Card Design Top Tips & Techniques

To make the card design process as enjoyable as possible, Little One Prints has created an easy to use summary of our top Tips and Techniques. Little One Prints offers the best range of online personalisation tools in Europe. We make it easy to select your design, edit text, change fonts, upload and edit photos and choose your preferred card format. We want to ensure your design reflects your personal style, while clearly illustrating what your printed card will look like.

Creating a Personalised Card

Placing Your Order

How do I manage my Photos

Greeting Card Personal Message

Greeting Card Pricing

Envelope Options

Seperator

How do I create a personalised greeting card?

Step 1: What type of card are you looking for?

Little One Prints offers five categories of card designs; "Birth announcements", "Thank you", "Christening", "Special occasion" and "Holiday". However, as you can fully edit most of our designs, to include any details you wish, you could certainly use a traditional "Holiday" card for your birth announcement. Or, for example, you could use a "Birth announcement" design for a 1st birthday invitation. You choose whatever message you'd like to share.

Within the "Birth announcement" category, there are also sub-categories. To further choose a sub-category click on the "Birth announcements" heading and select which type of "Birth announcement" you are interested in (i.e. Baby Girl, Baby Boy, Twin or Sibling.) Some card designs may appear in more than one category.

Step 2: Do you want to sort the designs?

When you click on your category, the designs will be presented with 8 cards per page. You can scroll through the different designs, by simply clicking on the page numbers in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Or, if you are looking for something specific, you can sort the designs, using the search function at the top of the screen. Simply use on any combination of the drop down menus at the top of the screen; "Prominent Colour/ Designer/ Image Count/ Price" and click the "go" button. You may also specify how many designs are displayed on each page.

Step 3: Picking your card

Underneath each card are two links; "Card details" and "Personalise". If you would like more information about a specific design, you can click on "Card details" to see the card's designer, card type (how the card will fold, if you choose that option), card size, price (based on various quantities) and if envelopes are included with the cards.

Once you have decided which design you want to use, click on "Personalise" under the card thumbnail to add your personal details.

Step 4: How to personalise your card design

After you click "Personalise" link under your design choice thumbnail an "Information Box" will appear on the screen. Suggested wording has been provided in the box however, as mentioned above, you are able to enter any text within these boxes. The text you enter in the "Information Box" will be used to an online preview; which you will be able to edit before approving your final design. Once you have completed the text fields click "done" to continue.

After you click "done" you will be taken to the "Personalise Card" page. At this point you can add photos or edit your text.

  1. To upload photos from your computer:
    • Click on the "add photo" link in the Photo Tray
    • Click on the "browse" button to browse for photos on your computer
    • Select your photo and click "Open" to begin uploading
    • Once a photo is uploaded, you can click "close window" to return to the card OR browse for another photo OR click on "add more" to add more photos
    • Photo(s) will be deposited into your Photo Tray below the card for you to drag and drop into the photo area(s) on your card design
    • You may upload up to 20 photos to your photo tray
  2. To move photos:
    • You can drag and drop photo(s) from the Photo Tray into the photo area(s)
  3. To remove a photo from a photo area:
    • Photos cannot be removed from a photo area once they have been added. However, if you wish to change the photo, simply drag and drop a different photo from the Photo Tray over the existing photo
  4. To remove a photo from the Photo Tray:
    • Click on the "remove photo" link in the Photo Tray and click on the photo you want to remove
  5. To edit your photo:
    • We offer three photo editing tools; the ability to move your photo within the photo area, zoom in and out and color options (black & white/ colour). To use any of these tools click on the photo to display the "Image edit" window
    • As you make changes to your photo they will be previewed in your card design. Once you happy with the edited photo click "done" in the "Image edit" window to accept the changes in your design
  6. Move your mouse over the card to see the text areas
  7. To edit your text:
    • Click on the text area(s) to add or edit text
    • You can change the font type and size; however, we recommend that you use the default font settings as suggested by our designers
    • When you add or edit text in the "Text edit" pop-up box, click on the "preview" button to view the changes on your card design
    • Once you happy with the edited text click "done" in the "Text edit" window to accept the changes in your design
    • Please note that if the amount of text you entered in the selected font size exceeds the text area, you must either remove some of your text OR reduce your font size
    • It is not possible to change the font colour

How can I tell what is editable on a card?

For most of our designs, all of the text fields are editable. Some exceptions include the words "Thank You" and "Christening" on these categories of cards. To see if text can be changed simply hover your mouse over the existing text to see if a highlighted frame with the words "Click to edit" appears around that area, indicating that it is editable.

How do I know if my photo is suitable for printing?

The photo you choose may be too small for the product you selected. This can result in a grainy or pixilated final product. In addition, attempting to resize the photo might distort the image quality. Since the overall appearance of your stationery is highly dependent on the quality of your photographs, it is important to use clear, original and unedited photos. If you have a larger version of a photo, or if you have another snapshot that would be more suitable for a product, please use that photo instead. We recommend a file size of at least 1MB. Feel free to contact our customer service department if you have any further questions.

Can I save my design?

To save your design, simply click the "save card" button, located to the right of the Photo Tray. You will be taken to the "Login" screen where you can complete the "Quick Register" with your email address and preferred password. Your card designs will be saved for 6 months.

https://www.littleoneprints.co.uk/Account/Login

How do I find my saved designs?

If you're already registered with us, you can login to your account by using the "Saved cards" link in the tool bar at the top of the screen. Your card designs will be saved for 6 months.

https://www.littleoneprints.co.uk/Account/Login

How do I complete my card order?

  1. PDF Preview: Once you have completed your card personalisation, we recommend that you click on the "PDF Preview" link, located above the "save card" button on the right hand side of the screen. The PDF provides you with a larger version of your design and you are also able to print it out for further review. The PDF Preview will automatically open in a new window. Simply close the window to exit the PDF Preview
  2. Once you are happy with your design, click on the "place order" button, located to the right of the Photo Tray
  3. On the next screen you will be given three options; "Back to edit card", "PDF Preview" and "Checkout". If you do not wish to make any further changes to your design, enter your initials in the box provided (confirming you agree to our terms and conditions) and click "checkout"
  4. On the "checkout" page there are 5 pieces of information required:
    • Card Style : Do you want your card folded (like a standard greeting card) or flat, like a postcard? There is no price difference between the two options. Simply use the drop down menu provided to make your selection. A small icon of the format will be displayed in the right-hand column
    • Quantity : To provide maximum customer satisfaction, Little One Prints gives you the option of order any quantity of cards. Please note that the price will change depending on quantity, with the cheapest price for orders of 60 cards or more.
    • Additional envelopes : Envelopes are included with the price of your cards, however, you may wish to order extra envelopes in case you make a mistake or damage any of the envelopes provided
    • Voucher code : If you have a valid voucher code enter it in the box provided to receive your discount
    • Delivery option : Royal Mail 1st Class delivery is free for all UK orders. For added security, UK customers may choose our tracking service for an additional £1.99. This does not guarantee next day delivery however it does provide you with extra information on the location of your parcel. International orders are subject to a £5.95 delivery change

After completing the above information, click on "address" to complete your order

  1. On the address page you are given the option of providing your "Delivery address" and "Billing address" (if different from delivery). If your country is not listed in the drop down menu please contact customer service (hello@littleoneprints.com) for further assistance. Click "payment" to complete your order
  2. You can either choose to pay using PayPal or a Credit/ Debit Card. Click on the appropriate link to enter your details and complete your order. Note: Once you click "buy now" you will not be able to change your order/ design

When can I expect to receive my cards?

In the UK, you should expect to receive your stationary within 3-5 business days of placing your order, with international orders taking 5-7 additional days for delivery. We want to make sure every order is perfect; so our printing and finishing aren't rushed. And don't forget part of the process is out of our hands- once we mail your package, Royal Mail (or your local postal service) needs a bit of time on their end.

How do I upload photos?

  1. Click on the "add photo" link in the Photo Tray on the personalisation page
  2. Click on the "Browse" button
  3. Select a photo with a supported file type and click "Open"
  4. The photo will start uploading and will appear in your Photo Tray once the upload is complete
  5. Click "close window" to return to the personalisation page and use the uploaded photos to complete your card

How do I remove a photo from the card itself?

Photos cannot be removed from a photo area once they have been added. However, if you wish to change the photo, simply drag and drop a different photo from the Photo Tray over the existing photo

How many photos can I store in my account?

You can keep up to 20 photos in your account.

How long can I store the photos in my account?

Uploaded photos can be stored in your account for up to 6 months. After 6 months, your photo(s) will be automatically removed from your account.

Is there a size limit for photos?

Yes, photos must be 10 MB or less.

What photo formats do you support?

You can currently upload photos in the following formats: .jpg, .gif, .png, .bmp and .tiff.

Can I have a personal message printed on the inside or back of my card?

Unfortunately, at this time we do not offer internal or reverse printing. However, we hope to launch this feature in January 2012.

What type of pen can I use to write on my card?

If you would like to write inside your folded cards, or reverse of your postcard, we recommend using a ballpoint stick pen or a Sharpie. Please be careful when using a gel pen, rollerball pen, felt-tip pen, or any other liquid-ink based pens as there is a tendency for the ink to smudge if it is not completely dry.

How much do cards cost?

Our cards range from $0.99 to $2.99 per card. These costs include envelopes, delivery (to one UK address) and VAT. There are no additional costs, unless you request additional services, such as extra envelopes or recorded delivery.

Do envelopes come with my cards?

All our card orders include standard white envelopes free of charge. Additional envelopes may be purchased during the checkout process for £0.25 per envelope.