Best Greeting Card Printing Service for Your Own Card Designs
You drew the card, now it needs a printer that scores before it folds, names its stocks, sends the right envelope and prices a shop sized run. Judge a greeting card printer on those points before you upload your art.
The best greeting card printing service for your own designs scores every card before folding, offers named cover stocks and coatings, supplies matching envelopes and shows a proof before press. At 4OVER4.COM, folded greeting cards come in 4.25 by 5.5 or 5 by 7 inches on 17 stocks, with optional A2 envelopes, from 50 cards for $56.02 in 5 business days.
Quick tips
Size, stock and envelope decide the whole order
Three choices, in this order. The finished size sets the envelope. The stock sets the feel and whether a pen writes on it. The run size sets the price per card. The diagram lays out each choice and the options behind it.
Watch it printed
See greeting cards printed and folded, in 133 seconds
What makes a greeting card printer worth using
A greeting card is a small product with a lot of ways to go wrong. The fold can crack, the envelope can be a size too small, the inside message can drift off center, and a cheap stock can feel thin in the hand. Judge a printer on the parts of the job you cannot fix after it ships.
- Scoring. Every card should be scored before it folds. 4OVER4 scores every greeting card and lets you choose folded to finished size or scored and shipped flat.
- Named stocks. Weight and finish for each paper, not a vague premium card.
- Envelopes. A matching envelope option in the same order.
- Proof. A free online proof, or a hardcopy proof when color matters.
- Run sizes. A ladder that starts small enough to test and scales for a shop.
These checks work on any printer, including us. The full size and stock menu for our cards is in greeting card printing sizes, stocks and how to order.
Card sizes and folds to ask for
Most card designs land on one of two folded sizes. A sheet of 8.5 by 5.5 inches folds to 4.25 by 5.5, the everyday size that fits an A2 envelope. A sheet of 10 by 7 inches folds to 5 by 7, which fits an A7 envelope and gives a photo or illustration more room. Other card products add square and tall formats, such as a 6 by 6 inch fold on suede cards.
Build the file as the flat sheet with the fold line in the center, and design the front panel on the right half of the outside spread. Order the cards folded if they go straight into a shop display, or scored and shipped flat if you want to fold them yourself or pack them flat for mailing.
Paper stocks and coatings that feel like a shop card
The stock is what a buyer feels before they read the card. Greeting cards at 4OVER4 print on 17 stocks, and each one suits a different card:
- 14pt and 16pt gloss cover. Bright color for photo and illustrated fronts. Add high gloss UV coating for extra shine.
- 14pt, 16pt and 18pt uncoated, with cream at 14pt and 18pt. A soft surface that takes a pen, for cards people write in.
- 14pt white linen and 18pt premium white linen. A woven texture for weddings and formal notes.
- Metallic pearl, in ice, champagne, silver and gold. A shimmer for holiday and luxury designs.
- 16pt uncoated with soft touch, and 13pt uncoated with 100% post consumer waste. A velvet feel, or a recycled story for an eco brand.
For a stronger shelf look, separate products step up: kraft greeting cards on 18pt kraft uncoated cover made from 100% post consumer waste, spot UV coated greeting cards on 16pt Gloss Cover with silk lamination and optional spot UV on chosen parts of the design, and raised foil cards on 16 point soft velvet laminated stock.
Envelopes, bundling and packing for resale
A card without the right envelope is half a product. On greeting cards you can add white wove A2 envelopes in the same order, sized for the 4.25 by 5.5 card. For a 5 by 7 card, order A7 envelopes, which measure 5.25 by 7.25 inches; invitation envelopes come in A2 through A10 and square sizes in white wove, from 250 for $170.42.
If you sell cards in sets or to shops, turn on bundling in the configurator so the cards arrive grouped rather than loose in the box. Pair each card with its envelope before you shrink wrap or bag it, and keep a few spare envelopes per hundred for the ones that tear during packing.
Quantity and bulk runs for shops and makers
Price the card at the quantity you will sell, because the per card cost falls fast. Greeting cards cost $56.02 for 50, $77.99 for 100, $165.86 for 500 and $303.15 for 1,000, and the ladder runs to 100,000 cards. At 500 that is about 33 cents a card before the envelope. Holiday designs such as Christmas cards start at 25 for $31.86 when you only need a family run.
Standard production is 5 business days from the approved proof, with faster options down to same day when the proof is approved by noon ET. For a maker testing a new design, order the smallest run on the stock you plan to sell, show it at one market, then reorder the winners from the same file so the second run matches the first.
Proof the card, then compare printers with one checklist
Choose the free online proof and read both spreads. Check that the front art sits on the correct half, the inside message is centered on its panel and nothing important touches the fold. Pick the next day hardcopy proof when the exact color on metallic or kraft stock matters to you.
Then send the same questions to every printer on your list and compare the answers in one table: Is every card scored before folding? Which stocks, by weight? Which envelope sizes, in the same order? What does 500 cost, delivered? How many business days from approval? A printer that answers all five in writing is a printer you can reorder from. The greeting card printing range lists every card we print with its live price.
Wally checks the fold before the front
Scored, sized to the envelope, priced for the shop
Wally hands his own card designs only to a printer that scores every card, names the stock and sends the envelope in the same box. His 4.25 by 5.5 cards ship folded with A2 envelopes, and 500 of them cost $165.86 at 4OVER4, about 33 cents a card for his gift shop order.
Shop greeting cards →
Checklist
Compare greeting card printers on five answers
Ask every printer on your list the same questions. The last column shows how 4OVER4 answers each one on standard greeting cards.
| What to ask | Why it matters | At 4OVER4 |
|---|---|---|
| Is every card scored before folding? | An unscored fold cracks on cover stock | Scored on every card, folded or shipped flat |
| Which stocks, by weight and finish? | The stock is the feel of the card | 17 stocks, 13pt to 18pt, with high gloss UV as an option |
| Which envelopes come in the same order? | The card and envelope must fit | White wove A2 for 4.25 x 5.5 cards |
| What does a shop run cost? | The per card price sets your margin | 500 for $165.86, 1,000 for $303.15 |
| How many days from approval? | A launch or holiday has a date | 5 business days, faster options to same day |
Specs and pricing
Greeting card specs and pricing
The live sizes, stocks, fold options and quantity ladder for standard greeting cards, the card most designers print first.
| Quantity | Price Per Unit | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | $1.12 | $56.02 |
| 100 | 78.0¢ | $77.99 |
| 200 | 50.0¢ | $99.95 |
| 300 | 40.6¢ | $121.92 |
| 400 | 36.0¢ | $143.89 |
| 500 | 33.2¢ | $165.86 |
| 600 | 31.9¢ | $191.12 |
| 700 | 30.9¢ | $216.38 |
Print it
Greeting cards for your own designs
Ready-made layouts
Blank greeting card templates with the fold marked
Download a blank flat sheet with the fold line, bleed and safe zone drawn, place your front and inside art, and export at full size.
See it in use
Greeting cards customers have printed
Explore more
Where to go next
By the numbers
Greeting cards, from a test run to a shop order
Common Questions
Printing your own greeting cards, answered
Can I print greeting cards from my own artwork?
Yes. Upload a print ready PDF of the flat sheet, 8.5 by 5.5 inches for a 4.25 by 5.5 card or 10 by 7 inches for a 5 by 7 card, with 0.125 inch bleed and the fold in the center. If you are starting from scratch, download the blank greeting card template with the fold line marked.
Should I order my cards folded or flat?
Order them folded to finished size when they go straight into a display or a mailing. Choose scored and shipped flat when you want to fold them yourself, add an insert, or store them flat. Both options arrive scored, so the fold stays clean either way.
Which stock is best for a card people write in?
An uncoated stock, such as 14pt, 16pt or 18pt uncoated cover in white or cream, or white linen. A pen writes cleanly on an uncoated surface, while gloss and high gloss UV suit a card that is all art and no handwriting.
Do the cards come with envelopes?
Not by default. White wove A2 envelopes are an option in the same order for the smaller card; the larger card needs A7 invitation envelopes, ordered as their own product.
How much do greeting cards cost in bulk?
Specialty cards start at 100 and cost far more per card: kraft greeting cards run $193.15 for 100, spot UV coated cards $503.99 for 100 and raised foil cards $618.16 for 100, against the standard ladder in the quantity section above.
How long does a greeting card order take?
Standard greeting cards print in 5 business days from the approved proof, with faster options down to same day when the proof is approved by noon ET. Pick the free online proof so you can check both spreads before the run starts.
Get Started
Print your card designs this week
Pick the size and envelope, choose a stock that suits the card, check the proof and order greeting cards at 4OVER4.COM from 50 cards.
Legal Disclaimer
Gold Standard guarantees apply to all standard orders placed through 4over4.com. Price match requires verifiable proof of a competitor's published price for an equivalent product with matching specifications and turnaround time. Satisfaction guarantee covers manufacturing defects and print quality issues. Contact support with order number and documentation.
