal to our innate desire for mystery. And there's no better time to indulge in this simple pleasure as Halloween. With the stakes increasing each year, you'll need a better disguise this year than in previous years to impress your friends. But if you don't have the time or the funds to buy something at your local costume shop, try making one yourself from an unconventional source: your printer.

Microsoft published an article entitled Make Your Own Halloween Mask that takes you step-by-step through the process of making your own mask in Windows. You'll need a close-up photo of the the person (or creature) you'd like to be, a photo printer, an editing program, thick photo paper, and whatever decorations you need to garnish your creation. The article offers tips on taking your photo, cropping the image, printing the mask, and then assembling it.

After some careful research, we found two good sources for free mask designs. First, Star Wars fans will appreciate the selection on the official Star Wars Web site, complete with your favorite characters and full printing and assembly instructions. Second, this AOL site doesn't provide instructions, but you can re-use a few of these designs come Mardi Gras.

For those seeking 3D masks, you may have a tougher time finding the right design. Lokas Software offers an Adobe Photoshop plugin called 3D Maker which adds some extra dimension to your photos and artwork for $19.95. If you need something truly 3D, see if you can get your hands on a Fabber and let us know how it goes. In any event, have fun this Halloween and don't forget to recycle those masks when you finish wearing them.

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