You don’t send enough greeting cards. And the greeting cards that you do send? I’m afraid that they may not always be awesome. I can help. If you’ve got any source of recycled cardboard that has a natural crease–think food packaging, USPS flat rate envelopes or other mailers, or the old record album covers that I’m using here–then you’ve got a natural greeting card just waiting for you to cut it to size, write in it, and mail it off!
- Choose your size. Depending on the front image that will be shown, I’m cutting my greeting cards to either 4×5 or 5×7. I’m also making some business card-sized greeting cards to use with my etsy shop; these teeny cards also make good product labels and gift tags. If you want to mail these greeting cards, make sure that you know the USPS standard envelope sizes. Although my 5×7 greeting cards can mail with standard postage, my 4×5 greeting cards will require an extra charge for being “nonmachinable.”
- Trim to size. You’ll get the most professional appearance if you use a guillotine paper cutter, although you can, of course, cut these greeting cards by hand. Making sure that the natural crease of the recycled cardboard is at the end that you’d like to serve as the greeting card’s hinge, and that the cardboard is folded in half at that crease so that you’ll be cutting through a double thickness, trim the cardboard to size.
- Create a custom envelope. Using recycled paper, craft an envelope to fit the greeting card. Again make sure, if you’re mailing your card, that the envelope fits the USPS specifications. If I’m creating my envelope out of decorative paper, I write the recipient’s address on a white sticker or index card and adhere it to the front of the envelope. Have leftover recycled cardboard? Make yourself some DIY business cards!
