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The Holiday Card That's Really in Your Hand

Your family photo goes on the front, printed on heavy cardstock. Inside, a pen writes your message across every card in your own handwriting, captured from a sample of your writing. We address the envelope, add the stamp, and mail it. You send forty cards without writing forty cards.

PLACEHOLDER, not a holiday card: a folded Stylograph card painted with a green champagne bottle and two coupe glasses on a wooden table PLACEHOLDER, not a holiday card: a folded Stylograph card with THANKS in multicoloured block lettersPLACEHOLDER, not a holiday card: a folded Stylograph card painted with a wildflower bouquet wrapped in kraft paper

The part no printer can fake

The card is printed the way a good photo lab prints, with archival pigment inks on premium cardstock, so the color stays rich and the photo doesn't go flat or plasticky. Then the card goes under a pen. A plotter writes your message in real ink, in handwriting built from your own sample, tracing the paper the way your hand would. There's a slight impression where the pen pressed, the same as a card you'd sit and write yourself.

Premium photo-card sites sell designs with a handwritten look built in, a script font or a lettering graphic printed next to your photo. That look imitates handwriting. What we put on your card is the handwriting itself, yours, written out one card at a time.

Order by December 5 to arrive before Christmas

December is the post office's heaviest stretch of the year. Get your list in by December 5 and your cards go out with room to land before the holiday. Sending later? Set your date in the composer and we'll hold them.

The card people keep

1.3 billion

Holiday cards still go out every year in the US, more than any other card-sending occasion. The tradition is not going anywhere. What has changed is how a real handwritten one reads next to a stack of printed greetings.

Source: Hallmark / Greeting Card Association
Down by half

The personal letters and cards Americans mail each other have fallen by roughly half over the past decade, pushed out by email and text. Real mail with a pen on it is rare now, so it gets noticed and it gets kept on the mantel.

Source: USPS Office of Inspector General
3 in 4

Nearly three-quarters of people who send holiday cards say they do it because they know how good it feels to get one. The handwriting is the part that makes the getting feel personal.

Source: Hallmark research
Worth more than you think

Kumar and Epley found that people who send a heartfelt note underestimate how much it means to the person who opens it, and overestimate how awkward it will feel to send.

Source: Psychological Science

What will your holiday cards cost?

Put in how many cards you're sending. The price covers the printed card, your handwriting inside, the envelope, and first-class postage. A nice printed holiday card runs a dollar or two. Ours costs more, because a pen writes every single one in your hand, which no print run does at any price.

Cost of handwritten holiday cards by number of cards sent
Cards Folded cards Postcards
10 $100 covers 12 at $8.00 each $100 covers 25 at $4.00 each
20 $200 covers 25 at $8.00 each $100 covers 25 at $4.00 each
40 $300 covers 40 at $7.50 each $200 covers 50 at $4.00 each
60 $500 covers 65 at $7.69 each $300 covers 80 at $3.75 each
75 $600 covers 80 at $7.50 each $300 covers 80 at $3.75 each
100 $800 covers 105 at $7.62 each $400 covers 105 at $3.81 each
150 $1,000 covers 150 at $6.67 each $600 covers 160 at $3.75 each
250 $1,800 covers 255 at $7.06 each $1,000 covers 300 at $3.33 each

Prices come from prepaid credit packs in fixed sizes, so a total usually buys a few more cards than you need, and any unused balance stays on your account for twelve months. See full pricing.

How your cards get written and mailed

01

Upload your list and your photo

Import your address list from a spreadsheet or your contacts, and add the photo you want on the front.

02

Upload your handwriting, once

Fill out one handwriting template, photograph it, upload it. We capture your spacing, your slant, and the small inconsistencies that make it yours. Then pick your signature.

03

Review and personalize

Write one message for everyone or vary it by household. Nothing gets written until you approve it. Edit any note or write your own.

04

We print, write, and mail

We print your photo card on premium stock, a pen writes your message in real ink, and we address the envelope and add first-class postage. Order by December 5 to arrive before the 25th.

Every kind of holiday card, handled

Family Photo Cards

Your best photo of the year on the front, a real note from you inside. The card people put on the fridge and leave there.

New Year Cards

Missed December? Send a New Year card in January instead. Fewer cards in the mail, more room for yours to stand out.

Cards to Far-Flung Family

The relatives you only reach at the holidays get a real note in your hand, not a group text.

Non-Christmas Holidays

Hanukkah, a plain happy-new-year, a season’s greetings with no religion attached. Your message, your call.

Business and Client Cards

Sending to clients as well as family? Same card, your handwriting, your logo or letterhead if you want it.

Thank-You and Holiday in One

Got a gift and owe a holiday card? Do both in a single note.

Holiday card questions, answered

Is the message actually handwritten?
Yes. A pen writes each card in real ink, in handwriting built from your own sample. The photo front is printed on premium cardstock. So you get a polished photo card with a message that reads as if you sat and wrote it, because in your handwriting, you did.
How is this different from a premium photo-card site?
Those sites print a beautiful card, and any handwritten look on it is a font or a lettering design printed alongside your photo. We print the card to that same standard, then run a pen across every one to write your actual message in your actual handwriting. That step is the difference, and it’s why the price sits above a straight print job.
What paper and ink do you use?
Heavy premium cardstock, printed with archival pigment inks so the photo holds its color, and real pen ink for the message. Your card is meant to be kept, not tossed with the flyers.
Can I use my own family photo?
Yes. Upload your photo and we print it on the front. You can also pick from our designs if you’d rather not use a photo.
When should I order?
By December 5 to arrive before the 25th. December is the post office’s busiest month, so earlier is safer. You can also schedule a send date in the composer.
Do you do Hanukkah and non-religious holiday cards?
Yes. Pick any design or message. Nothing about the card assumes a particular holiday.
Is my handwriting and photo kept private?
Yes. Your handwriting sample and your photo are never reused or shared without your consent. Every card is treated as confidential.
Can I write a few myself?
Sure. Generate the batch, hand-write the handful that need your own pen, and send the rest.
What if I miss the December cutoff?
Send a New Year card instead. It arrives when the mail has thinned out and stands a better chance of being read.

Order by December 5 to arrive before Christmas

December is the post office's heaviest stretch of the year. Get your list in by December 5 and your cards go out with room to land before the holiday. Sending later? Set your date in the composer and we'll hold them.

Send the card people keep

Your photo, your handwriting, mailed before the rush. Get your list in and we'll handle the pens, the envelopes, and the post office.

Try the Note Composer

Order by December 5 to arrive before Christmas.