Bonjour lecteurs! Don’t shoot me for mentioning the C words in September. But I know that a lot of people want to get organised with the festive season. Plus, it helps spreading the cost too! Do you usually send cards? It can be so time consuming. Ordering cards online has become a lot better and a lot faster. Here are seven Christmas card websites worth your time. Let’s spread out some magic already!
What Actually Separates a Good Card Site From Others?
Card sending is still a big deal here. The Greeting Card Association estimates that UK consumers send around a billion Christmas cards a year. That’s a lot of envelopes for a nation that supposedly does everything by text now!
Things worth looking at the design range, the paper finish, but also the turnaround and delivery, which matters enormously in the second week of December.
Here are some of the top brands in the market for you to make your décision.
1. Mixbook
The best option if you want to send a family photo with some festive lettering on it. There are over 750 holiday designs for you to choose from and it’s utterly cute. We used this one from a visit at the Aqua Shard last year and the results were so pretty!
What makes it très spécial? You can customise your design and choose between a gold, silver or rose gold foil. The brand also offers a large paper options ranging from Signature Matte up to a thick Luxe Board and 100% recycled cotton stock and trim shapes.
L’autre plus, you can import an address book and have recipient addresses printed straight onto the envelopes. That’s so convenient!
As for pricing, it works well when you have a lot of cards to send. The Christmas photo cards range starts at a low per-card price and drops further at volume. You even have a separate UK version of the site, so you are not left guessing about delivery. That makes ordering in larger quantities much easier.
Best for: families who want the photo front and centre, printed on paper that feels worth keeping.
2. Artifact Uprising
If you prefer a more sustainable aesthetic, this is your site. Cards are printed on 100% recycled paper, and the foil-stamped designs come in gold, copper, silver, burgundy or frost.
The Christmas range even features collabs with designers and hand-letterers you will not find elsewhere.
Envelopes come in Kraft, white, iron grey or gold luster, and they will address them for you with both the return and recipient details.
Best for: a small number of cards you actually want people to keep on the mantelpiece.
3. Snapfish
Snapfish is more than photo gifts. The personalised Christmas card range includes individual designs as well as sets. The more you order, the bigger is your discount is.
Foil is available in gold, silver and rose gold, and there is a direct-to-recipient delivery option so you can skip the envelope-stuffing evening entirely. Pas mal!
Best for: big family lists, school friends, neighbours and the works.
4. Moonpig
Moonpig is the one everybody’s mum already uses, and there is a reason for that. You design the card, type the message and add the address, and it goes directly to the recipient. You never touch an envelope or a stamp.
What I like the most is that you can add photos or even upload a handwritten message from your phone. That’s so sweet!
Best for: long lists, scattered relatives, and anyone who has run out of time.
5. Papier
Papier feels more like a premium service. With stylish designs printed on heavy uncoated stock, you’ll get a lovely thick, slightly textured feel.
They will send cards directly to the recipient with next-day delivery in the UK, and they do . You can also opt for collage.
Best for: people who want their card to look like it came from a lovely stationery shop.
6. Minted
Minted works differently from most of this list. Its designs come from a community of independent artists around the world, chosen through design challenges. Your cards will be truly unique.
C’est parfait if you are after un look moderne and clean rather than traditionally festive.
Best for: anyone who cares more about the design than the discount.
7. Paper Culture
Paper Culture prints on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, offsets the carbon footprint of manufacturing, and plants a tree with every order. A must for sustainability lovers!
The designs are clean and modern, with plenty of photo-led options, and the site is easy to move through without endless scrolling. Nest thing you know, you will probably end up using one of my DIY Christmas gift ideas.
Best for: anyone who wants the tradition without the paper guilt
When To Order & Post
Custom-printed cards need two separate lead times, so you need to sort it out in advance.
Printing and delivery to you takes roughly ten to fourteen days on standard shipping for most of these sites. So I would order your cards by the end of November. Sure, you can do it later, but it will cost you more.
Then there is the posting deadline. Royal Mail publishes its last recommended posting dates each year. Check them in late November rather than assuming last year’s dates, because they move.
Working backwards from the second-class deadline is the trick. It is the cheapest option by a wide margin, but only if you are organisée enough to use it.
How To Choose a Photo That Will Print Well
A card is only as good as the picture on it. You need good quality photos for best results.
- Use the original file, not the version you sent to the family WhatsApp group. Compressed images look soft in print, even when they look sharp on your phone.
- Check the light. Photos taken indoors under warm bulbs often print more orange than they appear on screen.
- Watch the crop. Card templates crop tighter than you expect, so leave space around heads rather than filling the frame.
- Avoid heavy filters. What looks cute on Instagram can look too much on a card.
- Order a single card first if the site allows it. One test card in December is cheaper than fifty regrets.
Which One Should You Go For?
Start with what your card is for. If it is a family photo update, Mixbook gives you the widest design range and the best paper options for the money. If it is a long list and a tight deadline, Moonpig or Snapfish will get it done. If you are sending fifteen cards to people whose opinions you care about, spend the extra on Artifact Uprising or Papier. Then work backwards from the second class posting deadline. Order a week earlier than you think you need to, et voilà, you are sorted.
Collaboration
