One of my hobbies is each year making New Year cards and sending them to family and friends.

Cards are a fun way to keep in touch as friends and family move around.

Originally I made each card by hand. I would do some calligraphy, use colored pencil, and write a poem or note that entertained me - and hopefully the recipient. Each card would typically take an hour or two to create over a few days depending on the techniques I choose to apply.

Over the years I've accumulated a longer list of people I'd like to send cards to. At this point the list is too long to create a completely individual card for each recipient without exhausting myself.

I've been looking for ways to improve the experience of the cards while keeping it entertaining for myself.

I no longer hand illustrate New Years cards, instead I create a single card and print multiple copies at FedEX.

The card consists of:

  • Photo
    • The photo is a favorite of all those that were taken during the year.
  • Poem
    • A thematic poem - usually a Haiku.
  • Drawings
    • One or two black pen sketches on a white background scanned in to add to the letter and card.
  • Letter
    • An update letter about anything amusing that happened in the last year - the goal is to get a laugh. I print this in black and white.

Creating the card contents usually takes a few days. The most time consuming piece is the letter. Creating a short one page letter that both updates the recipient and hopefully gets at least one laugh is tricky. I usually go through several drafts and play with it over several days to get the wording optimized for laughs- hopefully.

There are several logistical pieces to getting the cards out:

  • Getting fun stamps from USPS
  • Formatting the card for printing once you have all the contents
  • Sending the print to FedEx and picking it up
    • Make sure to check the entire print job in the store before accepting it. I've caught multiple defects that were luckily fixed at the store.
  • Keeping Track of Contact information and Addresses for all recipients
    • It's best to have peoples phone numbers so you can ask or their addresses if they have changed.
    • I now use an Excel sheet with everyone's name and address

Pieces to optimize

  • Design for fold
    • Design the letter for folding
    • fold long ways then short ways with white on the outside
    • Use thinner paper than 100 lb
  • At least 14 point font.
  • Adequate margin on print jobs
    • Make sure to leave plenty of margin on the print jobs
  • Writing out from and to Addresses
    • Currently I hand write all the addresses - this give the cards a certain charm, but it's error prone and cramps my hand.
    • Possible Improvements:
      • Get a stamp for my from Address
      • Print out Avery Labels for the to addresses pulling from the Excel Spreadsheet (would this be classy?)
  • Optimize fitting the letter into card envelope
    • The 8.25 x 12 paper does not easily fold into the 5 x 7 envelopes I typically use for the cards.
  • Customize
    • Include original artwork that was scanned in some of the cards for those that would appreciate it.
    • Possibly leave room for a custom note.