How to use your smartphone to send holiday cards
— -- E-cards work well for a quick greeting, but sometimes you want to give the pleasure of a physical card in the mail. Gone are the days of simply finding a card in the store, signing your name and maybe writing a word or two. Thankfully, there are some great, easy ways to send cards without ever having to set foot in a Hallmark store. With these apps and websites, you can create and send personalized cards right on your phone to have delivered in the mail.
Cards
Price: Free
Download: Cards for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
By far the biggest name on the greeting card app scene, Apple's Cards lets you design and send high-quality printed cards using your own photos. Snap a photo directly from the app or choose one from your library to apply to one of dozens of different templates.
The selection of card templates is relatively basic; you won't find cutesy snowmen or google-eyed animals, but rather designs that are elegant and timeless. Once you've chosen your design and added a photo, you can customize the text. Add your recipient's address and your return address, and off it goes!
The 4-inch by 6-inch cards (the size of a standard photo print) are printed on high-quality, 100% cotton paper and cost $2.99 to send within the United States or $4.99 internationally.
Cartolina Postale
Price: Free
Download: Cartolina Postale for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
If your tastes run toward vintage and nostalgia, check out Cartolina. Designer Fiona Richards combines vintage graphics such as patterns, block prints, images, and textures with contemporary colors and type to create both e-cards and physical postcards. If you prefer to send something in the mail, Cartolina Postale's vintage-inspired postcards let you upload your own photo on several card designs, including holiday greetings. Each postcard costs $1.99 within the United States or $2.99 elsewhere in the world.
Red Stamp
Price: Free
Download: Red Stamp for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
With over 400 card designs, Red Stamp definitely offers one of the largest selections of any of the virtual greeting card offerings. Upload your own photos for a more personalized greeting, or use a design without a photo. The app itself is free, or download premium content for 99 cents to $2.99.
Red Stamp lets you send cards as text messages or emails, post them to Facebook or Twitter, or print and send them via the postal service. Printing and mailing varies between 49 cents and $1.99, depending on the card and the destination.
Holiday Cards by Sincerely Ink
Price: Free
Download: Holiday Cards by Sincerely Ink for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad or Android
Holiday Cards by Sincerely Ink offers over 30 different designs, some of which allow you to upload your own photos. Apply photo filters for some extra holiday flare and personalize your text as well.
One of the advantages to Sincerely Ink is that you have the option of sending larger 5-inch by 7-inch cards, as well as the standard 4-inch by 6-inch print size. Send postcards via email or text message, post to Twitter or Facebook, and send them via postal mail for fees ranging from $1.69 to $2.99.
Postcard on the Run
Price: Free
Download: Postcard on the Run for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
Postcard on the Run lets you turn any photo into a postcard for mailing. Just choose a photo, personalize the card text (you can even add a "handwritten" signature), tweak the colors and font, add your info, and send it on its way. Postcards cost between 99 cents and $1.69.
While Postcard on the Run doesn't offer any holiday-specific templates, it's still a good option for holiday greetings, especially if you have a holiday-themed photo to use. Think of it as a good excuse to force the kids to wear matching reindeer antler hats and sit everyone down for an embarrassing holiday portrait!
Corel PostCard
Price: Free
Download: Corel PostCard for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
Like Postcard on the Run, Corel PostCard doesn't offer holiday-specific templates, but you can use a holiday-themed photo of your own for your season's greetings. The app is free, and you get one free postcard when you download it. Subsequent cards cost 99 cents each. That's a flat rate, though — from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world — which makes Corel PostCard the most cost-efficient of the apps we've reviewed.
Old-fashioned greetings for a modern world
Sending customized greeting cards with a swipe of the finger or a click of the mouse is a fabulous example of technology's making what was once a time-consuming chore quick and easy. No matter whether your holiday card list is a dozen or a hundred people long, these apps will help you make quick work of it so you can get back to enjoying some carols and pie!
More from Tecca:
2011 Holiday Gift Guide: How to give the gift of tech this season