Tips for Photo Christmas Cards

Sending a Christmas card with a personal photo is a wonderful way to make the card a unique reflection of your personality, or that of your family. If you’re considering a photo Christmas card this year, consider the following ideas.

Select your photo carefully. Be sure that the photo is a good picture of everyone in the family; this can be difficult if you have several children but don’t despair - if necessary, you can use a professional portrait photographer to take the picture. Due to copyright issues, you may need to use the portrait studio to produce your cards, but it can be well worth it to get that “just right” photo to send out.

If you choose to use a candid shot, you have many options for your cards. Just be sure to take a good look at the photo to ensure there isn’t anything in the background, or off to the side that you don’t want in your photos. I once took a great photo of my children and our dog in front of a tree. But, when I began to work with photo card templates to create my card, I suddenly realized that there was a basket of dirty laundry just to the side of the camera shot. I had been so focused on how great the picture of the kids was that I hadn’t even noticed!

Photo and stationery stores can create a card for you from a variety of different templates. Just take your digital photo on the memory card into the store and you’re ready to start. Stationery and photo websites are even easier to use for making your own photo cards. Simply upload your favorite photo to the website and experiment with the variety of templates they offer until you’re satisfied with your card. It’s often wise to order just one card and see it in print before you order a large quantity, just in case there’s a problem. This is particularly important if you have performed any editing on your photo. You need to see your photo in its final format to ensure you haven’t cropped off someone’s head during editing!

Spend some time choosing the right card template for your picture. Look for cards in colors that will enhance the colors in your photos. For example, if your family is dressed in jeans and white shirts, a blue photo card with a winter snowman theme will look great and be a nice change from the traditional red and green Christmas cards. There are many black and white photo card templates, too, that create a sophisticated card to match a formal photo.

Photo cards can also be a great idea for business Christmas cards. Choose something simple and tasteful for your card, using a photo of your product or your employees. Your clients may well appreciate a picture of the people with whom they do business all year to “put a face to the name”. You might want to use cards with more secular wording such as “Seasons Greetings” on business cards.

Photo cards are very popular, and they’re an easy and creative way to express yourself during the holidays. Give your cards some thought this year, and use your best photos!