How To Print Digital Christmas Cards
It’s good to learn how to print Digital Christmas Cards. Sometimes you just can’t find the cards you want in the store or the Season is creeping up too quickly, and digital cards are your best option.
Because we get it totally.
Even though we love the Digital Cards in our Shop, we tend to be the last to get our Christmas cards in the mail!
So that you don’t have to be like us, here’s a tutorial to make printing your own cards the job you’ll love to put first on your Holiday To-do List.
How to Print Digital Christmas Cards
1. Purchase your printable cards
You can find our choices of Digital Christmas Cards here. Most of our cards are available as both instant downloadable cards, or physical cards which we print and mail to you. If you want to print your own, make sure you choose the Digital option in the size you want. A7 Digital is a 5″ x 7″ folded card, and A2 Digital finished size is 4.25″ x 5.5″.
When you’ve purchased the design in the size you want, a PDF file will download for you.
2. Print your cards
We recommend several options for printing cards:
- Use a printer with a rear-feed capability to print on cardstock. We like to print certain card designs on watercolor paper. However, this can be very heavy paper. It won’t feed through your typical home printer. This is the rear-feed photo printer we have and we love it.
- Print on a lighter weight paper, such as good quality printer paper, this mulberry paper or these handmade papers. These will feed through a regular printer. If it’s too lightweight to fold as a card, trim the design and glue it to a heavier card. Please note that handmade paper may leave fibers in your printer that could cause issues. We use our rear feed printer for handmade papers, and fibers have not affected it. I wouldn’t be afraid to use my HP printer for printing a few handmade pages, however it is good to be aware of the risk.
- Take or send the PDF file link to your local print shop. They will be able to print the cards on any paper you choose.
3. Cut your cards to the right size
The PDF file will print the card designs on printer size paper, which is 8.5″ x 11″.
After printing the designs, cut them to either the A7 or A2 size you purchased. The pages have cutting guidelines. Use a paper trimmer like this to cut the card along the guidelines.
If you don’t have access to a table top paper trimmer, place a ruler on the guidelines and mark cut lines lightly with a pencil. Then cut carefully with a regular paper scissors.
4. Score and fold your cards
The printable cards have score lines which mark the center fold of the cards. Note that by trimming the cards to size, the score lines will disappear. Either score the cards before trimming, or mark the score lines with pencil to score after trimming.
Scoring can be done with a tool like this, or simply use a bone folder tool and a ruler.
5. Final Step!
Now all that’s left is to sign your cards and then address and stamp the envelopes!
Drop your Christmas mail into the mailbox, then make a cup of hot chocolate, light the Holiday candles and take a few moments to relax. And open your own Christmas mail.
You’ve earned it!