Photo Book Girl's Annual Holiday Photo Card Guide - Best Deals & Tips 2017
*Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links and is a sponsored post. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a referral fee. Regardless, my opinions are my own and I always give my honest opinion, good or bad.
It's Christmastime! Yes, you read that right. Well, at least it is around here. Christmas decorations have already been pouring into our local stores since Halloween and if you go to the craft store a lot like I do, they always have a little bit of Christmas in the store year round. Then boom right after Halloween, it's prime time. I confess I'm kind of curious to check out the 50% off Christmas sale that just started at one of the local craft stores, but I'm kind of afraid to go because inevitably, I will want to buy something. It takes a lot of self-control to wait until the 60 to 70% off sales that happen just before Christmas. I already stocked up on the 80% off Halloween stuff this year, now I have to find a place to stow it where I'll remember where I put it next year! Even one of our local radio stations is now holiday music all. the. time. So, if you haven't gotten the message yet, it's time to get a jump on those holiday projects! I hear from our readers all the time asking about when sales are going to start for the holiday season and that time is now! Fifty, sixty, seventy percent off and even free cards are common deals I've been seeing as of late. We track all the best photo card deals here!
I always look forward to making our holiday cards. This year we didn't have any professional photos taken so I'm planning to do my own photo shoot with the kids this weekend. I also already took advantage of an early 10 FREE cards deal with Shutterfly that was up a couple weeks ago. If you missed that, no worries - there's another deal with sister company TinyPrints for 10 freebie cards through today, Sunday, November 12, 2017, and if history repeats itself, there will be more freebies on the way. I always opt for the most expensive card they have (usually the trifold) because hey, why not? It's free! You do pay for shipping, but it only comes out to about 85 cents for each trifold card which normally runs $3.88 (with upgraded paper and rounded corners). It's a huge bargain in my opinion.
By the way, you don't have to have professional photos taken to make a lovely holiday card.
Option 1: Go through some of the photos you've taken during the past year. I chose my favorite photos of my two boys mostly from birthdays and family vacations, downloaded them to a single folder on my computer so they are readily accessible, and now I'm just waiting for freebies and deals to pop up.
Option 2: Do a DIY "photo shoot". Set up a tripod with a remote shutter (if you want to get in the photos too!), do some test shots before you make the kids pose, and most importantly have plenty of bribes (I mean incentives) ready. Lollipops and jelly beans work great in our house! For more DIY family photo shoot tips, check out this inspiration post!
As I have been doing for the last several years, I'm bringing you my photo card roundup!
Who Has the Best Prices on Custom Cards?We take deal tracking a step further by giving you a quick and easy way to see which companies have the best pricing on cards. Keep in mind the prices in the chart are pre-sale prices. Once you subtract the savings, these cards end up cheaper than the greeting cards you find off the shelf! Some of this information was not that easy to find b/t/w but we did the leg work for you. Be sure to Check out my price comparison chart before you order! (It's a little further down on the page - but I promise it's worth it. After checking that out, you should also look at the current sales, which you'll find on the deals page.)
In addition to putting together my price comparison charts and tracking card deals (as well as other photo deals), I love checking out all the latest cards - new designs, new features, new paper options.
2017 Holiday Card Trends
One type of card I've seen a lot more this year is the magnet card. In the past it's been more common to see them as "Save the Date" cards for upcoming nuptials, but seems like more holiday versions are available this year, and from more companies than before. As you can see from the images above (from Photobook America), they look like a typical card but are printed directly onto a magnet. In fact, some companies just have the magnet option among the available traditional paper choices, so you won't have a shortage of designs from which to choose.
Magnet cards are generally more expensive than the paper holiday cards, but with some deals as high as 70% off, they are surprisingly affordable. You'll find them at Photobook America and Mixbook. Snapfish also has them available, but not with a pre-made holiday design, although you could use their online software to create a holiday card by using themed embellishments. Photobook America has the best deal I've seen for magnet cards thus far with a prepaid 72% to 76% off voucher is $24.99 for 25 cards. Shipping may vary depending on your location and speed, but base shipping is $9.99 for 25 magnet cards to the U.S. So it comes out to about $1.40 each. With a voucher you buy now to get the deal, but can make and order later.
Still on trend is the year in review card. I've probably done one of these every year for the last 5 to 6 years, so I'm always on the lookout for new designs with that layout. You can pick 4 or 5 of your fave photos from the past year and share brief highlights of 2017.It's nice to hear a bit of news from friends and family - especially if you haven't had the chance to catch up in a while. This particular card at right is from Mixbook. I like the simple, clean layout and the decorative headings for each section. Having the list format also takes some pressure off of having to write a lengthy paragraph. What's nice about Mixbook is they offer the most customizable cards out there. You can change any element on the card that you want, resizing photo boxes and text, change backgrounds, add stickers etc. It can be hard with fixed designs to make your sentiments and photos fit within the constraints of a fixed template if you're a queen of customization like me but with Mixbook's flexible software, you can change the design to your heart's content!
The next two cards are by AdoramaPix. These cards feature a unique decorative edge I haven't seen offered elsewhere - two square corners and two rounded corners. I always gravitate toward the unusual or unique. What's great about AdoramaPix's holiday card offerings are that decorative edges like this, are provided at no additional charge. Another unique feature, new for this year at AdoramaPix is hand-drawn artwork - so you won't find these designs elsewhere. Four different paper choices are also available and they're all included in the base price. If you buy more than one card the price drops dramatically.
Something for Everyone
I love to see options for folks who may not celebrate Christmas, but want to send greetings for holidays such as Hanukkah (December 12 - 20) and Diwali (October 19). I personally have enjoyed finding cards for Chinese New Year (February 16, 2017), on Photobook America's site for something unique to give to family. Hanukkah cards can be found at AdoramaPix, Shutterfly and TinyPrints among other companies.
And of course there are always plenty of Happy New Year card designs!A Must Read: My Custom Photo Card Guide!You'll also find more on the latest trends and my best tips on how to make your very own custom cards in my Photo Book Girl's Guide to Custom Photo Cards. To see the latest deals on photo cards and freebies, be sure to bookmark and visit my Photo Deals page now through the end of the year. There is no reason why you should be paying full price for custom cards!
Here's just a sampling of the current cards deals as of the time of this post.
Deal #1
Photobook America
Exclusive PBG Reader Deal
60% off Photobook America - sitewide for PBG Readers!
Coupon Code: PBGIRL17
Deal Expires: 12/31/2017, 11:59pm PT (Discount does not apply to accessories, pro-series, & flush mount album. Shipping is not included. Delivery only within country of residence.)
_______
Deal #2
Mixbook
35% to 50% off Cards!
Coupon Code: JUMPA
Deal Expires: 11/15/2017 11:59pm PT
_______
Deal #3
TinyPrints 10 FREE CARDS!
10 FREE Cards! 10 free Tiny Prints square trim, signature cardstock cards (3x5 folded, 4x5 flat, 5x5, 5x7 flat, 5x7 folded, 5x7 trifold, 5x7 gatefold, foil or glitter cards) through shutterfly.com/tinyprints or our mobile-friendly site. Promo can only be redeemed once per account and/or billing address. Limit one product or order discount code and one shipping code per order. Taxes, shipping and handling will apply. Other trim, paper and envelope options will incur extra fees. Not valid on Shutterfly branded products. (Make sure to click on the TinyPrints logo at top left to make sure you are on the TinyPrints part of the site.)
Coupon Code: 10FREECARDS
Deal Expires: 11/12/2017 11:59pm PT
_______
Deal #4
AdoramaPix
PBG Exclusive! $10 off card orders of $50 or more!
Coupon Code: PXPBG10
Deal Expires: 11/30/2017 11:59pm PT
_______
Deal #5
Snapfish
50% off photo cards with $20 order
Coupon Code: 50CARD20AFF
Deal Expires: 11/30/2017 11:59pm PT
_______
Deal #6
Snapfish
40% off sitewide!
Coupon Code: 40OFFAFF
Deal Expires: 11/30/2017 11:59pm PT
_______
Deal #7
Mixbook
PBG Exclusive! 30% off cards!
Coupon Code: PBG2017
Deal Expires: 12/31/2017 11:59pm PT
_______
Deal #8
Photobook America
70% to 72% off voucher for custom greeting cards
Deal Expires: 12/31/2017 11:59pm PT (Buy voucher now, make your cards by 2/10/2018. Shipping not included in cost of voucher)
_____________________
Yea for deals! Hope you get a great head start on your holiday projects. This isn't my last post on cards so be sure to check back often and stay tuned! Happy Cardmaking!
*Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a referral fee. Regardless, my opinions are my own and I always give my honest opinion, good or bad.
