How to Design a Greetings Card: The Complete UK Guide

You're in the right place for how to design a greetings card. There are 15 ready-to-copy lines on this page, grouped into card sizes and folds, setting up your artwork file and choosing stock and finish, plus more below - pick one, change a detail so it sounds like you, and you're done.

We design and print every card in our range ourselves, so this series is the working method rather than a theory lesson. It covers the three decisions that make or break a card: how it's laid out, how the words are set, and what photograph or illustration carries it.

Start here for the fundamentals — sizes, bleed, folds and stock — then follow the three deeper guides on layout, typography and photography.

If you'd rather skip the design work altogether, everything we make is printed in the UK and posted first class, usually the same working day.

Card sizes and folds

This section suits creative beginners planning their first card range. You will want to use these dimensions at the very start of your design process to make sure your work fits standard envelopes. As a practical tip, grab a few real cards from your own mantelpiece and measure them to help you visualise how the final printed product will feel in your hands.

• A6 (105 × 148mm) is the standard UK small card — cheap to post at letter rate and the safest starting size.
• A5 (148 × 210mm) is the go-to for milestone birthdays and anniversaries, where the design needs room to breathe.
• Square cards (140 × 140mm or 150 × 150mm) look modern but cost more to post in the UK, so check Royal Mail sizing before you commit.
• Portrait folds suit type-led designs; landscape folds suit photography and wide illustrations.

Setting up your artwork file

This step suits digital artists and graphic designers preparing their work for professional printing. You should configure these technical settings when you first open your design software to avoid tricky formatting edits later. A helpful tip is to set up your guides and margins before drawing a single line, which ensures your beautiful artwork stays exactly where it should.

• Work at 300dpi in CMYK — RGB artwork shifts colour on press, and bright RGB blues are the usual casualty.
• Add 3mm bleed on every edge so any background colour runs off the trim rather than leaving a white sliver.
• Keep text and logos at least 5mm inside the trim line; guillotines move by a millimetre or two.
• Use rich black (about C40 M30 Y30 K100) for large black areas, and plain K100 for small body text.

Choosing stock and finish

This stage suits illustrators and photographers who want their greeting cards to have a premium, tactile feel. Use these guidelines when you are ready to send your final files to the printer and need to choose your paper. Our top tip is to request a paper sample pack first, so you can feel the different weights and textures before placing your order.

• 300–350gsm is the weight people read as 'proper card' when they pick it up.
• Uncoated stock takes ink softly and suits illustration and hand-drawn type.
• Silk and matt laminate protect photography and keep dark colours deep.
• Leave the inside uncoated whatever you choose, or nobody can write in it with a biro.

The three decisions that matter most

This final guide suits anyone who wants to create an eye-catching card that stands out on a busy shelf. You can use these core principles throughout your creative process to keep your design balanced and effective. As a practical tip, step back from your computer screen occasionally to make sure your main message and image are easy to read from a distance.

• Layout: what the eye hits first, and how much empty space you're brave enough to leave.
• Typography: one or two typefaces, set at a size that reads at arm's length on a mantelpiece.
• Imagery: a photograph, an illustration or nothing at all — the hardest call of the three.

How to write it so it lands

• Print a draft at actual size and stand it up before you sign anything off — screens flatter everything.
• Design the inside at the same time as the outside; a blank inside with no room to write is the most common mistake.
• Check the design still works in greyscale. If it doesn't, it's leaning on colour to do the work.

Frequently asked questions

What size should a greetings card be?

A6 (105 × 148mm) for everyday cards and A5 (148 × 210mm) for milestone occasions. Both post at UK letter rate in a standard envelope.

What resolution do I need to design a card?

300dpi at final size, in CMYK, with 3mm bleed on all four edges. Anything below 300dpi shows as soft edges once it's printed.

What paper weight is best for greetings cards?

300–350gsm. Below 300gsm the card flops when it's stood up; above 400gsm it fights the fold unless it's properly creased.

What is a good example of how to design a greetings card?

"A6 (105 × 148mm) is the standard UK small card — cheap to post at letter rate and the safest starting size." is one of 15 examples on this page. Pick the one closest to the tone you want, then add a specific detail of your own - a shared memory, a date, a name - so it reads as yours rather than copied.

Where to shop next

• Card layout guide
• Card typography guide
• Photo cards guide
• Shop all cards
• Browse card collections
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• How to Design a Card
• Good luck cards
• All guides

Type-led card designs

Big type, one idea, nothing else on the page.