Where to Print Holiday Cards: A Photographer’s Guide to Printing
Wondering where to print holiday cards this year? As a Seattle family photographer, I get asked this every fall, so here’s my honest guide to the types of holiday card printing and where I’d order each one.
Come the day after Thanksgiving…sometimes sooner!…, I fully expect my sister-in-law’s holiday card to land in my mailbox. It’s always the first one, and it always makes me so happy! I’ve loved photographing so many families this fall, and I can’t wait for all those holiday cards to start flying in.
Stamps are now 82 cents each, so if we’re spending almost a dollar per card, let’s make it count!
(On that note, my parents went digital with their annual Christmas letter… ahem, email… and they say they get so many responses. Maybe that’s a fun way to go? I don’t know. I have a background in newspapers, so in my book, PRINT WILL NEVER DIE!)
Not all holiday photo cards are created equal. Some are fast, some are cheap, and some make your kids’ faces look like they’ve been dipped in orange soda. So here are the four main types of printing, a couple of print shops I’d choose for each, where I actually print, and my tips at the bottom if you’re going the printed-card route.
Letterpress Holiday Cards: The Heirloom Option
Letterpress is an old-school method where a raised plate is inked and pressed into thick, soft paper with a lot of pressure. It leaves a little dent you can actually feel with your fingertips. It’s beautiful for text, simple illustrations, and your family name, but it can’t print a photograph. Families usually pair a letterpress card with a printed photo insert or a photo on the back. Minted has some combo options, but you’ll pay for them! Letterpress is the most expensive and slowest option, and it’s the one people keep.
A local favorite. Dahlia Press is a boutique design and letterpress studio founded in Seattle in 2008, and it has made custom invitations and announcements for families for years. It’s the choice for a truly one-of-a-kind holiday card from a Seattle maker.
Sales: Dahlia Press doesn’t publicly advertise Black Friday sales, so check their Instagram or call around Small Business Saturday (Nov. 28).
An easy online way to try letterpress holiday cards. Minted offers custom letterpress, real foil pressing, and photo-mounted cards, along with standard digital printing.
Sales: Minted typically joins in on Black Friday holiday card sales and Cyber Monday. Right now, you can get 20% off by signing up for their mailing list.
Foil Holiday Cards: A Little Sparkle
Foil stamping presses a thin metallic layer onto the card. It’s an add-on for the design around your photo, not for the photo itself. A little shimmer goes a long way, especially on a simple layout.
Minted’s foil cards are pressed with heated dies that transfer real metallic foil, so you can see and feel the finish.
Sales: Watch for the same Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals mentioned above, plus free recipient addressing, which Minted has offered on holiday cards in past years.
The luxe sister brand of Shutterfly, with lots of glitzy designs. Consumer Reports picked Tiny Prints as its best high-end card, praising its paper and photo quality while noting the higher price.
Sales: Tiny Prints runs holiday sales through December and has offered up to 30% off sitewide as late as mid-December.
Photo Paper Holiday Cards: The Truest Color
This is how a real photo lab prints, and it’s the best choice if you want professional-quality holiday photo cards. It’s on nicer paper, and the color comes closest to what you see on your screen. It’s also more likely to hold up if it’s taped to a sunny window. Just good quality all around.
You can usually pick glossy, lustre, or matte. I think matte looks the nicest. (Oh my gosh, if you ever print at Walgreens, please select matte.) Lustre is medium shiny, somewhere between glossy and matte, with a fun British “-re” spelling, so it’s fancy, right?
Mpix is the online lab of Miller’s Professional Imaging, a lab many photographers trust (including me!). Its cards come in finishes like metallic paper with a lustre coating.
Sales: Mpix has run Black Friday flash sales in past years, so it’s worth checking Thanksgiving weekend.
Similar to Mpix. I’ve never used this lab myself, but it gets good reviews and seems like a solid choice for higher-quality prints.
Sales: Nations Photo Lab has run big Thanksgiving weekend sales in past years, such as up to 51% off on Black Friday and up to 60% off on Cyber Monday.
Cardstock Holiday Cards: Thick and Beautiful
Here’s a fancier option that feels really good when your family opens the envelope. These cards are printed on a premium digital press onto thick cardstock. They can be a little more expensive and aren’t as frameable, but they hang beautifully on the card wall. Colors look good, maybe a little soft, and the paper is often textured. Honestly, it’s the card I love to get but never pay for!
My favorite print shop. It just feels like a cool spot, what can I say? They have really fun designs that make your photo feel special. I feel like their cards listen to poetry and snap at the coffee shop.
Sales: Artifact Uprising has offered about 20% off for Black Friday in past years and often runs early-season holiday card promotions.
The familiar workhorse, with endless designs and fun new ones every year. (Though if I get repeat designs from friends and family, it’s often because they printed here!) If you have a Costco membership, you can link it up for big savings.
Sales: Shutterfly typically saves its biggest discounts of the year for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, often up to 50% off.
Where I Print My Own Holiday Cards (in Seattle)
I’m the biggest hypocrite: my holiday cards are usually low-quality photos with fun-quality ideas. When my husband and I got married, our RSVP was a Mad Libs postcard, and it just went from there. I’ve made a Snakes and Ladders card, a paper airplane card, and a spot-the-difference card.
I usually design on my computer and print at the shop I can walk to in Seattle, Top Notch Copy & Print Shakeel is the nicest, and getting to see a proof is so good because I always mess something up! It’s not the place for photo-quality printing, but for a playful, design-forward card, it’s perfect. Food for thought.
Tips for Printing Holiday Photo Cards
Pick the photo that feels like your family, not just the one where everyone is looking at the camera. The giggle mid-tickle or the toddler escaping the frame is often the one people remember. Which image makes you smile the most? Which feels the most you? Let the kids pick!
Choose a layout that doesn’t crop heads. Many templates crop tightly or have a design element covering part of the photo, so preview carefully and choose horizontal or vertical to match your image.
Use your full-resolution gallery download, not a screenshot or a weird crop. Low-resolution files print soft and blurry. The standard for print is 300 DPI (dots per inch), compared with 72 for screens. In plain terms, a 5x7 card needs a photo that’s at least 1500 x 2100 pixels. JPEG is the best file type, and most print shops handle color settings for you.
Order one proof first if you’re printing a lot. Color can shift between screen and paper. This is the gold standard, but we both know we’re not doing it. 😉
Order early. Labs get slammed from Thanksgiving on, and shipping slows down in December.
Let the card be a little imperfect. The best holiday cards don’t show a perfect family. They show your family, wiggles and all.
Holiday Card FAQ
When should I order holiday cards?
Aim for early to mid-November. Many print shops run their biggest sales over Thanksgiving weekend, and labs and shipping slow down in December. You got this!
What’s the best paper finish for holiday photo cards?
I love matte. It has no glare and looks soft and modern. Lustre is a nice middle ground if you want a little shine.
What resolution do I need to print a holiday card?
Use your full-resolution gallery download. For a 5x7 card, the photo should be at least 1500 x 2100 pixels (300 DPI).
How much does it cost to mail a holiday card?
A Forever stamp is 82 cents, so a stack of 50 cards costs about $41 to mail.
Where can I print holiday cards locally in Seattle?
For letterpress, try Dahlia Press. There are lots of printshops that can handle paper prints like Top Notch Copy and Print that I use. Another letterpress option is Pike Street Press. And if you’re going to buy classic cards (or make your own…I see you Becky!), you can print photos at Moon Photo Lab.
Book a Seattle Family Photo Session
Want to get photographed with me? Oh my gosh, yes please! My schedule is booked for this fall, but sign up for my mailing list and you’ll be the first to hear in my email what next fall looks like…or even this Winter because as fun as it is to share photos, they’re really for YOU!
In the meantime, take a peek at my family sessions or say hi. 💛
