Paper sizes
Standard paper (A4 and US Letter)
A4 and Letter are commonly used as the default paper sizes in Europe and North America respectively. They are too big for a PECS card (hard for a child to handle, not very portable), so Easy PECS enables you to put multiple PECS cards on a single sheet of paper and then cut them out afterwards. Easy PECS takes the hard work out of resizing the images and laying them out nicely, and it provides you with lines to cut along.
If you’re using A4 or Letter paper, a layout of 2×4 (2 photos across and 4 photos down) is a sensible choice in Easy PECS. This results in individual PECS cards around 7.5 x 10 cm (3 x 4 inches) which is an ideal size.
Photo paper (10x15cm / 4x6in)
Most inkjet printers provide an option to print photos at 10×4 cm (4×6 inches). This is a good size for PECS cards because your child can handle them easily and they’re not too big for your bag. An even better option is to put 2 PECS cards on each page which will save paper and result in an ideal PECS card size of around 7.5 x 10 cm (3 x 4 inches).
Just select the 1×2 layout in Easy PECS, and the app will do the hard work of resizing the photos, laying them out and printing cut lines.
Other paper sizes
Easy PECS provides other sizes, but if you need something that isn’t in the App, email us and and we’ll try to add it in the next release.
PECS card sizes
Guidance varies around the ideal PECS card size, but generally speaking your child will start with a larger size and progressively get smaller as they become more used to the communication style and your need to fit more cards onto a board or book becomes greater. Easy PECS can help with creation of large and small cards.
To get started we recommend individual PECS cards around 7.5 x 10 cm (3 x 4 inches). Depending on the paper size used by your printer, you can most easily achieve this as follows:
- Standard Printer Paper (US Letter / A4) – Select a layout of 2×4 in Easy PECS
- Photo Paper (10×15 cm / 4×6 in) – Select a layout of 1×2 in Easy PECS
Filling a page with the same photo
If you need multiple copies of the same PECS card, there’s a feature that enables you to have one photo repeated to fill the page. The key is the Repeat Image option on the Preview and Print screen. Note that this option only appears if you have selected a single image.
The full steps are:
- Use the Select Photos screen to choose a single photo.
- Use the Page Size and Layout screen to choose the page size and a layout that gives you the right number of copies.
- Optionally, use the Add Titles screen to label the photo.
- Select the Preview and Print screen, and choose the Repeat Image option. Note that if you selected more than one photo in Step 1, this option does not appear.
Download
Get Easy PECS free from the Apple App Store.