A personalized greeting card carries text, images, or names chosen for one recipient. Buyers order a single card or a batch of 25 to 500. Options cover photo cards, printed names, foil stamping, and inside verses written to order. Turnaround runs from same day at a local copy shop to 10 business days for letterpress.
What Counts as Personalization
Personalization falls into four groups:
- Names, dates, and ages set in a chosen typeface.
- Photos placed on the front, back, or inside panel.
- Message text supplied by the buyer rather than a stock verse.
- Handwritten lines added with pen after printing.
Most print shops treat names and dates as variable data. Variable data printing changes text per card without a new plate or setup. A batch of 100 cards with 100 different names costs more than 100 identical cards, because file setup and proofing repeat for each version.
Card Sizes and Envelopes
Three sizes cover most orders.
- A2: 4.25 x 5.5 in folded, 5.5 x 8.5 in flat. Envelope: 4.375 x 5.75 in.
- A7: 5 x 7 in folded. Envelope: 7.25 x 5.25 in.
- 4 x 6 in flat photo card. Envelope: 4.75 x 6.5 in.
Square cards, 5.5 x 5.5 in and 6 x 6 in, need square envelopes. Square envelopes do not pass through USPS sorting machines and carry a nonmachinable surcharge. Confirm current postage before ordering 500 square cards.
Print Methods
- Digital press: toner or inkjet. Suits runs of 1 to 500. Lowest setup cost.
- Offset: plates and ink. Suits runs above 500. Lower cost per card at volume.
- Foil stamping: heat and metallic film. One or two colors.
- Letterpress: type pressed into cotton or heavy stock. Highest cost.
- Thermography: raised ink powder, a foil substitute at lower cost.
Files, Resolution, and Color
Send files at 300 dpi at final print size. A 5 x 7 in card needs 1500 x 2100 pixels. Lower resolution shows soft edges on photos. Add 0.125 in bleed on each side and keep text 0.25 in inside the trim line.
Printers work in CMYK. Files built in RGB shift color during conversion. Bright greens and oranges change the most. Ask for a proof on the final paper stock before any run above 100 cards.
Turnaround and Cost
Copy shops print one card in under an hour. Digital runs of 100 take 3 to 5 business days. Foil, letterpress, and die-cut orders take 7 to 10 business days. Mail delivery adds 1 to 5 business days inside the country.
Cost per card drops as quantity rises. Digital printing at 100 cards runs about $1 to $3 per folded card with envelope. Foil and letterpress run $4 to $8. Prices vary by printer, paper, and color count. Ask for a quote with the exact quantity and stock named.
Mailing
A card plus A7 envelope weighs under 1 oz, which fits the First-Class Mail letter rate. Hand-cancel wax seals or place them inside the envelope. A seal on the outside can jam sorting equipment. Leave the stamp area clear and print the return address on the back flap.
Common Mistakes
- Names spelled wrong in the file. Proofread each line.
- Photos pulled from social media at 640 px wide.
- Text placed inside the 0.125 in bleed zone.
- Color chosen on a screen with no printed proof.
- Square envelopes ordered without checking postage.