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Dec 2009  |  By Joan Vesselinovitch  |  Comments

Best Photo Holiday Cards

Buying online photo holiday cards has become more popular–the market is flooded with companies offering “the best” holiday cards, and it's often hard to distinguish between them. We investigated and found the best holiday cards on the market.

The result? 8 card companies that possess the following four characteristics:

• Are reasonably priced (assuming a purchase of 100 cards)
• Are easy to order
• Offer a large selection of quality papers and styles
• Offer a way to “give back”

The card companies below offer good quality cards at reasonable prices.  We divided our winners into two categories; one for “The Best Quality and Design” the other for “The Best Price."

The Winners: Best Quality and Best Design/Selection

Small Creatures by Wendy Fessler (a Wilmette mom!)

Why we love it: Great looking, custom designed cards that use premium coverstock finished with rounded corners–plus an option of additional photo and message on the flip side. Some photo card designs also feature your child’s handwriting or artwork. Wendy also will help you come up with ideas for clever captions.

Prices:
Average about $1.50 per card
**New Customers: Mention “Make It Better” when placing your holiday order and receive a 10 percent discount.

Selection: Good

Quality/Design: Excellent

Give Back: 20 percent of profits from Holiday card orders are donated to local children's charities.

Hen and Barley

Why we love it: Premium printing on superior quality matte cardstock. Unique and clever designs. We love the matching 2" round address labels!

Prices: All photo cards are 5.75 x 7.75 and cost $1.59/card for 100 cards

Selection: Good

Quality/Design: Excellent

Give back: ShopHBP supports local teams (New Trier swimming and diving, Wilmette Hockey Assn.) and not for profit organizations with its products.  Shop online, enter your favorite group's code at check out and they'll earn credit for every dollar you spend on every product on the site. In addition, owners Jenny and Carolyn donate a percentage of all sales to not-for-profit organizations dedicated to improving the literacy and welfare of underprivileged children.

Pretty in Print by Heather Davey (another Wilmette mom!)

Why we love it: Truly gorgeous cards, highest quality at very discounted prices.

Heather is a wholesale distributor for “high end” holiday cards, stationery, invitations, calling cards, and stickers. She can order cards at 20 percent off whatever the supplier is offering the public–on top of any additional special a supplier may be offering. These are the same styles that you see at specialty paper stores. It’s a more affordable way to buy fancy holiday cards. The lines she carries are: Boatman Geller, Stacey Claire Boyd, Sweet Pea Designs, Picture Perfect, and Ellie Mims.

You can order by visiting the specialty line web sites, choosing a card, then calling Heather. Or, make an appointment to visit Heather and select cards from books she has available at her home.

Prices: With discounts, basic flat card prices start at $1.12 a card

Selection: Good

Quality/Design: Excellent

Give Back: Heather is often asked to offer her cards for purchase as a fundraiser for local schools and is happy to pass on the 20 percent savings as a donation to the school.

Tiny Prints
Toll Free: 877-300-9256

Why we love it: Premium printing, use only thick recycled cardstock. Unique distinct designs you won’t find anywhere else.

Prices: A basic photo card starts as low as $0.69. The price for specialty cards (such as “pop up cards”) can cost as much as $5.25 each.

Selection: Good

Quality/Design: Very Good

Give back: Celebrities including Alison Sweeney, Angie Harmon, Cindy Crawford, Marcia Cross and Molly Sims, have partnered with Tiny Prints to create exclusive designs for Tiny Prints’ Celebrity Holiday Card Collection. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these Christmas cards will benefit the charities of their choice.

The Winners–Best Price: (from lowest to highest)

Snapfish (www.snapfish.com)

Why we love it: Great prices, nice paper and good selection. recordable cards (where you add your own recorded voice greeting) available at $5.99 each

Prices: Basic flat card prices start at $0.29 a card. Prices for folded cards start at to $1.45

Selection: Good

Quality/Design: Good

Vista Prints (www.vistaprint.com)

Why we love it: Great prices, great way to make a difference.

Prices: Basic flat card prices start at $0.40 a card

Selection: Good

Quality/Design: Basic

Give Back: Vista prints will be working with Toys for Tots and the US Marines to bring toys to children in need. Buy any of 6 specially designed Toys for Tots cards and 50 percent of the purchase price will go towards toys for children in need. To participate, click here.

Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com)

Why we love it: Great prices, creative and beautiful cards, superior giving back opportunities

Prices: Basic flat card prices start at $0.44 and card prices for folded cards start at $1.19 a card.

Selection: Good

Quality/Design: Good

Give Back: “Support a Cause." Shutterfly will donate 10 percent of the net sales from select “support a cause” card purchases. Causes include: the American Lung Association, Heifer International , LIVESTRONG, Special Olympics and World Wildlife.

Cards Direct (www.cardsdirect.com)

Why we love it: Great prices, creative cards, wonderful giving back opportunities

Prices: Basic flat card prices start at $0.90-$1.40 a card

Selection: Good

Quality/Design: Good

Best way to give back: The “Cards for a Cause” campaign sponsored by CardsDirect in which celebrities chose their favorite exclusive holiday greeting card design. The net proceeds from the sale of these cards go to the charity of each celebrity’s choice. Participating celebrities include: Tina Fey (30 Rock), Mahcad Brooks (True Blood) andPhyllis Smith (The Office). Charities earmarked by the celebrities include: Autism Speaks, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, and Best Friends Animal Society to name a few.