Getting the Early Bird Special - Discounted Christmas Cards

Christmas will be here in no time, as will the stress of preparing for the holiday season. Summer is the perfect time to get started on your Christmas “to do” list, not to mention creating your custom Christmas cards. Buying holiday cards off-season is a great way to reduce holiday stress and reduce your holiday budget.

The best way to ensure you get a great deal on custom Christmas cards is to browse the Internet and sign up for newsletters from the major online printers. Often they’ll add your e-mail address to the mailing list after your first purchase. The more you buy from the printers over the course of the year, the more deals and bargain codes will arrive in your inbox. Christmas deals start right after the holiday season finishes and really get under way during the summer, a slump time for the seasonal industry.

Once the printer has been determined, it’s time to start thinking about the different components of your custom-printed Christmas cards. Generally, a central photograph or piece of digital artwork, a basic background template, style, format, and of course heartwarming text create the foundation for a custom-printed Christmas card. 

The photograph is a crucial part of your finished Christmas card. Choose an image that flatters every member of the family including any pets. The professional portrait studio image is still a viable option but the precision of today’s domestic brand digital cameras can give you a quality print at a fraction of the cost. If you take the photograph yourself, there is no concern over copyright infringement. Be sure to edit, crop or lighten your chosen image before uploading to the printer’s website.

The format options for your Christmas photo cards are basically postcard style, fold-over and pop-out. Postcard and fold-over styles work best with photographs.  Where a postcard-style Christmas card is very modern and saves money on postage, for many the fold-over style feels more substantial. Custom printed envelopes are available for both formats.

Choosing your style template can be the most time-consuming portion of creating your own Christmas cards although it is time well spent. Narrow your choices by having an idea of theme (natural, landscape, winter, Santa, etc.) in mind and type this into the online printer’s browser.  Visually narrow the choices again by determining which colors you prefer and bookmark your favorites. Soon enough you will have the options reduced to two or three different designs. At this point it is a good idea to leave it for a few days before making your final decision.

After finalizing the design, format and image for your custom-created Christmas card, it’s time to think about the text. Be sure not to include anything that will date your wording to months before the holiday. Put your mind in December and think about what you want to include. It is a good idea to draft your text in a word-processing program on your own computer before uploading to the printer’s website.  Choose a font that complements rather than contrasts your image, and you are ready to order.

Christmas is a busy time of year and anything you can do in order to reduce the stress of the season is a must. Preparing way in advance of a major holiday always saves you money. Take advantage of vendors offering drastic discounts in the summer to best prepare your family for the coming winter. Order Christmas cards today, write them out and put them in a safe place until December. What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment! Happy holidays