Cardstore allows you to create photo cards with an attractive template, or you can start with a blank card and make one all your own. This photo card service is very easy to use and offers a few standout features, including a delivery service and an online address book. It misses the mark on some search features, but it still provides plenty of tools to ensure that your cards turn out exactly how you want them.
With a price limit of $35 we were only able to add 10 cards to our shopping cart. In average, these cards run about $2.49 each, which is really expensive. Shipping and tax charges will vary based on your state and proximity to a Cardstore printer.
Since Cardstore only offers one paper type, we only ordered one card: a flat, matte cardstock. Our experts weren’t very impressed with the color quality as the reds came out much darker and dusky than the design appeared on the computer. The photos printed rather pixelated and the colors were a little too pale.
The fine text on the card printed clear enough. The plaid design continued on the backside of the card and is only interrupted by the Cardstore logo at the bottom center. Our testers also noticed that the card is decently thick and has a smooth texture to it. The envelope was nothing special but doesn’t feel cheap, either. If you’re looking for a card service that promises better print quality check out Minted.
The delivery options are particularly impressive. If you choose, Cardstore can mail all of your cards for you. You enter the addresses of the recipients in an address book available on your Cardstore account, and the company will take care of mailing the cards to each intended recipient. This mailing service is expensive, especially compared to what Shutterfly offers. But you can schedule cards to go out up to a year in advance. This means you can design the cards you want and let Cardstore do the rest, for up to a year.
Envelopes are included in the order, so you don’t have to worry about extra costs. Also, if you order a large quantity of cards, you will receive a discount per card. You also have the option of getting just one card, a rare convenience. However, you can’t pre-order envelopes, which would make it possible to address them by the time the cards arrive.
Cardstore has a large selection of cards with appealing designs. However, there aren’t many ways to filter through all these cards. In our experience, it was more difficult to find what we wanted using the Cardstore interface than it was with most competing services.
This custom photo card service has plenty of traditional looks and contemporary styles for all types of occasions, such as birth announcements, party invites and holiday photo cards. This service has an especially wide selection of holiday templates. However, we did not find any designs for response cards or wedding announcements.
There are several ways to personalize your photo card. The company imports your favorite photos from a wide range of sources, including Instagram, Dropbox, Flickr, Facebook and your hard drive. If you are using a template, you are shown exactly where the photos go with a gray box. You can also zoom in or out of your photos, rotate them, and adjust the color to black and white or sepia. As you design your card, if a photo you want to use is too small to print out nicely, you will see a warning icon letting you know.
You can fill out the cards with your own text greeting and digital signature, and you choose the color, orientation, size and font of your signature and text to match the rest of the photo card. The list of font choices is impressive, but the list of font colors is relatively short. This may not matter to many users, but we prefer a wider selection. The Cardstore text editor has a spell-check built in.
Cardstore has excellent support – via email, telephone and live chat – if you have any questions about designing or ordering your holiday photo cards online. There are also detailed FAQs on the company’s website. Additionally, if you are not completely happy with the quality of your card, Cardstore offers a satisfaction guarantee. However, if you make any spelling, punctuation or other mistakes during the creation process, these cards are not covered under the guarantee.
This site is not the easiest to use and lacks a few features, such as detailed search filters. Cardstore didn’t wow our experts with its color quality and the pricing is high. But for the convenience of having someone else mail your cards for you, it could be worth the price if you find designs you love. This service includes a respectable selection of design templates to choose from and several personalization tools to ensure that your cards are truly your own.
