The Southampton Press, November 15, 2007

Picture This

By Cheryl Machat Dorskind

Shooting a Greeting Card that Stands Out

It’s time to plan your holiday card. Should you follow last year’s strategy or try something new?

This early morning photograph of the Post Stop Café in Westhampton Beach, which includes an artistic border, was altered in Adobe Photoshop and printed on watercolor paper.

There are many possibilities to create a card that will surface above the pile. First, select a quality photograph that tells the story. Instead of a posed family portrait, think outside the box and consider humor, metaphor, a favorite place, or a photograph of your home.

Once the photograph is selected, consider the aesthetics. Timeless, black and white conversions create attention. Sepia evokes nostalgia. Incorporating an artistic border into the photo design will also enhance the image. Choose the background color carefully—too much color will draw too much attention. Paper stock and surface sheen are additional considerations. Choose between a glossy photograph which typically renders a sharp crisp look, a matte surface which evokes a softer message, or a 100% rag artist paper card; the tactile quality becomes an integral part of the message.

Mail your photograph by inserting it within a photo card pocket frame with a preprinted message to reduce the hands-on production. Photo card pocket frames are available at most one hour photo shops, card shops, and online merchants including exposuresonline.com, myexpression.com, katespaperie.com, and hallmark.com.

Creating a personalized half-fold note card (3x5) or greeting card (5x7), a folded card with a picture of your choice printed on the front and an inscribed message inside is a popular and classy option. Shutterfly.com, Ofoto, and Snapfish.com are just a few of the many sources available. The prices vary considerably, so be certain to shop comparatively. Photo cards are yet another popular holiday greeting style and simple to process at any photo supply store, online, or on your own computer. This is the preferred style for a photo collage. Popular sizes are 4x8 and 5x7.

If you are a crafty person, perhaps you’d rather create a card yourself using digital editing software and then printing the image and message with your inkjet onto a gorgeous artist paper. There are many note card papers available. For starters visit Canon.com, Epson.com, Adorama.com, Legionpapers.com and Hahnemule.com.

You could go paperless and send an e-card (a greeting message sent and received through e-mail). While they’re somewhat of a novelty, opening attachments raises security concerns. To safeguard against Spam and computer viruses an e-mail will be sent to your mailing list with a message something like this: “Cheryl Dorskind has sent you an ecard from American Greetings” Along with the message, a link to open the card (double click to open) and an e-mail pickup link where the wary can open the message at the company’s web site will be provided. To get started, visit Hallmark.com, Realsimple.com, and AmericanGreetings.com.

To gild the lily, consider creating a personalized postage stamp. The United States Postal Service website (www.usps.com) provides four links: Stamps.com, Pictureitpostage.com Yourstamps.com, and Zazzle.com All four sources offer stamps for various postage sizes. PicutreItpostage.com offers free stamp designer software for Mac or PC, and Zazzle.com offers the best prices and you can even sell your stamp design on their website.

To gild the lily, consider creating a personalized postage stamp. The United States Postal Service website (www.usps.com) provides four links: Stamps.com, Pictureitpostage.com, Yourstamps.com, and Zazzle.com All four sources offer stamps for various postage sizes. PicutreItpostage.com offers free stamp designer software for Mac or PC, and Zazzle.com offers the best prices and you can even sell your stamp design on their website.

contact: Cheryl@cherylmachatdorskind.com.