It’s time to celebrate new beginnings– and what better way than to send New Year’s greeting cards? Kick off the New Year right by sharing your New Year’s wishes with all your loved ones. And if you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help. Pick a section below to answer specific questions or simply start reading. Create custom photo New Year’s cards to showcase your pictures and memories from the last year. With our variety of New Year card designs and templates, you’ll be sure to find the perfect one to ring in the New Year with style. Showcase your best year ever with a Happy New Year card that will make your family and friends smile when they open it. You can customize your own New Year message or choose a card template that perfectly suits your personality. We’ll make sure your New Year’s Card marks the perfect start to the coming year.
Finding personal and touching ways to keep track of your friends and loved ones is still important, even with the spread of social media, because doing so gives people something they can hold on to, something to help them remember where they are and where you are at a given moment. One great way to keep in touch with your friends and loved ones while commemorating a milestone for everyone is with annual custom New Year’s cards. Design your own personalized Happy New Year cards to send to loved ones to keep in touch. They’ll smile when they receive your unique holiday cards in the mail with a photo of your family’s smiling faces.
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What is a Happy New Year Card?
A Happy New Year card is a way to send your best wishes to friends and family at the start of the New Year. These greeting cards can include family photos, Holiday season greetings, personalized messages, or Holiday art. They mark a similar tradition to Christmas cards but can be sent at a later date. These cards are most typically printed on 5X7 inch matte or glossy cardstock, but they can range in sizes depending on preference.
How to Make New Year Cards
These simple steps will help you create beautiful cards in no time. From calligraphy choice to featured family photos, we’ll walk you through the complete process of creating your unique card. Get started below:
1. Make a List of Loved One’s Addresses
Before ordering your holiday cards, you first need to determine how many you’ll be ordering. The best way to do this is to make an address list well in advance. Take time to add names of friends and family, as well as update any outdated addresses. Make sure to double-check your list at the end, as you don’t want any card returned to the sender due to inaccurate information.
Not sure who to include on your address list? Here are some ideas of who to send New Year greeting cards to:
- Immediate family members
- Extended family members
- Neighbors
- Close friends
- Soldiers
- Doctors, dentists, and other family specialists
- Co-workers, clients, employers, and employees
- Anyone who already sends you Holiday cards
2. Take a New Family Photo for Your Holiday Card – Or Don’t
For your holiday card to stand out from the rest you’ll need a special holiday or family photo. If your family already takes annual family portraits, you’ll probably already have a photo in mind. If you haven’t had the chance, no need to worry. We’ll share a few photo ideas that will take your project to the next level.
First, if you’re an individual sending a New Year’s card, don’t be afraid to share a unique or non-traditional photo. Consider using a photo from a recent backpacking trip or visit to the museum. Or may show off you and your dog’s matching holiday gear. Or simply showcase your favorite lakeside view.
If you have a larger family, getting a picture together may feel a little tricky. Luckily, there are plenty of card layouts to feature a collage of photos of different family members if you weren’t able to take one together. But if you still have a little time, try scheduling an impromptu photo shoot with a similar dress code at your house or a local park.
Whatever photos you choose to use in your New Year cards, make sure they showcase you and your family’s unique personality. If the photo isn’t “perfect” or airbrushed, all the better. After all, Anything Flys™ with Shutterfly.
3. Choose a Card Design for the New Year
Your card design is what helps make your holiday card feel unique to your family. And with dozens of available New Year card design available on our site, there’s a little something for everyone. Featured DIY greeting card designs include:
- Foil Stamped Cards: Foil stamped cards help add a splash of metallic color to an otherwise traditional greeting card. The foil stamp will help make your photos pop along with any seasonal design likes snowflakes or Christmas trees.
- Personalized Foil Cards: Personalized foil is similar to foil stamped greeting cards, except that you can customize your family’s name or holiday greeting with the special feature.
- Glitter cards: These cards are the perfect way to add a little glam and glitter to start off the New Year. The glitter may be applied to the card’s text, design elements, or borders so there’s something unique for everyone.
- Gate Fold cards: Looking for a card with a reveal for the recipients? If so, gatefold cards are unique greetings that open up from the center to reveal your New Year’s blessing. They’re also perfect for families who need more space for photos.
Whatever New Year card design you choose, make it unique to your family. The above design elements and features are the perfect way to do just that, but they’re only one part of your design. The text, photos, and layout you choose also go a long way in creating the best greeting card.
4. Start Creating your New Year’s Greeting
Have you chosen your card design? If so, it’s time to create! Upload all your favorite photos and any other images you’d like to use, then add them to the project. You may also find it helpful to upload all the images to their own folder to keep them in an easy-to-access location. And as an added bonus, by uploading your images to your Shutterfly account we promise to never lose your photos with our unlimited photo storage. That way your seasonal memories are always safe!
Once your photos are uploaded to your project, you’ll need to drag and drop them into their desired spaces using our card maker platform. Make sure to adjust and crop any images so that they print in exactly the way you want.
After all the images are placed and edited, you’ll need to edit the available text boxes. Ensure that your family’s name is correct along with your seasonal greeting. Then jump to the back of the card and edit the layout, design, and text to say everything you want to your loved ones.
You can also choose from different background patterns, pre-addressed envelopes, envelope liners, and other add-ons. Not only will this help speed up your mailing process, but it also keeps all your stationery elements matching and uniform.
5. Review!
Don’t forget to review your project when you’re all done. Reviewing your card and envelope makes sure you’ll catch any spelling mistakes or design errors before they arrive in your mail. If may help to ask another family member to proofread the draft for you. Sometimes a second pair of eyes helps catch any extra mistakes you may have missed. You can also use this opportunity to add matching stationery add-ons to your cart, such as address labels, personalized stamps, and more.
6. Order Your New Year’s Card Before Christmas
Make sure to give yourself plenty of time between ordering your cards and mailing them out for the New Year. The best rule of thumb is to order your cards three weeks before you want them to arrive at your friends and family. This means that your New Year cards generally need to be completed and ordered before Christmas. If you’re struggling with that timeline, however, don’t worry! New Year’s cards have no definitive deadline for delivery. Your loved ones will be happy to get your greeting card whether it arrives before New Year’s Day or after.
When to Send New Year Greeting Cards
It’s best to send New Years’ cards within the first few days after Christmas. However, it’s perfectly acceptable to send New Year’s greetings any time in the beginning or middle of January. As long as the recipient receives the card before February, it’s fine. Whatever timeline makes the most sense to you and your family, just remember that a late greeting card is still better than no greeting card at all.
Final Thoughts on Happy New Year Photo Cards
If you liked this resource on how to Make a Happy New Year Card and you’re looking for more inspiration, we have you covered. Make sure to check out our New Year’s gift ideas to keep the celebration going. Spread the love this holiday season with Happy New Year’s gifts like blankets and coffee mugs that spread cheer for the new year. For more custom holiday cards, send Christmas cards, Hanukkah cards, and more with Shutterfly. To find the best deals on New Year cards, check out our Special Offers page.
