Saturday, December 3, 2011

Hello, December (Holiday Photo Card Comparison)

I spent the last week creating our Christmas card, something I'm doing myself for the first time.  Usually it's our super-talented photographer friend who does the job, but after a fall season of big expensive (loving our new fence!! and our new giant sectional!!) purchases, we're holding off on a big photo order for now.  That said, I spent the last week exploring a number of photo card sites, customizing cards, and changing my mind at least a dozen times.  I checked out tinyprints.com, Shutterfly.com, iPhoto, Snapfish.com, and PearTreeGreetings.com  They all had positives and negatives, but I did pick a favorite.  Here's a completely subjective and nonscientific rundown of my thoughts on each:

tinyprints
  • Great fun, contemporary styles - especially their Rainbow group
  • Prices are on the higher side
  • Good sorting options
  • Easy to make several cards and compare
  • Good mix of classic and contemporary styles
  • Prices on the lower side
  • High-quality cards & envelopes (based on a card my husband made for me a few months ago)
  • Limited styles and and color options
  • Prices are moderate to high
  • Many standard style options
  • Prices are low
  • Creative designs and shapes
  • Prices are moderate
  • Awesome color customization options including artwork (LOVED THIS!)
I chose to order my cards from Pear Tree Greetings.  I loved their fun designs, and the color customization options won me over.  The prices are in the middle of pack.  I ordered matching return address labels, but you can have envelopes printed instead for an extra charge.  Some of the companies even offer to address and mail your cards for you.  This can be a great time saver.  I would have considered this option, but I didn't have my addresses in a compatible format, so I decided to address them myself.  

If you're thinking of ordering photo cards online this year, I suggest signing up for the card company mailing list a day or two before you order.  Both tinyprints and Pear Tree Greetings sent me either discount codes or free shipping offers.  A general Google search for a coupon code for the specific company may also work in your favor.  I believe I got 5% off my order by doing so.

This was a really fun project, and I can't wait to see the finished cards!  This is a new experience for me, and I spent a lot of time figuring out exactly what I wanted.  Do you send photos cards? What company do you use? Do you go crazy sorting through all of the options, or do you get in and out as quickly as possible?

I should probably note that these opinions are my own, and I was not reimbursed by any of the card companies for my thoughts.
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3 comments:

  1. BethanySunday, December 04, 2011

    I still have to make ours, but we have yet to have a holiday "photo session" with John's dad. That's what we usually use for our photo.

    The easiest route for me is Walgreens because I already put my photos there and it's cheap and easy. I try to put as little effort in as possible. :) I know I could get sucked in messing with all the possibilities.

    Another option, though, is SendOut Cards. They are also customizable and they do the addressing and mailing for you. We used them for Lillian's birth announcement.

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  2. Steph S.Monday, December 05, 2011

    Thank you for this! I was looking for a design that used both a vertical and horizontal photo, and my usual Shutterfly was not working for me. I checked tinyprints and found a cute one that worked, and wasn't crazy expensive. Thanks!

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  3. Questionable HousekeepingMonday, December 05, 2011

    So glad you found something that works, Steph!

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