DIY: Creative Holiday/New Year Cards
Tips from over a decade of experience
It's that time of year! If you're not already into Christmas, Hannukkah and Kwanza shopping, you'd better get going!
One of the things I like to do for my clients is send a New Year's greeting card. I typically print an image on the front that I took within the past year and the inside includes a printed and personalized message.
For years I've used a standard piece of Moab 300GSM Entrada Rag (100% cotton), either Natural or Bright depending on the image. I'd cut the paper to the size I needed to fit into the envelopes, printed both sides of the card, then scored the outside of the card and folded it. That entire process has become far easier, with the advent of pre-sized and pre-scored cards.
The Advent of the Pre-Made Cardstock
For the past few years we've been using the Moab Artist Cards to save time. Although we are sponsored by Moab, we landed on using their Artist Cards only after frustratingly trying two other brands for years. For one thing, we did not like the paper the other manufacturers used. The Moab cards, by comparison, use the same fine art Entrada Rag paper that we use for many of our fine art prints. Simply choose the style (small, large or square) you want based on the image you'd like to feature.
On Moab's website you'll find templates for designing and printing their cards whether in Photoshop or Lightroom (tip: creating the cards in Lightroom is easier). There is also a detailed Youtube video of Moab's lead technician, Evan Parker, walking you through the entire process of creating the cards (Tip: if you plan to use Lightroom you can skip well into the video - 28:45 - since the first part is Photoshop based).
Tips from Experience
Having sent my custom New Year cards for at least 10 years now, there are some tips I'll pass along.
You should use double-sided paper under most circumstances, whch pretty much limits you to matte papers. However, if you choose to use a glossy or semi-gloss paper, make sure that the front (where your image will go) and back are on the coated side. Sometimes the inside will take text, but try it out first before you commit to sending out 50 cards. Another critical point regards scoring your paper to create the card fold. Heavy weight matte papers are easier to score, at least until you have sufficient practice (and lots of wasted cards!).
You'll get the best results if you use a matte paper with a GSM of 270 or higher. The Moab Entrada comes in 190 and 300 GSM and I use the 300 GSM for my cards. The heavier weight gives you a lay-flat card that won't curl and a satisfying hand feel. In addition, a heavier GSM cardstock is easier to score the paper for folding.
Scoring paper takes patience and practice. Use a new blade and don't bear down on the card. A light, smooth stroke using a metal straight-edge works fine.
Decide on your cover image no later than mid-October. Reasons? Potential startup hassles with templates and following instructions; holiday marketing begins nowadays in August and gets chaotic by October, so you'll probably have less time to focus on printing, address files, etc.
Speaking of address files, I advise you to set up a New Year card recipient file in a contacts database and review it each year.
Making your own cards from 8.5 x 11 (A4) paper stock allows you to use that striking panorama you took as your card image.
Make sure to know how the grain runs on the paper you select. You need to fold the paper parallel to the grain direction. On most of Moab's papers, for example, you'll find the grain direction on the back of the box, hidden among a string of numbers and letters. If you see the capital letters "GL" (Grain Long) it means the grain direction runs along the long side. Similarly, the "GS" designation means the grain direction is on the short side.
We'd love to see examples of a finished card you create, so we can share it with our Substack community. Please feel free to post a snapshot in the Comments.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday season.
I couldn’t figure out how to post a photo of one of my cards here in the comments.
I’ve been using MOAB pre-scored 5x7 cards for a few years now. The paper is lovely and I get compliments on my cards often. Only drawback is that the 7x10 page is a custom size for my Epson P800. So no borderless printing.