Free Printable Greeting Cards

 

I have always loved  to receive cards from friends and family, for Christmas, Birthdays, Holidays and anniversaries of any kinds.

And  I’m equally  happy to send cards, maybe the joy of sending a card, thinking about what kind of card, what kind of message, is even bigger than the joy of receiving a card.


A simple card can say a thousand words, from “Have a Happy Birthday” to “I am so very Sorry”. Something as simple as a card with well-chosen sentiments can make a big difference to the person who receives it.

The joy of free printable cards is, not only can you just from a whole host of themes, you get to have a say in its entire production – from the color of the card, to any extra clip art your printable cards need.

Technology has come on in leaps and bounds in the last decade, meaning when you want to send a greeting card these days – you actually have more than buying one in a shop as an option. E-cards you create online either through a company or a do-it-yourself site are becoming increasingly popular, as not only can you tailor the card to suit the recipient – you can email the end result to whomever you want. Great, if you have family and friends in every corner of the world.

The choice of free printable greeting cards on offer here means you won’t struggle finding something you like. Covering a wide range of holidays and celebrations, including birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, there really is something for everyone – no matter what the occasion.

Using printable cards takes the chore out of sending greetings and you may actually find you enjoy the process too!

German New Year Card from the year 1900:

Free printable greeting cards New Year Card 1900

A Friendly Message

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to visit my website – I hope you will enjoy what you see during your visit to my site. If you have seen designs you would like to use, please do feel free to use them – I only kindly ask for this in return:

• Please feel free to use as many different designs as you wish, all I ask is that you do not reproduce them, as your own, on another website or in any offline publication. So, as long as it is for your own personal use, feel free to use them all! 🙂

The History of the Greeting Card

Some historians say it was the Ancient Chinese who started the idea of the greeting card, due to a practise at New Year that saw the Chinese exchange messages of good will with friends and loved ones.

Other historians believe it was actually the Ancient Egyptians, who used elaborate papyrus scrolls to convey their loving sentiments. However, recent evidence has surfaced that show people in Germany were sending “Birthday Wishes” using woodcuts as early as 1400 and there is also evidence of handmade paper Valentines being swapped by lovers in 1430. Where ever and whenever the greeting card first originated, there is no denying its popularity has only increased over the years.

An other New Year Card, maybe a little weird?:

Old-card-FrogBowlingNewYear

High postal rates and the ease of sending greetings via the world wide web mean e-cards have become a real competitor to the bog standard greeting card. Plus, making your own greeting cards means you can be absolutely certain that the individual will not have received a card like it already. You can make it as unique and personal as you want, by adding everything from the greeting to the inner sentiments yourself.

Printable Greeting Cards – Make Life Easier

It may sound dramatic, but it’s true – using the  greeting cards available here will not only save you hard earned dollars, it will also prevent you from getting a headache choosing a card that’s right.

While there may be billions of cards printed every year, there is often very little in the way of choice – especially for certain recipients. For example, while it may be fairly simple to find a greeting card for a teenage boy, it is rare to find a card for a male over the age of 35 that doesn’t feature pictures of soccer balls, golf cues or fishing rods.
Of course, if this fits with the person you are wanting to send the greeting card too, that’s fine – however, it is rarely the case. Being able to make and print off cards yourself means you get to choose the design, making it specific to the individual who is to receive it.
So if you want to send a Happy 60th Birthday card to a male friend who happens to like stamp collecting, why not create a stamp-themed greeting cards he is bound to love.

Creating your own printable cards is a simple three-step process –

1. Choose your design – this will probably be the most time-consuming part of the whole process. Deciding on what you want, what will suit the recipient and best says what you want it to say can take a little time. Remember, if you change your mind half way through, simply stop and choose another design. Yet another advantage over the shop-bought card alternative.

2. Personalize it – add clip art, personal pictures, names and whatever else you think the card’s recipient will like. If you need inspiration for your cards or are just looking for quality clip art, a visit to the Clip Art Queen website will give you a myriad of options – all pieces are free to use and have been carefully created, so quality is guaranteed.

3. Print it – Printing your card is straight forward, and not that different from printing anything else. However, the type of card, such as texture and color, is completely up to you although the design of your greeting card may affect the card or even paper you choose.

I must say that I myself prefer to send a real, printed card. To me it is a joy to look at the card, write a message or a poem, and put it in the envelope, thinking about the person who will receive the card.
But you can send a greeting card in other ways, your choice doesn’t stop there – you can send your card to its recipient via email – also known as an E-Card – and they can print off the end result at their end. This not only cuts out the waiting time experienced by the average card going through the postal system, it also reduces the cost. At Christmas, when you are sending multiple cards, sending E-Cards instead could save you a small fortune.

E-Cards are fast becoming more popular than “real” cards and because the recipient can always print them out once received, they won’t miss out on displaying them. There are a stunning selection of e-cards available at CardKarma.com  or if you are looking for something a little humorous RottenEcards.som is also worth a look (find the links below on this page).

free-printable-greeting-cards-New-Year-1905-McCutcheon

I have NO Idea!!




Of course, there is such a thing as being spoilt for choice, making what design and clip art or pictures to use on your greeting cards just as difficult as choosing one in a shop. Never fear though, a little common sense will ensure you make the best card possible for the intended recipient.

These tips will help you make your free printable greeting cards look great –
• Tip One – The individual’s personality should largely be the main influence on the entire card’s design – including the sentiments inside. Don’t just assume that because you need two cards for two different women over a certain age, that they will appreciate the same card. The Thanksgiving card you make for your mother, should be a lot different to the one you make for your auntie.

• Tip Two – Making your own greeting cards means you can push boundaries a little and ignore the usual stereotypes found in shop bought alternatives. For example – if your daughter is a soccer-loving tom boy who loves the color green, why should she not have a mint green card covered in soccer balls and trophies? You won’t find anything appropriate in the shops, so take advantage of printable cards to give your loved ones exactly what they want.

• Tip Three – No matter how old the recipient of the card is, adding their name to the cards is a sure-fire win. For example, “Happy Anniversary, Bob and Jane” is much more personal than a general Anniversary wish. You could also use nick names, which could win you serious brownie points with those closest to you. For example – “Be My Valentine, Fluffy Bear” is one way of letting your partner know their Valentine is just for them.

• Tip Four – If you really have no idea what type of card to make a person, try to think outside the box rather than copy an idea you have seen elsewhere. For example, Great-Grandma would probably love a Christmas card that features a picture of you and your family on the front, just as Great-Auntie Betty would appreciate a special Auntie poem on the front of her birthday card. Just because you are lacking in ideas, doesn’t mean you can’t make something special for the person in question.

A Peek Inside

One of the most important decisions you will make when making your printable greeting cards is choosing the sentiments that are to go inside. As well as the recipient and your relationship to them, the sentiments will also be determined by the special occasion they are representing.
The sentiment you put inside your chosen card can make a real difference to how your card is received.

It is a chance to let someone close know a multitude of things from wishing them good health and Happy Birthday greetings to Be my Valentine and sending your love at Christmas time. Romantic, humorous, friendly, serious, cheeky or loving – whatever type of sentiment you use, you can use them to express how you feel to the person who will receive the card.

A simple sentiment will be straight to the point –

• Wishing you every happiness on your Birthday

Or you can choose something a little more personal –

• Here is hoping your birthday is as special as you are.
With lots of love on your special day.
Sometimes sentiments can come in the shape of a poem –

• Because today’s so special
It really wouldn’t do
To send one simple birthday wish
To last the whole year through
So this wishes happy moments
A day when dreams come true
And a year full of happy things
That mean a lot to you
You could even use famous quotes to convey the message you want –

Don’t just count the years, make those years count! ~ Anon
Whatever type of sentiment you choose and whether the occasion asks for something friendly, romantic, funny or loving – you can always create your own or choose from those on offer at Quotescoop or the Imagenation website (find the link at the bottom of this page).

a-happy-new-year-card

Making Your Cards

Once you have chosen the theme for your greeting card and personalized it, you will need to print it off.
Most home printers will be up to the job but it is worth mentioning that the quality of the finished piece will vary between make and models of printers. The quality of the card or paper you use will also have an effect on the end result. Although quality card is advisable, try not to go too thick as your printer may become jammed. The texture of the card is also important, while hammered card offers an elegant look, printable cards tend to look washed out and less colorful on this type of card.




Top Tip – Before printing using your chosen card, do a test print on a normal piece of ink jet paper. This will help you ensure the card is aligned correctly and that the whole design looks good and is in the best position for the overall look.

If you want to print your card with the message on the back, you will need to set your computer’s printing settings to print “double-sided” – this will ensure the card’s main design will be on the “front” and the sentiments and other details will be on the “inside”.
This is easily found in your printer settings on your computer’s control panel – some printers even let you choose this type of printing from a menu on the actual printer itself. Once you have printed your greeting card, you will need to fold it, if it is a double sided card – which can actually be the trickiest part of the whole process.

A crisp fold in your card will not only ensure it stands up correctly when it is displayed, it will also give the card a professional finish. The fold is actually the backbone of your greeting card, therefore if you have taken the time and effort to make your own greeting cards it makes sense to have a neat and clean fold so the card really does look its best.

Easter card with bunny and eggs

Easter greeting card made with Easter clip art from Clipartqueen.com. Size is 3,5 x 5,3 inches printed with 300 dpi.

Here is how you can add a professional fold to your cards –

• Measure the center of the card at the bottom and top using a ruler – gently marking the two points with a pencil.

• Draw a line in light pencil to connect the two marks. Then, using a dull knife score along the line. This will make the card easier to fold, as well as giving it a clean finish.

• Fold the card along the score line and then, using the dull knife again, flatten the fold carefully. You will need to be gentle with the knife at this point, as it is easy to mark your card stock.

• Rub away any remaining pencil marks with an eraser and there you go – you will have a fold that is sure to make your free printable greeting cards look professional and worthy of the time you have spent creating them.

When it comes to folding your cards, don’t underestimate the power of the fold. According to the New Crafters Association, folding handmade cards is one thing many crafters struggle with but will make the effort to learn because of the overall look a professional fold lends to the card.

Send Away

Once you have created your free printable greeting cards, all that is left to do is send them to the people of your choice.

As discussed above, e-cards are becoming incredibly popular, so don’t worry about sending cards that are going to people further away via email – you could even send a hard copy by postal service if you want to maintain tradition. An e-card ensures that they have the card in time for the special occasion, a god-send if you have forgotten a birthday, and it will also cut down on the cost of envelopes and postage stamps.

Top Tip – On the back of the cards don’t forget to give yourself a mention – if you do everything right and your greeting cards turn out as professional looking as they should – some people may not even realize they have made by you. Therefore a simple – Handmade, with love by…. on the back of the card will ensure praise is given where praise is due.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy making your own printable greeting cards.
Go to the top of this page Free Printable Greeting Cards .

And links to the pages I mentioned above:

Clip Art Queen website

Quotescoop

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 Posted by at 9:00 pm