The Stationers Guild

Together with the convenience of digital photography and breakthroughs in offset printing, this Christmas quite a few families will digitally print family pictures on their annual holiday greeting card. What could possibly be faster and easier? Just upload your picture to an online printing company, find a design template, edit your image, click the print button and your printed Christmas cards will be shipped to your home.

This sounds like an idyllic situation, but photography purists believe that digitally-printed holiday cards aren’t nearly as attractive as pictures mounted on the greeting card. One experienced stationer and amateur photographer remarked, “Digitally reproduced holiday cards simply do not have the quality and print image resolution of photos developed by a commercial printer. Some digital Christmas photo cards may be appealing, but if you do a comparison side-by-side, the difference is obvious: Photomount holiday photo cards win hands-down.”

Not all people would go along with this evaluate, but clearly if you factor in the “efficiency factor” and lower overall cost, it is no surprise that buyers have migrated toward digital holiday cards. “Let’s admit it,” said this seasoned stationery store owner, “you are receiving a nice quality photo card – maybe not the best quality – but you avoid the hassle of mounting the photographs with adhesive tape.”

Due to this difference in consumer purchasing tendencies, main-stream printing companies have shifted rapidly to boost their digital printing capabilities. The truth is, market leaders, Crane & Co. and William Arthur now provide clients the choice of imprinting their photo on the Christmas photo card or placing their photos on beautifully-crafted cards – often embossed – with pre-applied adhesive tape.

To appreciate the variations in both printing processes, it is wise to go to an experienced stationery store in your area to check out printed examples personally. Regardless of what option feels like a fit, a number of printing companies happen to be in the midst of their holiday card sale. Save anywhere for 20% to 50% by buying your holiday photo cards before the end of September.

Sheila May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair, a stationery store located in Greenwich, CT. She writes frequently about photo greeting cards and holiday greeting card trends.

As soon as one thinks of the Winter Holidays in any big city, New York often springs to mind. It is difficult to visualize a much more photogenic town that usually looks best with a small coating of snow covering its tall buildings and beautiful parks.

Local businesses, large and small, generally employ a Nyc landmark as a foundation for their annual holiday greeting card. Typical scenes might include the New York City public library on 5th Avenue, the Empire State Building or many of the ponds in Central Park. Actually, firms usually use holiday greeting cards featuring New York City scenes drawn by American painters. One printer that features a large selection of New York themed cards is Birchcraft.

Drawing from common winter scenarios from several acclaimed artists, Birchcraft catches the essence of New York throughout the holidays. Those New York City based businesses looking for a greeting card which catches the substance of the holiday season in the Big Apple should take a look at Birchcraft’s collection of cost-effective greeting cards.

When customizing your business holiday card, small business owners will often include the names of company principals as opposed to the name of the company. Personalized greetings may be changed out on most holiday greeting cards, so businesses are well-advised to invest time deciding on a standardized greeting or making a unique greeting.

For some reason, holiday cards with New York winter images reflect the mood of the year and are also a great vehicle to showcase your business in a favorable manner, especially if you have a NYC-based company.

Due to slow economy, many printing companies provide a number of promotional offers. Many companies are offering promotional savings of any where from 20% to 50% off business greeting cards through September 30th. Other companies offer free shipping and other promotional discounts.

This holiday season, if you are looking for a holiday card with New York winter scenes, Birchcraft is perhaps a good option.

Sheila May owns Therese Saint Clair and writes regularly about business holiday cards and holiday greeting cards.

As a stationer, I am frequently asked by our clients if they should choose digital photo cards this Christmas season. Almost all of these patrons have traditionally used photo mount Christmas greeting cards to show family pictures.

This is a difficult query to respond to, seeing that it is determined by on your objectives. Digital Christmas photo greeting cards are certainly more convenient, even though the color printing of digitally reproduced photo cards is not as crisp and clean as regular pictures. While great success has been made in improving the high quality of digital reproduction, one has to be careful in choosing the printer and the style options.

One artist who has a long background of graceful styles is Stacy Claire Boyd. Stacy has long been developing captivating Christmas photo card themes for a long time. She just lately teamed up with Printswell, a high-quality printing company, and currently has the ability of producing excellent photo cards at affordable prices.

Stacy Claire’s 2011 holiday photo card gallery features her classic emphasis on young families and infants. Her own designs and styles seem to capture the pleasure of a carefree childhood and her holiday photo greeting cards are a great favorite among our clients. Select from a selection of card dimensions and alignment with multiple or a single photograph of your family.

If you make up your mind that digital printing is the right choice for you this Christmas season, please take a peek at Stacy’s classy Christmas photo card designs. The prices for Stacy’s photo greeting cards range between $2.50 to $4.00 a photo card according to the number of cards you select to buy and the printing or design choices.

Richard W. May
Founding Member Stationers Guild

A terrific way to make use of your favorite wedding photo is with your annual Christmas card. It’s an effective way to capture the joy of the wedding ceremony and share those happy memories again with your family and friends. It is hard to imagine a much more appropriate picture to celebrate your first year as a husband and wife.

Happily married couples are discovering that their favorite wedding photograph serves double-duty when digitally printed on a Christmas card or mounted on a photo card having an appealing border to showcase your photo.

If your wedding photograph has been taken with a professional photographer, you’ll likely have to get authorization from your photographer to reproduce the image digitally on the photo greeting card. On the other hand, have your photographs commercially developed and mount them on Christmas photo greeting cards using adhesive tape that is certainly generally already affixed to the photo card.

While it is surely more convenient to imprint your holiday greeting card digitally, the print resolution of commercially developed photographs is normally better. If you plan to use a photomount holiday cards, 4”x 6” photographs tend to are preferable. Most photo greeting cards are made to accept photos in either a vertical or horizontal orientation.

Potential buyers have the option of picking out a greeting between several recommended by the printer. With some of the higher quality printing firms, you may even supply your own personal custom greeting. When you are adding your family names, it’s customary for the woman’s name to go first. In the use of a wedding photograph, it is thought to be acceptable to add the date of the wedding.

If you plan to use your wedding picture this holiday season, there are a number design and printing companies you will want to take into account. Without doubt, Crane & Co. and William Arthur offer both photomount and digitally imprinted photo cards and also the Stationers Guild affiliate program with Printswell offers some cost-effective alternatives to print your wedding holiday photo card.

Sheila May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair and writes frequently about wedding invitations and holiday photo cards.

When one conjures an image of the Winter Holidays in any large city, The Big Apple frequently springs to mind. It is difficult to imagine a far more photogenic town very often looks best having a mild coating of snowfall covering its buildings and beautiful parks.

Local companies, large and small, often employ a New York landmark being a backdrop for its annual greeting card. Frequent scenarios might include the New York City public library on 5th Avenue, the Empire State Building or many of the ponds in Central Park. The fact is, firms will often use greeting cards showcasing NYC scenes painted by American artists. One printer that features an extensive choice of NYC themed holiday cards is Birchcraft.

Drawing from common winter scenes from several well-known artisans, Birchcraft catches the essence of New York throughout the holidays. Those New York based companies searching for a holiday greeting card which captures the importance of the holiday season in the Big Apple might wish to look into Birchcraft’s selection of cost effective holiday greeting cards.

When customizing your company holiday greeting card, small businesses will often include the names of company principals rather than the name of the company. Customized greetings may be customized on many holiday cards, so companies are well-advised to invest some time choosing a standardized greeting or making a unique greeting.

For some reason, holiday cards with New York City winter scenes mirror the heart and soul of the season and are also a great vehicle to showcase your business in a constructive way, particularly if you have a NYC-based organization.

With the sluggish economy, many printers are offering a number of promotional offers. Many organizations will offer promotional savings of between 20% to 50% off business cards through September 30th. Other companies offer free shipping and other promotional discounts.

This season, if you are looking for a holiday greeting card with New York City winter scenes, Birchcraft is probably a useful option.

Sheila May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair and writes often about business holiday cards and holiday greeting cards.

As a stationery store that sell holiday greeting cards and photo cards, I am frequently quizzed by our customers if they should use digital photo cards this Christmas season. Virtually all of these customers have typically used photo mount holiday greeting cards to share family pictures.

This is a complicated query to respond to, since it depends on your objectives. Digital Christmas photo greeting cards are generally more straightforward, despite the fact that the color reproduction of digitally printed photo cards is not as highly detailed as conventional photographs. While great improvement has been produced in improving the quality of digital printing, one needs to be careful in selecting the printing company and the style selections.

One artist who has got a long history of graceful designs and styles is Stacy Claire Boyd. Stacy has long been creating captivating Christmas photocard design templates for a long time. She just lately joined with Printswell, a high-quality printing company, and right now has the possibility of producing premium photo holiday cards at very affordable prices.

Stacy Claire’s 2011 Christmas photo card collection features her classic focus on new families and young ones. Her own styles seem to capture the delight of a carefree childhood and her Christmas photo greeting cards are a great favorite among our customers. Pick from a variety of card dimensions and orientation with multiple or a single picture of your family.

If you choose that digital photo card printing is the right choice for you this Christmas season, please take a look at Stacy’s attractive holiday photocard designs and styles. Prices for Stacy’s photo cards vary from $2.50 to $4.00 a Christmas photo card according to the number of photo cards you select to purchase and the printing or style and design choices.

Richard W. May
Founding Member Stationers Guild

Because of the convenience of digital photography and developments in offset printing, this year quite a few households will digitally print family photos on their seasonal Christmas greeting card. What can be more effortless? Just simply upload your photograph to an online printing company, find a design template, edit your photo, click on the print button and your printed holiday cards are mailed to your home.

This appears to be an idyllic scenario, but photography enthusiasts insist that digitally-printed holiday photo cards aren’t nearly as captivating as photos mounted on the card. One knowledgeable stationer and recreational photographer said, “Digitally reproduced holiday cards simply do not have the high-quality and print image resolution of photos developed by a commercial printer. Some digital Christmas photo cards are quite quite attractive, however, if you compare them side-by-side, the difference is clear: Photomount greeting cards win hands-down.”

Not every person would accept this analysis, but plainly after you factor in the “efficiency factor” and reduced overall cost, it is no shock that buyers have moved in the direction of digital holiday cards. “Let’s face it,” said this experienced stationery store owner, “you receive a good quality greeting card – maybe not the most impressive – however, you avoid the need for mounting the photos with adhesive tape.”

Given this change in consumer buying habits, leading printing firms have moved rapidly to increase their digital printing capabilities. In fact, market leaders, Crane & Co. and William Arthur now provide its customers a choice of imprinting their photo on the holiday greeting card or mounting their photos on beautifully-crafted cards – often embossed – with pre-applied adhesive tape.

To appreciate the differences in both printing techniques, it is prudent to visit a qualified stationery store in your area to check out printed samples personally. Whatever printing option feels like a fit, a variety of printing companies happen to be in the midst of their holiday card sale. Save anywhere for 20% to 50% by ordering your holiday photo cards prior to the end of September.

Sheila May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair, a stationery store located in Greenwich, CT. She writes frequently about photo greeting cards and holiday greeting card trends.

As soon as one conjures an image of Christmas in a major city, The Big Apple generally springs to mind. It is tough to imagine a more photogenic town that often looks the very best having a mild covering of snow covering its tall buildings and beautiful parks.

Local organizations, small and big, frequently employ a NYC landmark as a foundation for their annual greeting card. Typical scenarios might range from the New York City public library on 5th Avenue, the Empire State Building or many of the ponds in Central Park. Actually, businesses usually use greeting cards showcasing NYC scenes drawn by American artists. One printing company that features a large choice of NYC themed greeting cards is Birchcraft.

Pulling from traditional winter scenes from several well-known painters, Birchcraft catches the essence of New York City throughout the holiday period. Those New York based companies looking to purchase a greeting card which captures the substance of the winter holiday in the Big Apple might wish to consider Birchcraft’s collection of cost effective holiday greeting cards.

When customizing your company holiday card, small business owners will frequently include the names of company principals rather than the name of the organization. Customized greetings may be customized on many holiday greeting cards, so companies are well-advised to invest some time selecting a standardized greeting or making a unique greeting.

For whatever reason, holiday cards with NYC winter images mirror the spirit of the season and are also a great way to showcase your firm in a positive manner, particularly if you have a NYC-based firm.

Due to the slow economy, many printers provide a number of promotional offers. Many businesses will offer promotional reductions of anywhere from 20% to 50% off business cards through September 30th. Other companies offer free shipping and other promotional discounts.

This season, if you are looking for a holiday greeting card with New York City winter scenes, Birchcraft is probably a good choice.

Sheila May owns Therese Saint Clair and writes frequently about business holiday cards and holiday greeting cards.

Readers of the Stationers Guild Blog are aware that I have high regard for D’Arconte’s fabulous engraved Christmas cards. Bob D’Arconte is, perhaps, the only artisan in the United States that designs and engraves his own Christmas cards, invitations and stationery. Plainly a master of his profession, his cutting-edge designs on stunning papers are simply little works of art.

Over the past several years, I have been overwhelmed by demands from readers trying to obtain D’Arconte’s Christmas cards at stores in their vicinity. Sadly, his collection of stationery and holiday cards are not well represented outside of New York City. Other than our own shop in Greenwich, CT, I know that D’Arconte’s holiday cards may be found at Gumps in San Francisco, Francis Orr in Corona del Mar (California) and Tabala Rasa in Salt Lake City.

D’Arconte stationery products are not sold on the web. Mr. D’Arconte has been unwilling to publicize his holiday greeting cards on the internet because internet image resolutions are poor and it is impossible to capture the subtleties of engraving, particularly on the vibrant white card stock he uses. This year, I secured his agreement to offer you 18 D’Arconte Christmas greeting cards which may be seen and bought online. Image resolutions do not do justice to the inherent beauty of these cards; however, those acquainted with D’Arconte’s designs will now have an opportunity to indulge their desire for these stunning works of art.

A thing about D’Arconte’s card designs. To start with, the images don’t do his Christmas cards justice. Engraved printing are three-dimensional and both the bold and subtle shapes of his engraved designs and embossed frames are quite frankly lost in most Online browsers. Secondly, the loss of coloring or distinct “white space” only enhances the elegance and proportion of his designs. Experienced on a “white” Internet background, the visual impression and sophistication is unfortunately lost. Thirdly, D’Arconte “bumps” metallic inks (primarily gold and silver) twice to give them a rich burnished feel. D’Arconte’s exuberance and artistry is – in my estimation – several steps ahead of the rest of the field that seems to have problems finding their brand identity and print quality which simply lacks inspiration.

View and purchase D’Arconte holiday cards online or find an experienced D’Arconte dealer in your town.

Sheila P. May
Founding Member Holiday Greeting Cards

An excellent way to utilize your best wedding photo is with your annual holiday card. It’s a great way to capture the thrill of your wedding ceremony and share those experiences again with your close friends. It is hard to imagine a much more fitting picture to celebrate your first year as a couple.

Newly married couples have found that their desired wedding picture works double-duty when printed digitally on a holiday card or attached to a Christmas photo card using an appealing border to showcase your photo.

If your wedding photograph has been taken by a wedding photographer, you will likely have to get authorization from the photographer to reproduce the photo digitally on a photo greeting card. Then again, have your pictures commercially developed and mount them on holiday photo cards using adhesive tape that’s normally already affixed to the photo card.

Even though it is definitely more simple to print your holiday card digitally, the print quality of commercially produced photos is normally superior. If you intend to utilize photomount holiday cards, 4”x 6” photographs normally work best. Most photo greeting cards were made to accept photographs in either a vertical or landscape orientation.

Consumers have the choice of picking out a greeting between several suggested by the printing company. With some of the better known printing companies, you may even supply your own customized greeting. When adding your family names, it’s always traditional for the woman’s name to be shown first. In the use of a wedding photograph, it’s thought to be correct to add the date of the wedding.

If you plan to use your wedding photograph this dhristmas season, there are several design and printing companies you may want to consider. Definitely, Crane & Co. and William Arthur provide both photomount and digitally printed photo greeting cards along with the Stationers Guild affiliate program with Printswell presents some cost-effective alternatives to imprint your wedding holiday photo card.

Sheila May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair and writes frequently about wedding invitations and holiday photo cards.