Photo Cards: Choosing and Preparing Images for Greetings Cards

Photo greetings cards: choosing and preparing images

A photograph on a card has to work at 105mm wide, in CMYK, on uncoated stock. Plenty of photos that look superb on a phone fall apart under all three conditions.

This is the last guide in the how to design a card series, and it covers picking the image, cropping it and preparing it so the print matches the screen.

Photographic and illustrated cards

Image-led designs from our own range, printed in the UK and posted first class.

You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him £3.87 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her £3.87 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card) Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 "Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card "Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card £3.87 The Eggplant Tarot-inspired Cheeky Valentines Day Card The Eggplant Tarot-inspired Cheeky Valentines Day Card £3.87

Shop all greetings cards

Choosing the photo

  • Pick images with one clear subject — detail-heavy scenes turn to mush at card size. Shop this card
  • Faces should be large in frame; a person the size of a fingernail reads as nobody. Shop this card
  • Strong, simple colour beats subtle gradients, which band on uncoated stock. Shop this card
  • Check the background. Half the photos that fail do so because of clutter behind the subject. Shop this card

Resolution and cropping

  • You need 300dpi at final size — roughly 1,240 × 1,750 pixels for an A6 front with bleed. Shop this card
  • Never scale a photo up more than about 120 per cent; softness shows immediately in print. Shop this card
  • Crop to the card's aspect ratio first, then compose — cropping last always loses something important. Shop this card
  • Leave room in the crop for type if the photo is carrying a message. Shop this card

Colour and editing for print

  • Convert to CMYK and re-check skin tones — they're where the shift is most visible. Shop this card
  • Lift shadows slightly; ink dries darker than the screen suggests, especially on uncoated card. Shop this card
  • Reduce saturation on bright blues and greens, which are the hardest colours to hit in CMYK. Shop this card
  • Sharpen last, at final size, and lightly — over-sharpened photos print with visible halos. Shop this card

Rights and permissions

  • Get written permission before printing a photo of someone else, especially a child, on a card you're selling. Shop this card
  • Stock photo licences usually need an extended licence for physical products for resale. Shop this card
  • Keep the original raw file — you'll need it the first time a printer asks for a bigger version. Shop this card

Image-led card designs

Simple subject, strong colour, plenty of space for the type.

Elegant wedding anniversary card for a daughter and son-in-law, featuring an illustration of a loving couple. Anniversary Card For Daughter And Son In Law £2.75 An illustrated wedding anniversary card for son and daughter-in-law featuring two people in love on the front. Anniversary Card For Son And Daughter In Law £2.75 I Still Fancy You Peach Emoji Anniversary Card I Still Fancy You Peach Emoji Anniversary Card £3.87 Wifey For Lifey Huge Text Anniversary Card Wifey For Lifey Huge Text Anniversary Card £3.75 An elegant 70th wedding anniversary card featuring a platinum pantone design to celebrate 70 years of marriage. 70th Wedding Anniversary Card (Platinum Pantone) £3.87 I Still Fancy You Eggplant Emoji Anniversary Card I Still Fancy You Eggplant Emoji Anniversary Card £3.87 50th Wedding Anniversary greeting card featuring elegant Gold Pantone design on premium cardstock with envelope. 50th Wedding Anniversary Card (Gold Pantone) £3.87 365 Days Still Not Bored Anniversary Card 365 Days Still Not Bored Anniversary Card £3.87 Wifey For Lifey Anniversary Card Wifey For Lifey Anniversary Card £3.75 There's Someone For All Of Us (Funny Wedding Card) There's Someone For All Of Us (Funny Wedding Card) £3.87 365 Days of Settling Anniversary Card 365 Days of Settling Anniversary Card £3.87 Still Fancy You Anniversary Card Still Fancy You Anniversary Card £3.87

How to write it so it lands

  • Print a test at actual size on the same stock before ordering a run — colour on uncoated card always surprises people.
  • View the photo at 25 per cent on screen; that roughly matches how it reads on a rack.
  • If the photo needs a caption to make sense, it's the wrong photo for a card.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What resolution does a photo need for a greetings card?

300dpi at final printed size — about 1,240 × 1,750 pixels for an A6 card front including 3mm bleed.

Why does my photo card print darker than the screen?

Screens are backlit and print isn't. Convert to CMYK and lift the shadows a little before sending artwork to print.

Can I use a stock photo on a card I sell?

Only with an extended or merchandise licence. A standard stock licence usually excludes physical products for resale.

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