Printing Holiday Cards

One of the cool things about digital is that you don't have to use it just for scrapbooking.  There are loads of cool things you can do like making Holiday cards.  You can make photo cards and folded holiday cards or both.  Make them just the way you want and have them say whatever you want.  How cool is that?  Wicked cool.  Oh and you aren't limited to holidays - feel free to make cards for any occasion or as an invitation or even as a save the date reminder or change of address. Or make up a holiday....LOL

Last year I posted a tutorial on making holiday photo cards  which you can either slip inside a regular card or send on it's own since they come with their own envelopes. This year I decided to try my hand at making a folded card digitally.  I tried out a bunch of print sites and thought I would share the experience here along with some hints. 

Photo Cards

Basically these are scrapbooking layouts printed as a normal photo.  You design your card in a popular print size like 3x5 inches or 4x6 or 5x7 inches and then print it as you would an ordinary photo. These are perfect for slipping into a regular card to show everyone how the kids have grown.  And the nice thing about them is that they are very inexpensive - just the cost of a photo.  As you places to print - use your favorite.  Or if you have a large number to print, look around for the best price.  Don't forget to add some extra time for shipping as it can take a little longer at this time of year.

And very importantly, make sure that nothing important is within 1/4 inch of the edge.  Photos, titles, text and important elements should all be at least 1/4 inch away from the edge. Why?  Digital paper is loaded in rolls and photos are cut by machine automatically.  There is some unavoidable slippage with the paper and machine cropping is just not that precise. So to avoid disappointment, make sure you give them some extra room.  I speak from experience here - it is a total bummer to get your cards back with a bit of the greeting cut off :-p  And if you are going to be putting your photo cards inside another card, be sure you choose a size that will fit.  Been there and done that too!  :-(

Photo Cards with Envelopes

Most of the print sites will print holiday photo cards either with your design or using one of their own templates where you just add your photo.  The advantage over just printing a photo is that envelopes are included so you can just pop them in the mail.

If you are pressed for time the templates are wonderful.  There are usually options for portrait and landscape photos in various sizes.  And the number of templates is astounding! 

Photo Cards as Post Cards

You can use your photo cards as post cards as long as they meet the size requirements of the US Post Office.  Yup, it is totally legal and costs only 24 cents to mail. Here is a post I did earlier this year on making post cards. They need to be at least 3.5 " by 4.25 " and the maximum size is 5" by 6".  So.... 4x6 " photos are the perfect size for this. For full US Post Office regulations click on the link. Get your 4x6 printed, turn them over and put a message and address in the usual places.  Now add a stamp and you're done!

Folded Holiday Cards

This year I thought I would try making some folded cards - you know, where I design the cover and the inside. So I tried a few on line sites to see which ones I liked best and thought I would share my experiences with you. This isn't a complete review and I may have missed some wonderful site (and if I did please let me know!)

I should mention for those of you who  are good with scissors and glue (and that would not be me) that one option is to design the front page, get it printed as a regular photo and then attached it to a pre-folded card you buy.  The cards are easy to find at most crafts stores and come with envelops. This method is a bit labor intensive.  Actually I did this two years ago and while I loved the results, it really took a lot of time....

However this year I definitely need something faster so here is what I did.  First I decided on a 5x7 inch card for a couple of reasons - all the print sites have that size, it is big enough to add a photo or letter and no extra postage is needed.

Open your FxFoto and choose Custom Collage.  Set the size to 5x7 inches and choose a background.  Now add photos, text and elements to create your card.  Remember to keep everything about 1/4 inch away from all edges - that will prevent getting something cropped off your card.  Don't forget to spell check too! Once you have everything the way you want it, save your card.  You can save it as a collage (so you can edit it later) and as a jpg. Go to Save then Save Collage Wizard and follow the steps.  Then go to Save then Save Image As to save it as a Jpg.  Finally you will need to upload it to the print site.  Go to Save and then click on Upload Images or Collage.  Choose the image and click Next. Now choose Generic Upload Service - this means that your layout will be placed in a folder called FxFoto Upload which is located in My Documents ( the folder is already there - you don't have to do anything) and then click next.  Be sure you have Full Image checked and then click Finish - this is important to make sure you send them the full resolution photo.  Otherwise it may come out fuzzy and I can think of nothing more stressful than getting your cards back only to find they are fuzzy.  And who needs more stress at this time of year?

So your card is done...where do you get them printed?  All the sites I tested sent back beautiful cards so quality was not an issue.  So here is what I found:

Mpix

I frequently use Mpix at www.mpix.com for printing my layouts so I was thrilled when I saw they now do 5x7 folded cards.  In fact it was this new option that motivated me to try making cards this year. As with all the sites there is an option for a glossy or matte finish and the cards come with envelopes.  The first time you make a card, you will need to download the MpixPress software which tool less that a minute. You then use this to create you card and then upload directly to Mpix for printing.  In found the software very easy to use and much more flexible than any other other sites.  Lots of freedom to add more than one photo, clip art and text with any font. Text can be added to all four sides of the card with any number of text boxes. The back of the card makes a great place to add a little toot for yourself like "photo and card by Jane Smith 2006".  Or if you are doing this professionally you could add your logo and business info. And you can use any font on your computer - all of mine myriad of fonts were available except those with dingbats.

Once you are done there is a button which uploads and connects you to the main Mpix site.  The price is $1.45 per card with a minimum order of 24 cards.

Shutterfly

Then I tried Shutterfly at www.shutterfly.com .  They offer 5x7 inch folded cards with envelopes and you can use your won design or one of their templates.  Among the template choices are some very unique multi-photo templates.  I started with a general card since I was uploading my own design.  The process was simple and fast and there is a glossy or matte option.  You can add text to both the upper and lower inside of the card, however you are limited to six fonts, four colors and seven font sizes.  And interesting option is that you can have Shutterfly mail it for you - you type in the address and they send it which might be handy.

The cost are Shutterfly is listed per card so you can easily create just one which is great for birthday cards.  For 1-9 cards the cost is $2.49 per card and drops to $1.49 per card for orders of over 100 cards.

Winkflash

Next I tried Winkflash www.winkflash.com.  I had heard lots of good things about them but have never used them.  They too offer 5x7 folded cards with a matte or glossy finish and envelopes are included.  And they too have templates but I chose the border less option since I had already designed my card.  You can add text to both the supper and lower inside of the card but the fonts are limited to five choices in five colors.  The font sizes are given in points which helps a lot in picking the right size.  And you can adjust the alignment too.

At Winkflash the price per card is  $1.49 per card no matter how many you order.  And if you place your order before 12/15/06 there is a coupon code which lowers the cost to $0.89 per card.

Conclusions

As I noted before this isn't an exhaustive review of printing sites and options but rather a few comments on my experience.  And all the cards were absolutely gorgeous so quality was not an issue at all!  Some took longer than others to arrive which may be factor to consider.  So here is a brief summary of the pros and cons as I see them:

Mpix   - Pro - Maximum design choice; use any font; print on all four sides; arrived in 2 days; cost $1.45 per card

            Con - minimum order of 24 cards

Winkflash    Pro- great price with coupon of $0.89 ($1.49 without coupon); arrived in 3 days

                  Con - limited font choice; no printing on back

Shutterfly   Pro - Multi-photo templates; option to let them mail it for you

                 Con - limited fonts; cost $2.99 per card; arrived in 8 days

So....wanted to see my cards?

First the cover of the folded card....

Credits = papers and elements from Sparkling Ice Storm by Eve Kipler at Digital Freebies; flourish by Michelle Coleman at ScrapArtist; square frame by Robin Cabana at Scrapbook Bytes; rectangular frames by Rhonna Farrer at 2Peas in a Bucket

Inside of the card...

 

fonts are Beyond Wonderland and Bradley Hand

And then this will get printed as a photo and put inside the card to show off my DDs....

Credit - swirls from Flourish Brushes by Michelle Coleman at Scrap Artist and re-colored using FxFoto; snowflakes also by Michelle Coleman at Scrap Artist from her Winter Wonderland kit; fonts are Genius of Crack and Commercial Script.