Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Turn to Web and mobile apps for your holiday greeting cards this year

By

mobile ecardsThis year, save yourself the hassle of sitting through a painful mall-photographer photo shoot, and skip the hellish lines at the post office. There are a variety of Web and smartphone apps out there that can quickly, easily, and creatively meet your greeting card needs. All of these options will digitally send your creations (a very eco-friendly solution), but there are some that print out postcards for fans of snail mail. So whether you’re looking for custom designs and text, cheesy cliche sentiments, or just want to include a personal photo, here are our favorite digital solutions for season’s greetings. 

Sendables 

sendablesIf you’re looking for cheesy, look no further. In addition to its more formal options, Sendables has an entire section devoted to holiday cards that put your face front and center in a variety of cliché settings. And the cards aren’t image-only: you can pair the pictures with seasonal songs as well, and even animate them so it looks like the person of your choice is singing along. There are free options but if you want more selection, you can become a member and get access to the premium cards for a dollar a month.

Recommended Videos

PaperlessPost 

paperlesspostThe creations from PaperlessPost are so stunning and classic that you’ll forget you’re sending them online. There are more than enough options to choose from, including 66 that you can add your own photos to. You can choose from a wide range of custom fonts as well as photo filters. They range in price, and staying true with its roots, PaperlessPost has a stamp and coin system. Some cards are free and others cost one coin–when you sign up you get your first 25 coins or stamps for free.

sincerelyinkSincerely Ink, Android and iOS (free)

Sincerely Ink offers a selection (albeit a more limited one than some other options, like Red Stamp) to create your own cards from your mobile device. You choose from the designers, upload your photo, enter addresses, and Sincerely Ink takes care of the rest. In detail, that means it sends a 5×7 card out to everyone on your list. They cost a minimum of $1.69 each. Delivery takes 3-7 days.

CardKarma

cardkarmaIf you want the simplest of card solutions, CardKarma is a good place to start. You can choose from already designed cards or switch out images and text to add your own. These are true e-cards, however, so you’re limited to sending them via various social networks or email (you can embed them as well). All cards are free.

postcardfmPostcard.fm 

As it goes with most apps of this nature, the thing itself might be free but it’s what inside that will cost you. That isn’t the case with Postcard.fm. While the site doesn’t have a stylish collection of designer creations, it’s entertaining and easy to use. Upload a picture, grab an MP3 file, add a message, and email your card away.

 

SnapShot Greeting Card, iOS (free)

snapshotSnapShot doesn’t have quite the surplus of options as its competitors do, but it’s incredibly easy to find a border for your holiday photo and send it on its way—in physical, postcard form. The customizable fonts are also a nice touch. Better yet, your first card is free. After that cards are about $1.50 each.

TinyPrints

tinyprintsTinyPrints has thousands of holiday cards to choose from, and it covers the seasonal celebration bases as well as giving users myriad size and design options. You can create collages or just simple cards. Prices range from $0.79 to $4.47 (for 25) and if you order before December 16 you get expedited delivery for $5. There’s also a sale at the moment for 20-percent off holiday cards.

red stampRed Stamp, iOS (free)

Red Stamp is the iPhone card-maker of choice, and it secures this reputation with new designs and the same user-friendly interface. You can send beautifully designed digital or paper cards with your own words and photo inserted into them. There’s also an option for shopping online if you feel confined by your iPhone screen.

justwinkjustWink, iOS (free)

With clever cards to choose from, you can customize quickly and send in moments. You can also set reminders for yourself using the app if you need to send greetings at a specific time (or if you’re just likely to forget).  You can send them via email, Facebook, or SMS. 

Topics
Molly McHugh
Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
These Linkind smart bulbs are 37% off, and have one of the best apps I’ve used
Linkind A19 E26 color smart bulbs matter support -- smart bulb deal

I know some people think that a lot of smart home tech is frivolous, and some of it is, I'll agree, but there are certain things that make daily life a little better. For example, I have security cameras, a video doorbell, smart lights, a smart garage door, and all of these things make living in my home convenient. With my lights, for example, I can create on-off schedules and I don't have to get up to use them. After a long day, that's a welcome feature, believe me. It's especially helpful with Christmas lights and decorative lights -- like the ones I have set up to automatically turn on at sunset on my patio.

With a smart video doorbell, I can answer my door, converse with parcel delivery teams, and shoo off solicitors -- we get a lot of them where I live. But among all of those experiences and devices, one of my biggest qualms is with the apps you use to interact with this tech.

Read more
This smart display alternative can now use AI to plan all your meals
The Skylight Cal Max installed on a wall.

Skylight is a smart home company that produces a variety of smart display alternatives, such as the Skylight Cal Max. These serve as a central hub for all your daily planning -- they’re primarily used as a digital calendar, but you can also use them to track chores, make lists, or meal prep. That last aspect just became much more exciting, as Skylight is officially introducing Sidekick, an AI-powered assistant that can plan all your meals in just a few minutes.

Sidekick is a new AI feature for Skylight devices. It’s capable of generating personalized recipes based on your budget, family size, and dietary restrictions, and it’ll even create a shopping list and load up step-by-step cooking instructions. Skylight hopes the new feature will save families 10 hours every month, as they’ll no longer need to worry about the logistics surrounding meal prep.

Read more
Get cleaner air for less with the Dyson Purifier Humidity+Cool for $200 off
The Dyson Purifier Humidity+Cool on a white background.

It’s easy to not think about the air around you. After all, it’s invisible, right? But good air quality makes a huge difference to your quality of life. Right now, you can buy the Dyson Purifier Humidity+Cool for $200 off at Walmart. Normally costing $1,000, it’s down to $800 today and it’s ideal for keeping your living space cool, as well as providing purified air. Here’s all you need to know.

Why you should buy the Dyson Purifier Humidity+Cool
Responsible for some of the best humidifiers out there, Dyson knows how to provide everything you want. With the Dyson Purifier Humidity+Cool, it automatically senses, captures, and traps pollutants so you gain cleaner air with no hassle or requirement to do a thing. It’s able to detect and destroy formaldehyde as well as many other pollutants so you’re in safe hands.

Read more