With the convenience of digital photography and advances in offset printing, this year many families plan to digitally print family photos directly on their annual holiday card. What could be easier? Simply upload your photograph to an online printing company, select a template, crop your photo, click the print button and your printed holiday cards will be sent to your home.
This sounds like an idyllic situation, but photography purists insist that digitally-printed holiday cards are not nearly as attractive as photographs mounted on the card. One experienced stationer and amateur photographer remarked, “Digitally reproduced holiday cards simply lack the quality and print resolution of photographs developed at a commercial printer. Some digital photo cards are quite attractive, but if you compare them side-by-side, the difference is apparent: Photomount holiday cards win hands-down.â€
Not everyone would agree with this assessment, but clearly when you factor in the “convenience factor†and lower overall cost, it is no surprise that consumers have migrated toward digital holiday cards. “Let’s face it,†remarked this experienced stationer, “you are getting a nice quality greeting card - maybe not the best - but you avoid the hassle of mounting the photographs with adhesive tape.â€
With this change in consumer purchasing behavior, main-stream printing companies have moved quickly to enhance their digital printing capabilities. In fact, industry leaders, Crane & Co. and William Arthur now offer clients the option of printing their photograph directly on the holiday greeting card or mounting their photographs on beautifully designed cards - often engraved - with pre-applied adhesive tape.
To see the variations in both printing techniques, it is prudent to go to an experienced stationery store in your area to see printed examples personally. Whichever printing option feels like a fit, several printing companies are typically in the middle of their holiday card sale. Save anywhere for 20% to 50% by buying your photo greeting cards prior to the end of September.
This sounds like an idyllic situation, but photography purists insist that digitally-printed holiday cards are not nearly as attractive as photographs mounted on the card. One experienced stationer and amateur photographer remarked, “Digitally reproduced holiday cards simply lack the quality and print resolution of photographs developed at a commercial printer. Some digital photo cards are quite attractive, but if you compare them side-by-side, the difference is apparent: Photomount holiday cards win hands-down.â€
Not everyone would agree with this assessment, but clearly when you factor in the “convenience factor†and lower overall cost, it is no surprise that consumers have migrated toward digital holiday cards. “Let’s face it,†remarked this experienced stationer, “you are getting a nice quality greeting card - maybe not the best - but you avoid the hassle of mounting the photographs with adhesive tape.â€
With this change in consumer purchasing behavior, main-stream printing companies have moved quickly to enhance their digital printing capabilities. In fact, industry leaders, Crane & Co. and William Arthur now offer clients the option of printing their photograph directly on the holiday greeting card or mounting their photographs on beautifully designed cards - often engraved - with pre-applied adhesive tape.
To see the variations in both printing techniques, it is prudent to go to an experienced stationery store in your area to see printed examples personally. Whichever printing option feels like a fit, several printing companies are typically in the middle of their holiday card sale. Save anywhere for 20% to 50% by buying your photo greeting cards prior to the end of September.
About the Author:
Sheila May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair, a leading stationery store located in Greenwich, CT. She writes frequently about photo greeting cards and Christmas photo cards.
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