How to Make a Stock Certificate (4 Steps)

Draft the wording for the front and back of the certificate. On the front side, include your company’s full legal name, the name of the person to whom you’re issuing the stock, the number of shares the certificate represents and the issue date; leave a space for the business owner or corporate officers to sign. On the back side, summarize 'fine print' legal rights and limitations. For example, explain that there is a waiting period between when an employee receives stock as part of a private company's stock option and can sell it.
Set the page orientation of an 8.5-inch by 11-inch sheet of 32-pound paper to landscape, as most stock certificates run horizontally across the page. Then set page margins as wide as possible, about 0.5 inches on all four sides. Choose the center alignment option so the certificate has an equal amount of white space on both sides. Turn on paragraph marks using the show-hide option if you need help with spacing or placement. Once you finish the first certificate, save it as a template.
Find a border using the Borders and Shading or the Clip Art feature in your word processing program, or visit websites such as PDClipart.org or FreePrintableBorders4U.com that offer free downloadable borders. Follow the Walt Disney Company’s lead and include a unique background that allows you to use a stock certificate as a branding tool. Although you most likely don’t have the option to include drawings of famous characters like the Walt Disney Company does, you can include your company logo, a picture of your facility or pictures of your products or services. Insert background images as watermarks to make sure the background doesn’t interfere with foreground text.
Select an appropriate font and font size. Stock certificates commonly use a cursive or script-style font such as Old English, Script or Calligraphy for the business name and title, and a standard font such as Times New Roman or Arial for the remaining information on the front and the back. Choose no more than one or two fonts to avoid a cluttered appearance. Set the font size to about 48 points for the title and 11 points to 14 points for the body to make sure all the information is clear and readable

How to Buy Direct Stock Without a Broker (4 Steps)

Find out if a company you are interested in offers a direct stock purchase plan. Companies offering DSPPs feature them in the Investor Relations section of their websites. Alternatively, you can check transfer agent companies like ComputerShare and Sharebuilder, who have lists of the companies for which they manage DSPPs on their websites.
Open an account with the company's transfer agent. You can either call the transfer agent and request a paper application or apply online. There is a one time fee to set up a DSPP to buy direct stock without a broker that ranges from $10 to $25, depending on the stock. The minimum investment is usually $250 or $500.
Arrange to have monthly investments automatically deducted from your checking or savings account. You can make your investments by check. However, if you use electronic funds transfer the transaction fees are lower--just $1 to $3 per transaction, pus 3 to 5 cents per share. Another advantage of using electronic debiting is that you can meet the minimum investment requirement with monthly installments of $50. Once you have invested the minimum you can add more when you wish, as long as additional investments are at least $50 each. Some companies, like Exxon Mobil, even pay the transaction fees for stock purchases so all of your money goes directly towards purchasing stock.
Choose the plan features that suit your needs. Most DSPPs provide free dividend reinvestment and safekeeping storage of your stock certificates. You can set up a direct stock purchase plan as an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Some companies add special features. For example, McDonald's has a program in which a minor can start a direct stock purchase plan for their stock for as little as $100.