Make Your Good Greeting Card Even Better!

A greeting card communicates so much to our loved ones. It’s more than just the words we write inside. The whole presentation — from the design we choose to how we present it — says so much about what we are communicating. To help you out, here are a few tips to make your greeting card even better! 

Pick the Perfect Greeting Card Design

Selecting a card starts with choosing the right design for your friend or loved one. First, consider the sentiment you want to share. Are you expressing gratitude, love, or recognition? Or, is the card for a particular holiday or special occasion? Ensure that the design you choose matches your intended tone. 

Second, consider the recipient’s personality and interests. Are they into sports, arts and crafts, music, or nature? Choose a design that shows you are attentive to who the recipient is and what they like.   

Personalized Greeting Card Messages

Now that you’ve chosen the card, you need to decide on the message. Many greeting cards come with pre-written messages. While convenient, these messages may not match the sentiment you would like to express. Instead, why not select a card with no pre-written message in it? This way, you can ensure that the words written say exactly what you would like to share.  If you need some help with finding the right words to say, visit our What to Write page here for some inspiration. 

Choosing Pens to Write Greeting Cards

Have you ever, in the middle of writing a message in a card, had the pen stop working, the ink smudge, or run out of ink? That can be quite frustrating! Before starting to write a message, make sure you have the right writing tool. 

There is a lot of personal preference in what pen you may like to write with. Here are some general considerations. Ball point pens dry fast which helps to reduce the smudging. Rollerball pens have a finer point but take a longer time to dry and smudge easier. Marker pens are fun to write with but they take longer to dry and can bleed through paper. Lastly, make sure you select a new, or relatively new, pen so that you’ll have enough ink to write your message. 

How to Write Neatly in a Card

Not all of us have been blessed with the gift of perfect penmanship. For many, it is the imperfections in writing that make a card so special! There are a couple shortcuts you can take to make less than perfect writing look presentable. First, write the message on an insert rather than the card itself. This way, if you make a mistake, you can just use a new insert.  If you choose to use a marker pen, take the insert out of the card when writing your message to avoid any bleed through. Second, to write your message in a straight and even lines, use our handy insert guide available for download here. Watch our video above for some tips and tricks to help you write an attractive message.

How Many Stamps for a Greeting Card?

Lastly, you’ll want to make sure, if you are sending the card by mail, that you choose the right type of stamp. For certain cards, the USPS requires additional postage. This applies to cards that are square or non-traditional aspect ratios, non-bendable, uneven, or have an address that is parallel to the shorter dimension. Currently, the non-machinable charge is 20 cents. Before sending, check in with your local post office to ensure that you have the correct postage for your card. 

With these easy to follow tips, you can now make your greeting card even better! Let us know what you think and what you do to make your greeting cards stand out.