Are Art Greeting Cards Profitable
Are greeting cards a thing of the past, or can artists still earn some decent income selling high-quality cards with their artwork on them?
Here are some greeting card business statistics to consider before you decide not to offer handmade cards.
Annual retail sales of greeting cards are estimated at more than $7.5 billion. Nine out of every ten households buy greeting cards each year. The average household buys thirty individual greeting cards a year. (Source: liveabout dotcom)
Even though people send customized greeting cards online, most people still enjoy greeting cards on special occasions like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and holidays.
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Why Is It More Profitable For Artists To Sell Greeting Cards Today
Before the internet, card designers would have to outsource their printing jobs to local printing services. Most printing services would only print products in bulk, which meant a significant investment for the creators. If the product didn’t sell, the designer would eat the costs.
Today, print-on-demand companies make it easy for artists and photographers to print cards from photos and art and sell print-on-demand greeting cards online at no upfront costs. The product quality from most print-on-demand services is gallery quality. They use archival inks on premium card stock, meaning the artwork will not fade for many years. Buying greeting cards and postcards online to sell at local craft fairs has never been easier.
What Is Print On Demand
Print-on-demand is a platform where an artist or designer works with a printing service to customize products like greeting cards, giclee prints, iPhone cases, canvas prints, tote bags, apparel, and home décor with their design and sell them on a per-order basis.
More and more print-on-demand companies are being launched every year due to the rise in online art sales over the past five years, and setting up an account is as easy as setting up a Facebook Page.
How To Turn Your Photos Into Greeting Cards
There are several ways to turn your photos into greeting cards, but the easiest way is to use a print-on-demand company. Once you have decided what print-on-demand company you will use, you must upload your image, determine what products you want to sell, and promote the products on your website and social media platforms. Print-on-demand companies offer a wide range of designs and features, so you can create cards as simple or elaborate as possible.
And because the cards are printed-on-demand, you don’t have to worry about minimum order requirements or inventory management.
When a product sells, the print-on-demand will fulfill the order, ship the product directly to the buyer, and you will receive royalties for each sale. POD services make it possible to create different designs at no upfront cost to you or the printing service. A custom design will only be printed when a person makes a purchase.
For example, if a customer purchases 5 customized greeting cards from your site, the POD service will print the cards and ship them directly to the buyer, and you will receive royalties for the sale.
The downside of using a print-on-demand service is that you will not have a large profit margin. You will not receive contact information from recent buyers, which makes it impossible to get additional sales in the future via email marketing.
On the other hand, you will not have to invest in a high-quality printer to print high-quality greeting cards. Home printers will produce good quality prints, but they will not compare to the large factory printers with 10-12 ink ports.
Best Print On Demand Companies For Greeting Cards
Many online printing services print card designs with vibrant colors.
Greeting cards are a great way to show off your creativity, and there is an abundance of print-on-demand publishers. With these companies, you can have any design printed onto greeting cards anytime.
Some things to consider before using a service are:
- Privacy policy
- Production times
- The material used for the print job
- Retail locations – where they ship their products from
- If they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee
- Return shipping charges
- Customer service
- If they provide premium cardstock
Here are some of the most popular services artists and photographers use for their businesses.
Gelato – is becoming more popular with card designers and will produce more than fifty million cards in 2020. Gelato has facilities in thirty countries that make customers happy with the 72-hour shipping time. They also make it easy to sell greeting cards on Etsy and Shopify.
Create your design, and they will handle the printing and fulfillment.
Pwinty – makes it easy for artists to sell high-quality greeting cards on 320gms thick art paper.
Upload your design and choose what sizes you would like to offer your customers.
Available sizes:
- 4 x 6”
- 4.1 x 5.8”
- 3.9 x 8.2”
- 5.7 x 5.7”
- 5 x 7”
You can also sell your designs on photo prints, photographic art prints, fine art prints, framed prints, stretched canvas, framed canvas, rolled canvas, phone cases, mugs, and more. The most popular sizes to sell are the 4×6 greeting card printing and the 5 x 7.
Gooten– Print-on-demand greeting cards are easy with Gooten. They offer multiple sizes on multiple papers, including silk cover, matte cover, and uncoated cover. Each greeting card comes with an envelope, and they are shipped worldwide.
They also offer prints on other merchandise, including mugs, pouches, acrylic blocks, acrylic prints, acrylic trays, and apparel.
SuperiorPOD – is a family-owned and operated print-on-demand business in upstate New York. They specialize in card decks and board games.
Zazzle – was launched in 2005 and has become a famous print-on-demand company for artists and designers. Upload your image and decide from over one hundred products to sell, including greeting cards. Zazzle ships worldwide and guarantees satisfaction to ensure customers are happy with their purchases. One benefit of using Zazzle is allowing a buyer to customize and design a greeting card with text, making the card a more personal gift.
Pixels claims to be the best place to print cards. Their greeting cards are 5” x 7“and are available horizontally and vertically with a white envelope. Pixel allows you to add a personal message, and each order is shipped within 5-7 days.
Greeting Card Printing NYC – Greeting Card Printing NYC allows you to create your own custom design paired with matching envelopes by choosing from their gallery of free templates or submitting an image that can be edited quickly.
Print My Own Cards
If you’re interested in printing your greeting cards at home to sell, you’ll need a few things to get started.
Before printing cards, you will need a good-quality printer that can produce high-resolution prints at home and a photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop to edit the digital image.
You will also want to invest in some high-quality paper stock.
To learn more about the best inkjet printers for greeting cards, visit Best Printers For Printing Fine Art Prints.
Related Post: Printing Greeting Cards To Sell (Complete Guide)
How To Sell Greeting Cards Online
Are you looking for the best place to sell art prints? The first step is to decide how you will print your cards.
- Printing Greeting Cards To Sell from home
- Have a local printing company print your cards
- Use a print-on-demand company to fulfill your orders
The second step is to promote your cards online and offline.
Where To Sell Greeting Cards Offline:
Local Craft And Art Fairs – Unique handmade greeting cards tend to do well at local craft fairs because people visit fairs searching for unique, one-of-a-kind gifts. Another reason people purchase cards at local events is because there are no shipping costs.
Local Stores – Find some local gift shops in your area, introduce yourself to the owner, and discuss how you can sell your cards in their shop. Search for local places that sell birthday cards or inexpensive holiday cards.
Open Studio Events – Open studio events are not just for selling original paintings. People who admire your work would love to send greeting cards to their family and friends with your art on them.
Custom Printed Greeting Cards Wholesale – Custom greeting cards can show your creativity. This could be the perfect side hustle or full-time job if you have design, printing, and fulfillment skills.
The key to building long-term relationships with people who purchase your cards is to have your website or print-on-demand URLs on the back of the cards. You want to make it easy for them to remember how to contact you. The people who receive your custom greeting card will also see your website on the back, and if they are in the market for purchasing greeting cards, they will search for you.
Where To Sell Greeting Cards Online:
Before selling a birthday card, you need a potential customer to see the card.
After you have decided on what platform like Etsy, Shopify, or a website you own you will use to showcase your design, you have to work hard to have someone view the listing.
Social Media Platforms – People love to look at art on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. Uploading an image of a custom greeting card on each platform will increase the odds of someone seeing your post and turning them into loyal customers.
Blog Posts – Every day, people search for greeting cards online. The easiest way to be discovered in Google’s search is to write blog posts about your products and production. The more posts you publish, the more ways people will be able to discover you online.
Newsletters – It is easier to sell products to a customer who has already purchased than find new customers. Encourage people who purchase your products to join your email list and entice them by letting them know they will receive special prices on new and old designs.
Related resource: How To Sell Art Prints Online and Make Money
Print On Demand Greeting Cards Etsy
Etsy makes it easy for artists to sell reproductions of their art by integrating with print-on-demand sites like Printify and Gooten. The problem artists encounter is the quality of the greeting cards, the shipping costs, or their favorite print-on-demand company not offering particular products.
The quality of the product is essential for return business and your business’s reputation. It is a good idea to purchase a card or pack of cards to see if the quality of the paper and print is what you are looking for.
Shipping costs could affect sales negatively, especially if the shipping costs are more significant than the cost of the card. Research the shipping costs for a single card and a pack of cards to see if the print-on-demand company is best for your business.
Another option for selling designs on greeting cards is printing and shipping them from your home.
Printers are relatively inexpensive, and you will have control of the paper you use for the printing. Strathmore printing cards with envelopes is a high-quality paper that works well for printing high-quality cards.
For more information on printers, visit 7 Best Printers For Printing Fine Art Prints.
Self Publishing Greeting Cards
Self-publishing greeting cards can be great for artists and designers to get their work out into the world creatively and meaningfully.
There are many steps involved in creating, printing, and delivering high-quality greeting cards, but it is possible to do it yourself with careful planning and attention to detail.
The first step is choosing a design theme you want to work with. This should be representative of your artistic style or personal interests and something that will appeal to potential buyers.
Next, you will need to create the artwork for the cards. This may involve drawing or hand-lettering on paper or using graphics software like Photoshop or Illustrator.
Lastly, you will need to set up a printing process and decide how you want your cards delivered – by mail or an online e-commerce store.
With these steps in mind, self-publishing greeting cards can be an exciting way for artists and designers to bring their unique visions into the world.
Print-On-Demand Postcards
These days, there are many options for artists who want to make money from their work. One option is to sell print-on-demand postcards.
This type of postcard allows customers to order prints of your artwork, then printed and shipped by the company. The advantage of this postcard type is that you can reach a wider audience than you would if you were selling original or limited edition prints. Plus, you don’t have to worry about storing or shipping inventory.
However, the downside is that you’ll likely make less money per sale than if you were selling originals or limited edition prints. Still, print-on-demand postcards can be a viable option for artists who want to make extra money from their work.
Popular Greeting Cards Artists Can Make
There are many different types of greeting cards that artists can create. Some popular choices include birthday cards, thank you cards, and holiday cards.
Birthday cards can feature significant dates, particular messages, or simply pretty pictures.
Thank you cards are a thoughtful way to show appreciation and can be customized with specific wording or images.
Original art Christmas cards are a festive way to spread cheer and can be designed with traditional or non-traditional themes.
Whatever the occasion, there is sure to be a greeting card that will suit the needs of the artist and the recipient.
Final Thoughts On Print On Demand Greeting Cards
Online art sales have soared over the past five years, and they seem like they will continue to increase.
Art buyers feel more comfortable investing in an original painting online, and discovering new artists worldwide has never been easier.
Artists can now operate a successful online art business and use multiple revenue streams to generate money, including selling artwork prints on merchandise like greeting cards, mugs, apparel, and fine art papers.
Whether selling your art on Etsy, your own website, or in a store, a print-on-demand company might be your best option for selling greeting cards. Allowing someone to purchase a custom greeting card with no upfront costs wins you and the buyer.
If you live in the UK, you will want to consider searching for greeting card printers UK to lower the cost of shipping.
There are some cheap greeting card printing services, so research before investing a lot of money in prints.
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