Dazzle Friends and Family with Custom Christmas Cards
By Mike Agerbo
November 07, 2017
Lifestyle
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As Christmas approaches, many of us are beginning to think about Christmas cards and gifts. While boxed cards offer a great solution when it comes to cards, many of us would prefer to personalize our cards with unique designs or family photos. If you’re thinking about going this route this year, read on to find out how you can print beautiful personalized Christmas cards.
When it comes to design, you have a variety of options. If you’d like to use a family photo, you can either have one taken professionally or take one yourself. If you choose to take one yourself, be sure to use a camera that gives you high quality pictures, like a DSLR.
If you don’t plan to use a photo or would like to add a border to your photo, there are many design solutions available. If you’re well versed in design software like Adobe Photoshop or InDesign, you can create something from scratch. For the rest of us, tools like Canva can make the process easier with templates and pre-designed graphics.
Printing your own Christmas cards comes in a couple of flavours; you can either print them professionally or print them at home.
Printing professionally has its advantages. For example, a printer can recommend paper stock, provide envelopes, and take care of all the details pertaining to printing. This is a great option if you prefer to have someone walk you through the process.
Printing at home is also a fantastic option, especially if you have a good quality printer. The advantage here is that you’re in control of your timeline and you don’t have to run out drop off the designs and pick up cards. That being said, there are a few things you’ll need to consider if you decide to go this route. For starters, you’ll want to find the right paper stock. If you’re printing a family photo, photo paper might be your best bet while a graphic design might require a heavy weight paper or card stock.
You’ll also want to make sure that you design for envelope sizes that are readily available and cost effective to mail. Finally, make sure you let your cards dry thoroughly before handling them to avoid smudges, especially if you’ve chosen an ink-heavy design.
Whatever method you choose to design and print your custom Christmas cards, have fun with it and get creative!
Design
When it comes to design, you have a variety of options. If you’d like to use a family photo, you can either have one taken professionally or take one yourself. If you choose to take one yourself, be sure to use a camera that gives you high quality pictures, like a DSLR.
If you don’t plan to use a photo or would like to add a border to your photo, there are many design solutions available. If you’re well versed in design software like Adobe Photoshop or InDesign, you can create something from scratch. For the rest of us, tools like Canva can make the process easier with templates and pre-designed graphics.
Printing
Printing your own Christmas cards comes in a couple of flavours; you can either print them professionally or print them at home.
Professional Printing
Printing professionally has its advantages. For example, a printer can recommend paper stock, provide envelopes, and take care of all the details pertaining to printing. This is a great option if you prefer to have someone walk you through the process.
Printing At Home
Printing at home is also a fantastic option, especially if you have a good quality printer. The advantage here is that you’re in control of your timeline and you don’t have to run out drop off the designs and pick up cards. That being said, there are a few things you’ll need to consider if you decide to go this route. For starters, you’ll want to find the right paper stock. If you’re printing a family photo, photo paper might be your best bet while a graphic design might require a heavy weight paper or card stock.
You’ll also want to make sure that you design for envelope sizes that are readily available and cost effective to mail. Finally, make sure you let your cards dry thoroughly before handling them to avoid smudges, especially if you’ve chosen an ink-heavy design.
Whatever method you choose to design and print your custom Christmas cards, have fun with it and get creative!