Printing Instructions for Customizable Greeting Cards

All Sea Glass Parenting greeting card designs are 5.5″ x 8.5″, designed to print on a full-size sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ paper or cardstock and be folded over.

Cards can also be printed on greeting card templates, but please ensure you are aware of the template size. If the template is smaller than 5.5″ x 8.5″, the card design will need to be scaled.

Cards are designed to print edge-to-edge, meaning there is no white space around the edge of the card. If your printer does not print edge-to-edge, there may be a thin white border around the edge of the card.

Printing at home:

With plain paper – print double-sided, and select flipping *on the short edge*.

With cardstock – most printers will not do automatic double-sided prints with thicker paper like cardstock. In this case, you will need to manually feed the paper in one side at a time. You may want to test with plain paper to ensure you flip correctly. Since this paper is thicker, we recommend using a straight edge such as a ruler to help you get a clean fold afterwards.

With a greeting card template – if the template is 5.5″ x 8.5″, follow the printing instructions for the template. If the template is smaller, you will need to scale to fit.

Printing via a commercial service:

Cards may be printed via any commercial print service, either brick and mortar or online. This is a good option if you are looking for multiple quantities of high-quality prints, or if your home printer doesn’t do color.

Please note: While I normally LOVE Canva’s print service, they unfortunately do not offer folded greeting cards at this time.

Other considerations:

Color of paper – Cards print best on plain white or cream paper. If you choose another color of paper, we recommend a light color, and testing to ensure the design prints well.

Envelopes – You’ll need to look for envelopes that suit 5.5″ x 8.5″ cards. Some templates or commercial print shops may also include envelopes with your order.

Re-sizing a design – WikiHow has an article on re-sizing images for printing, here.

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Have any additional questions or suggestions about a design? Contact us at [email protected] or [email protected].