Where to Find Free Printable Christmas Card Templates
The web has made it easy for do-it-yourselfers to find great templates for almost everything, including printable Christmas cards. So why not save some money and make your cards a bit more personal by creating your own this year? If you don't know how to get started, here are some tips on what to do and where to go to find a variety of holiday templates. Happy printing!
Before You Get Started...
5 tips to make sure your cards turn out great
Printing your own Christmas cards can be a lot of fun because you can choose your own Christmas card greetings and add your own flair to designs you find online. Using templates can help make the process smooth and fun, but here are some tips to keep in mind before you get started.1. Make sure you have enough ink. Christmas cards are printed in full colors and require a lot of ink. Choosing cards with a lot of white space will help lessen the need for ink, but you'll still want to be sure you have plenty of supplies to print as many cards as you need.
2. Clean your print head. Ink smudges can ruin a card, so be sure your printer is in top shape before you start sending paper through. If you don't know how to
3. Use a high quality print mode. Skip the draft or text modes on your printer and select a higher level of printing, especially if you'll be printing photos. This will make sure the ink appears solid and smooth and the colors are rich.
4. Don't skimp on paper. Your cards will look better if you purchase a heavy weight paper designed especially for printing cards rather than using the regular inkjet paper you use for everyday printing. Splurge on a nice matte or glossy paper to ensure top quality cards.
5. Start early. If you're going to be printing all your cards rather than buying premade ones, be sure to give yourself enough time to get everything printed, signed, addressed and sent. You'll be glad you did!
Christmas Cards, Stationery and More
Sign up for a free trial at American Greetings for access to hundreds of printables
American Greetings is a great place to go for free printable Christmas card templates. The greeting card giant offers a variety of cards for Christmas, Hanukkah and other occasions, and you can get access to all of it by signing up for a free 14-day trial membership. Once signed up, you'll have access to all of the great templates, including folded holiday cards, photo greeting card templates (such as the one shown here, holiday stationery, Santa's Nice List certificates, and even do-it-yourself holiday coupon books.American Greetings makes it easy to customize any of their templates with their online program that allows you to create, save, preview and then print your creations. There's no limit to the number of cards or other projects you can create during your free trial, so check out American Greetings to get started.
Holiday Card Templates from HP
Since HP sells paper, it's no wonder they encourage do-it-yourself Christmas cards. At the HP Activity Center, you'll find four free half-fold cards. Half-fold cards are designed to be printed on standard 8 1/2 x 11' paper and then folded once to create a half-size card.The two vertical designs feature a Christmas tree or dove, while the two horizontal designs feature a snowman or a red background with the words "Peace Joy Love." You can download the art in editable .pdf files. You'll need Acrobat Reader to edit these files (free from Adobe if you don't have it).
At HP, you can also buy HP matte card paper to print your projects. They recommend using the HP 48 lb. matte Brochure and Flyer Paper shown below. The HP site also offers a wide selection of printable calendars, labels, gift wrap and other projects.
Xerox Christmas Printables
The nice thing about Xerox's card templates is that they come in two sizes with matching stationery, gift tags and gift wrap. So if you want to coordinate all your holiday printables, this is the place to go. They offer 16 themes, including two Hanukkah designs and a photo card template. The cards are available in A4 and half-fold sizes and in Word and Acrobat files. E-Cards and Printable Holiday Cards With a 30-Day Free Trial
Some of the best card sites on the web for printable cards as well as e-cards are American Greetings and Blue Mountain. These sites charge a fee for continued use of their service, but you can get full access to the site and thousands of great printable projects with a free 30-day trial.Print your own cards, matching envelopes, holiday stationery, gift tags and much more during your trial, and get access to thousands of e-cards.
Free Templates from Microsoft
Microsoft has two free holiday card templates, as well as stationery for the season. Both of the half-fold cards are designed to be printed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper and are available as editable Word documents. You'll need MS Word 97 or Word 2000 to open and edit these cards. Try Hallmark Card Studio 2009 Deluxe
Templates for more than 9000 cards and projects
Hallmark Card Studio 2009 Deluxe
Amazon Price: $49.99 (as of 01/02/2010)
--Commemorate events and bridge the miles between family and friends with custom calendars, photo frames, stationery, invitations, scrapbooks, certificates and more
--9,000+ Hallmark cards and projects for all occasions--birthdays, holidays, weddings and more
-- Exclusive Hallmark fonts and sentiments, 1,200+ new designs, and 16,000+ clip art images: Complement your cards with sensational artwork
-- Easily add your own photos to cards and enhance them using Card Studio's digital photo editor
-- Send your customized cards and projects via e-mail with just one click
Create a Free Animated Christmas Card
More Free Christmas Stuff
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Free Animated Christmas Cards
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Free Funny Christmas Cards
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Free Santa Letters
Create your own printable Santa letters
The web is also a great place to find other kinds of free Christmas templates, such as letters from Santa.For free Santa letter templates, sign up for a free trial membership at American Greetings and look for the Santa letters in the Christmas Print and Create category.
You can also get free printable Santa letters (in .pdf format) or inexpensive printable Santa letters you can personalize in MS Word format at Christmas Letter Tips.com.
If You Want to Get Really Creative...
100 Christmas Card Ideas
Quick & Clever Christmas Cards: 100 Fast and Festive Cards and Tags
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 01/02/2010)
There are other books that focus on creating cards for all seasons and occasions, but this one gives you great ideas just for the Christmas holiday. And with 100 different projects, you're sure to find ideas for everyone on your card list.
More Free Christmas Stuff
Every day in December, Amazon will be offering free Christmas music downloads
Paper to Print 'Em
For best results, use the right paper
Avery Half-Fold Greeting Cards for Inkjet Printers, 5.5 inches x 8.5 inches, White, Matte, Pack of 20 (03265)
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 01/02/2010)
Hallmark Blank Greeting Cards Half-fold Matte Premium 20 Count
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 01/02/2010)
100 IBM Glossy Inkjet Photo Quality Greeting Cards with Envelopes
Amazon Price: (as of 01/02/2010)
250 IBM Inkjet/Laser/Copier Greeting Cards with Envelopes
Amazon Price: $22.32 (as of 01/02/2010)
More Help with Christmas Cards and Letters
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Green Your Holidays with a Christmas Letter Template
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Santa Letter Template
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Back in the old days, Santa had to write and send all his letters by hand, but the world was a much smaller place. Today, Santa Claus often needs the help of parents who can print Christmas letters from Santa at home. It's eas...
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How to Create Free Printable Santa Letters
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Even Santa needs a little help! Here's some advice on how to help the Jolly Old Elf send a Santa letter to your little one, complete with a postmark from the North Pole. Read on to learn how to create your own free printable Santa letters.
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Where to Buy Recycled Christmas Cards...
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If you're looking for ways to reduce your environmental impact this holiday season, here are some places to buy eco-friendly recycled Christmas cards and some ideas for recycling and reusing the cards you receive. Have a green Christmas!
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How to Write Family Christmas Letters
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Love 'em or hate 'em, family Christmas letters have become a part of our culture. Here are some tips on how to write Christmas letters your readers will enjoy, as well as some links for Christmas letter paper you can order online and Christma...
Video Tutorial
Learn how to make a special holiday card with this video
More Sites with Free Christmas Card Templates?
Share the info or just say hi!
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Reply
- sunita sunita Jan 2, 2010 @ 5:09 am
- You have provided unique ideas of making special cards.I Will try to make beautiful cards by using your tips.
Free Ecards
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Reply
- allthatiscute allthatiscute Dec 30, 2009 @ 3:57 pm
- Great lens! I wish I saw this sooner!
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Reply
- ageofz ageofz Dec 29, 2009 @ 6:19 pm
- Nice christmas card templates here. Great lens.
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Reply
- BusyQueen BusyQueen Dec 27, 2009 @ 3:08 am
- Hi! Merry Christmas. Congratulations on LotD!
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Reply
- tal191 tal191 Dec 26, 2009 @ 10:32 am
- Nice! Merry Xmas
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Reply
- KM9999999 KM9999999 Dec 24, 2009 @ 10:37 pm
- Great lens. Christmas is the best time of the year.
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Reply
- mendorshikh mendorshikh Dec 24, 2009 @ 1:01 am
- Thanks for sharing! it was really helpful. Again, thanks.
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Reply
- mm116 mm116 Dec 23, 2009 @ 1:26 pm
- I was looking for stuff for my daughter and I to do over Christmas. This is great. Thanks!
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- charlino charlino Dec 22, 2009 @ 4:43 pm
- This is a very cool site for the holidays. Great information here.
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Reply
- rms rms Dec 21, 2009 @ 9:21 pm
- Congratulations on LotD!!!
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Pop-Up Christmas Cards
About the Author
Lensmaster lisadh has been a member since July 23 2007, has rated 638 lenses, favorited 84, and has created 218 lenses from scratch. Lisa Howard donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund and A Day of Hope. This member's top-ranked page is "Free Christmas Card Templates". See all my lenses
This lens belongs to the
'Tis the Season for Christmas Lenses
group, where you'll find more interesting pages
with holiday tips, ideas and trivia.
by lisadh
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