As society becomes more and more “paperless”, we have begun to see more and more areas of our lives converted into the digital realm. But technology doesn’t always phase traditional items out; sometimes technology allows us to have more control over the design and content of traditional items. For decades, greeting cards have been a staple tradition for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions. Wandering up and down the greeting card isle your local grocery store is an experience most of us are familiar with. But now, with the help of several websites, you can design and print your own greeting cards, or design digital e-cards, complete with animation and music, to send to your friends and loved ones via email.
Bluemountain.com features fully customizable print-at-home greeting cards, complete with an easy-to-use Flash interface which allows you to add your own photos, texts, and color schemes to your cards. Simply select the occasion (birthday, anniversary, wedding, get well, etc.) and you’ll be presented with several pre-made card designs. Once you select the design you want, you will then be able to customize the greeting to your heart’s content. Blue Mountain also features e-cards and e-postcards that you can send via email or share via social media.Greetingsisland.com is another website offering free print-at-home greeting cards and e-cards. However, what makes this site stand out are their free envelope designs. After you customize and print your greeting card, you can then select an envelope design and print that design onto your own envelope, making for a truly professional presentation.
Once you have chosen a website and selected and customized your greeting cards, you may want to consider printing them on something other than standard printer paper. There are several options available, from standard photo paper to card stock. For example, HP offers greeting card paper in several styles, from glossy greeting card paper to felt-textured card paper. Some packs of paper even include envelopes in which to send the cards. Greeting card paper can also be obtained from companies that are traditionally associated with greeting cards, such as Hallmark and American Greetings.For those who are more interested in sending e-cards via email, 123greetings.com is a popular website that offers free, flash-based greeting cards. Instead of a static photo or drawing on your greeting card, 123greetings offers a wealth of pre-made cards with Flash animation, truly bringing the cards to life before the recipient’s eyes. Some cards cycle through multiple images and blocks of text, while others use several images to create the illusion of movement. The user can also upload their own photos and make their own custom e-cards to send out via email.
Whether you are choosing to customize and print your greeting cards at home or send animated greetings via email, there are several free websites out there with all the tools and options you need. Using these websites, you can add flair and, more importantly, a personal touch to all of your future greetings.