Greeting Card Printing — Flat, Folded & Note Cards

Folded Greeting Cards

Scored and ready to fold, with a full inside panel for a handwritten or printed message. This is the format most people picture when they think of a greeting card — a front cover, an inside spread, and a back panel. Folded cards feel substantial, personal, and complete.

Best for: Holiday cards, thank-you cards, birthday cards, photo cards, retail greeting card lines, and any occasion where the inside message is part of the design.

• 3.5×5 Mini Folded Cards
• 4.25×5.5 (A2) Folded Cards
• 5×7 (A7) Folded Cards

Flat Cards

A single panel — clean, modern, and graphic. Flat cards are the right choice when the design itself does all the talking and you don't need an inside message. Thinner to mail and simpler to produce, flat cards are a cost-effective option for high-volume sends.

Best for: Save-the-dates, announcements, photo cards, RSVP inserts, art prints that double as cards, postcard-style mailings, and any design where the front is the whole statement.

• 3.5×5 Mini Flat Cards
• 4.25×5.5 Flat Cards
• 5×7 Flat Cards

Note Cards

Printed on smooth, uncoated stock specifically chosen to accept pen and ink cleanly. Note cards are designed for writing — not just printing. They have a tactile, stationery-quality feel that folded and flat cards on coated stock can't replicate. The format of choice for personal correspondence and branded client communication.

Best for: Stationery sets, client thank-you notes, branded business correspondence, artist correspondence cards, and any context where the card will be written in by hand.

• 3.5×5 Note Cards
• 4.25×5.5 Note Cards
• 5×7 Note Cards

3.5×5 — Mini Cards

Fits standard 4-Bar envelopes  |  Most compact format

The smallest format in our collection — compact, charming, and ideal for situations where size is a deliberate design choice. Mini cards stand out precisely because they're unexpected. A 3.5×5 thank-you card from an artist feels intimate and considered. A 3.5×5 retail greeting card at an Artist Alley table is an accessible, low-cost add-on that buyers love.

Best for: Gift enclosure cards, Artist Alley add-ons, thank-you notes, mini art cards, RSVP cards, small stationery sets.

4.25×5.5 (A2) — The Standard

Fits standard A2 envelopes  |  Most popular format

The A2 is the greeting card format most people are familiar with — it's what fills the racks at card shops and what most people expect when they open an envelope. Sized perfectly for A2 envelopes, it mails at standard postage rates, fits in every rack display, and gives you enough canvas to work with for a designed cover without feeling oversized.

Best for: Retail greeting card lines, holiday cards, birthday cards, thank-you cards, wedding day-of stationery, branded client cards, and any project where standard sizing matters.

5×7 (A7) — The Statement Card

Fits standard A7 envelopes  |  Most impactful format

The 5×7 is the large-format greeting card — the one that stops someone when they pull it from an envelope. It has the presence of an art print and the personal touch of a card. For artists especially, the 5×7 folded or flat card is a perfect crossover product: a piece of your artwork that buyers can send to someone they love.

Best for: Premium greeting cards, artist art cards, wedding invitations, announcement cards, photo cards, and any project where you want the card itself to feel special.

Matte 70# Text

A lighter, budget-friendly option well-suited to high-volume runs. Smooth and clean with a non-reflective finish. Colors print clearly without the shine of gloss. The right choice when quantity and cost-per-card matter most.

Best for: Large holiday card mailings, high-volume event sends, and any project where you need a lot of cards at an accessible price point.

Gloss 80# Text

A coated stock with a bright, vibrant finish. Colors are richer and more saturated than on matte. The standard choice for photo cards, art-forward designs, and greeting cards where color impact is the priority. A step up in feel from matte text without jumping to heavy cover stock.

Best for: Photo cards, art greeting cards, colorful holiday cards, and retail card lines where vibrancy matters.

Premium Matte 100# Cover

Heavier, thicker, and more substantial than text-weight options. A 100# matte cover card feels premium the moment someone picks it up — there's a weight and rigidity that communicates quality before a word is read. The go-to stock for serious retail greeting card lines and professional correspondence.

Best for: Retail greeting card lines, artist card collections, client thank-you notes, and any project where the card needs to make a strong physical impression.

Uncoated Note Card Stock

Smooth, uncoated, and specifically chosen to accept ink from pens, markers, and ballpoints without beading or smearing. Coated stocks repel ink — note cards are meant to be written in, so the paper is matched to the format. Prints cleanly in full color on the front while the inside accepts handwriting naturally.

Best for: Note cards, stationery sets, and any card that will be written in by hand.

Metallic Pearl

A pearlescent base stock that gives every color a subtle luminous shimmer. The card catches light differently depending on the angle — which creates a visual dynamism that flat stocks can't replicate. Extraordinary for cards with gold, silver, or iridescent elements in the design.

Best for: Wedding invitations, holiday cards, limited edition artist card sets, premium thank-you notes, and any card meant to feel like a keepsake.

Raised Foil

Foil elements that are literally raised above the surface of the card — you can feel them with your fingertip. The most tactile and impressive specialty option we offer. Foil accents on a card cover communicate luxury before the recipient has even opened it.

Best for: Premium wedding suites, high-end holiday card collections, luxury brand correspondence, and limited edition artist releases where the physical object is part of the art.

Silk Laminate

A velvety, soft-touch coating applied over the printed surface. Silk laminate cards feel distinctly different from standard matte or gloss — the surface has a subtle drag to the touch that reads as premium and refined. Often used in combination with spot UV or foil for high-contrast finishes.

Best for: Luxury greeting cards, premium artist collections, high-end corporate correspondence, and wedding stationery where tactile quality is part of the experience.

18pt Cardstock

The thickest standard card option — stiff, rigid, and undeniably substantial. An 18pt greeting card doesn't bend when you hold it. For retail display, this thickness ensures cards stand upright in display racks without sagging. For recipients, it communicates that what they're holding is important.

Best for: Retail greeting card displays, premium artist card lines, wedding invitations, and any situation where card stiffness and weight are part of the quality statement.

Kraft Stock

A natural brown-toned uncoated stock with an organic, earthy aesthetic. Kraft cards print with a warm, slightly muted color palette — which is part of the appeal. Designs that lean into the natural look of the stock tend to feel handcrafted and intentional. Pairs beautifully with earthy tones, botanical illustration, and minimalist designs.

Best for: Nature-inspired designs, botanical illustration, artisan and small-batch card lines, eco-conscious branding, and any design that benefits from a warm, textured feel.

Artists & Illustrators

Greeting cards are one of the most accessible and profitable products an artist can sell. A 5×7 card featuring your artwork is an impulse buy that buyers can pick up for a few dollars — and the recipient gets to experience your work in a format they can send to someone they love. Flat cards double as mini art prints. Folded cards sell well as seasonal and occasion-based products at conventions and online shops.

Small Businesses & Brands

Branded note cards and folded thank-you cards are one of the most effective client retention tools a small business can use. A handwritten note card from a business owner to a client is remembered in a way that an email never is. Premium matte or silk laminate stocks elevate the gesture and signal that the relationship matters.

Photographers

Photo greeting cards — holiday cards, birth announcements, save-the-dates, and graduation announcements — are a core part of most portrait and lifestyle photographers' product offerings. Flat cards on gloss stock reproduce photographs with excellent color and detail. A 5×7 flat card with a portrait session image is a product clients are proud to mail.

Weddings & Events

Invitations, RSVP cards, save-the-dates, and day-of stationery. The 4.25×5.5 and 5×7 flat cards work perfectly for wedding suites when paired with specialty stocks like metallic pearl or raised foil. Consistent sizing across a suite (invitation, RSVP, details card) creates a cohesive, intentional presentation that sets the tone for the event.

Fan Artists & Convention Sellers

Greeting cards are a high-margin, low-friction product for Artist Alley and convention tables. Buyers who might hesitate at a $20 print will easily pick up a $4–6 card. Mini 3.5×5 flat cards work as art cards. Folded 5×7 cards with seasonal or fandom-appropriate art move quickly around holidays and fan community events. They stack neatly, take up minimal table space, and have wide impulse appeal.

Schools & Nonprofits

Fundraiser greeting card sets, student art cards, donor thank-you notes, and seasonal card programs. Custom greeting cards are a practical and profitable fundraiser product — buyers want to send cards anyway, so a set featuring student artwork or organization-branded design is an easy sell with genuine perceived value.

Start with Your Strongest Art

Don't design new artwork specifically for cards — use the pieces that already get the most attention. Your most-liked social media posts, your bestselling prints, your most-requested characters and scenes. The art has already proven itself. Put it on a card.

Choose the Right Size for Your Art Style

Detailed, landscape-orientation pieces work beautifully as 5×7 flat cards. Character-focused portrait art reads well at 4.25×5.5 folded. Mini 3.5×5 flat cards are perfect for chibi art, character close-ups, and designs with bold, simple compositions. Match the format to the art — don't force a complex piece into a tiny card.

Think in Themes and Occasions

Cards tied to occasions sell consistently year after year. Birthday, holiday, anniversary, and "just because" categories all have built-in buyer intent. If your art has seasonal or thematic elements, lean into it — a cozy winter illustration on a folded card will sell every December without additional promotion.

Stock Up Before Convention Season

Cards sell fast at Artist Alley. They're low-price-point impulse buys that fans pick up by the handful. Order more than you think you'll need — running out of a popular design mid-convention is a missed revenue opportunity. Our no-minimum ordering means you can restock specific designs without printing your whole line again.

Use Multiple Designs Per Order

Many of our card products allow multiple files per quantity — which means you can print your full card lineup in one order without losing bulk pricing. This is particularly valuable for artists who want a range of 6–12 designs on the table without placing six separate orders.

Price for Healthy Margins

Cards are a high-margin product when priced correctly. A 4.25×5.5 folded card printed in a batch of 50 costs very little per unit — and can comfortably sell for $4–8 at a convention table or $5–10 in an online shop. Bundle pricing (2 for $10, 5 for $20) encourages buyers to take multiples and increases average transaction size.

Standard White Envelopes

Classic white envelopes in the appropriate size for each card format (A1 for 3.5×5, A2 for 4.25×5.5, A7 for 5×7). Available as optional add-ons for most folded and flat card products. The reliable default for most mailing applications.

Color Envelope Upgrades

Colored envelope options are available as upgrades on select products. A colored envelope immediately elevates the unboxing experience — even before the recipient sees the card itself. Kraft envelopes, in particular, pair beautifully with earthy and botanical card designs.

Mailing Without Envelopes

Flat cards can be mailed as-is (without an envelope) if designed as postcards with a return address and postage area on the back. This works for 4.25×5.5 and 5×7 flat cards at USPS postcard rates. Confirm sizing requirements with the USPS if you plan to mail without envelopes at postcard rates.

Resolution: 300 DPI Minimum

Set your canvas to 300 DPI at the finished card size from the start. For cards with small text, fine linework, or intricate detail — especially relevant for artist cards with detailed illustration — 600 DPI will produce noticeably sharper results. Do not design at 72 DPI for screen and attempt to upscale before printing.

Bleed: 0.125" on All Sides

For full-bleed designs (color or artwork that runs to the card edge), extend your background 0.125" beyond the trim line on all sides. Without bleed, trimming can leave a thin white sliver on the edge — highly noticeable on small cards with dark or saturated backgrounds.

Safe Zone: 0.25" Inside Trim

Keep all important content — names, sentiment text, URLs, logos — at least 0.25" from the trim edge on every panel. On cards, this matters most for the inside panel of folded cards and the message area of note cards. Text too close to the fold or edge can look uncomfortably tight or risk being cropped.

Folded Card Setup

For folded cards, set up your file as a single flat sheet at the unfolded dimensions. For a 4.25×5.5 folded card, your flat file should be 8.5×5.5 with the fold down the center (or 4.25×11 for a top-fold format). The left panel is your inside-left, the right panel your cover — or vice versa depending on orientation. Confirm fold orientation on the product page before submitting.

Color Mode

Design in RGB for most products. CMYK is accepted and gives you more direct control over printed color — especially useful for cards with specific brand colors that need to be consistent. If color accuracy is critical to your project (matching brand guidelines, consistent card sets), designing in CMYK and doing a proof print before your full run is recommended.

Export Format

PDF is preferred. High-quality JPG (Photoshop quality 10–12) and TIFF are also accepted. For folded cards, a two-page PDF (page 1: outside panels, page 2: inside panels) is the cleanest submission. Flat and note cards submit as a single-page file at the finished card dimensions.

Choose Your Format & Size

Select folded, flat, or note card — then pick your size (3.5×5, 4.25×5.5, or 5×7) and paper stock. Pricing updates in real time as you configure your options.

Upload Your Artwork

Upload your print-ready PDF, TIFF, or high-quality JPG at checkout. Not sure if your file is set up correctly? Upload it and our team will check it before anything prints.

We Review Your File

Our team checks resolution, bleed, safe zones, fold orientation, and color mode before production. If anything needs adjusting, we reach out before printing — not after your cards are already done.

Print & Ship

Your cards are printed, scored (folded cards), and shipped with full tracking. Fast turnaround means your cards are ready well before your event, mailing, or convention date.