Choosing a Christmas card involves more than finding a design you like. You want your photos to look their best, your message to feel like yours, and the finished card to arrive ready to share with everyone on your list.
Shutterfly and Mpix both offer Christmas photo cards with premium paper, foil details, and free back-of-card customization. The biggest differences come down to how much control you have over your finished card and how much help you get sending it. At Shutterfly, we give you more ways to edit your photos, personalize your design, and create a coordinated back. We can even address, stamp, and mail your cards for you.
If you’re deciding between Shutterfly and Mpix for this year’s Christmas cards, here’s a closer look at how the two compare.
Shutterfly vs. Mpix Christmas Cards at a Glance
| Feature | Shutterfly | Mpix |
|---|---|---|
| Card formats | Flat, folded, gate fold, and tri-fold | Flat and custom folded |
| Main cardstock options | Standard Smooth, Signature Smooth, 100% Recycled, Pearl Shimmer, and Luxe Double-Thick | Signature, 100% Recycled, Stock, Pearl, and Linen |
| Decorative trims | Square, rounded, bracket, scallop, and ticket | Rectangle, rounded, cleft, wave, and groove |
| Specialty finishes | Foil-stamped, personalized foil, and no-mess glitter | Personalized foil |
| Personalized foil colors | Gold, rose gold, silver, red, and gold sparkle | Gold and silver |
| Photo editing | Crop, zoom, and rotate, plus AI-powered editing tools | Crop, zoom, and rotate |
| Font customization | Choose from fonts, sizes, and colors | Personalize text; font options vary by design |
| Free back-of-card customization | Add photos and text with layouts and backgrounds | Add photos and text; alternative layouts use a white background |
| Envelope options | White, colored, custom printed, pre-lined foil, and slip-in liners | White, white peel-and-stick, kraft, and pearl silver |
| Recipient and return address printing | FREE with custom or pre-lined foil envelopes; available for a fee with other envelope options | Available for a fee on 5×7 cards |
| Direct mailing | Mail for Me® on eligible cards, using plain white envelopes | Cards and envelopes are sent to you to mail |
Both brands’ flat cardstock cards can feature photos. Mpix also offers a separate 4×8 photo paper card printed on one side. Formats, paper, trims, finishes, and personalization options vary by design. Envelope upgrades and mailing services may cost extra.
Compare Christmas Card Formats
The format you choose determines how much room you have for photos and messages. Both Shutterfly and Mpix offer flat and folded cards, but Shutterfly gives you more ways to share your year with gate fold and tri-fold designs.
Shutterfly Christmas Card Formats
At Shutterfly, we offer flat, folded, gate fold, and tri-fold Christmas cards. A flat card puts your photo and greeting on the front, with space on the back for more. A folded card opens to reveal an inside message and additional photos.
Our gate fold and tri-fold cards give you extra panels to fill with favorite moments and updates. You can share family portraits alongside candid snapshots, highlight a new baby or a recent move, or give each family member their own space.
Mpix Christmas Card Formats
Mpix offers flat cardstock cards and custom folded cards. Its flat cards can feature a photo and greeting on the front, with space to add more photos and text on the back.
Mpix also offers a separate 4×8 photo card printed on one side of photographic paper. This option is more like a photo print with a holiday design and greeting.
Which Offers More Ways to Share Your Year?
Shutterfly offers more Christmas card formats, including gate fold and tri-fold designs with extra panels for photos and messages. If you have a whole year of memories to share, those additional panels give you more room to tell your story.
Compare Christmas Card Photo Editing
The photo you want to use might need a little adjustment before it’s ready for your card. Both Shutterfly and Mpix offer basic editing tools, but Shutterfly gives you additional ways to work with your photos.
Shutterfly Photo Editing Tools
Our card editor lets you crop, zoom, and rotate your photos to fit your chosen layout. You can adjust the framing so the people and moments you want to feature are right where you want them.
Shutterfly also offers AI-powered editing tools on eligible projects. You can expand a photo to better fit your layout, change a background, open closed eyes, or adjust faces. If your favorite family picture isn’t quite right as it is, these tools give you more ways to make it work for your card.
Mpix Photo Editing Tools
Mpix lets you crop, zoom, and rotate photos in its card editor. These tools help you adjust how your photo fits within the space provided by your chosen design.
Which Offers More Photo Editing Options?
Shutterfly goes beyond basic cropping and positioning with tools that can help solve common photo challenges. Instead of passing over a favorite picture because someone blinked or the framing doesn’t quite fit, you have more options to prepare it for your Christmas card.
Compare Christmas Card Personalization
After you pick a template, you may want to adjust the details so the finished card feels like yours. That can mean finding the right words, changing a font, or making room for another photo.
Personalizing a Shutterfly Christmas Card
At Shutterfly, you can add your photos and greeting, then adjust available fonts, colors, and layouts in the editor. Choose a lettering style that fits your family’s personality, or adjust your message to complement the design you’ve selected.
Our collection includes single-photo and multi-photo cards, along with designs for milestones such as a new baby, a move, or a first Christmas together. You can start with a design you love and make it your own from there.
Personalizing an Mpix Christmas Card
Mpix lets you add photos and personalize the text on its Christmas card designs. Available layouts and design options depend on the template you choose.
Which Offers More Design Flexibility?
Shutterfly gives you more ways to adjust the details of your card, including available fonts, colors, and layouts. That flexibility helps you create a greeting that fits your photos and message, rather than relying entirely on the original template.
Compare Back-of-Card Customization
The back of your Christmas card gives you extra room for photos and a longer message. Both Shutterfly and Mpix offer free back customization on their flat cardstock cards, but the finished look differs.
Shutterfly Back-of-Card Options
At Shutterfly, free back-of-card customization gives you room to add more photos and text with available layouts and backgrounds. You can share a few extra snapshots, write a family update, or add a personal holiday message while keeping the back coordinated with the front.
For example, you might feature your family portrait on the front and use the back for vacation photos, a new pet, or a short note about your year. The additional photos and message become part of the design.
Mpix Back-of-Card Options
Mpix lets you add photos and text to the back using alternative layouts. When you select one of those layouts, the original background design is replaced with a white background.
Which Offers More Back-of-Card Design Options?
Both brands let you customize the back for free, but Shutterfly gives you more flexibility in how it looks. You can add photos and text while choosing from available backgrounds and layouts, so you don’t have to give up a designed look to share more memories.
Compare Christmas Card Foil and Glitter Finishes
A little shine can give your Christmas card a festive finish. Both Shutterfly and Mpix offer personalized foil cards, but Shutterfly gives you more colors and finishes to choose from.
Shutterfly Foil and Glitter Christmas Cards
At Shutterfly, you can choose between personalized foil, foil-stamped designs, and real no-mess glitter. Personalized foil lets you add your own names or message in a shiny finish, while foil-stamped cards feature foil as part of the design.
Our personalized foil colors include gold, rose gold, silver, red, and gold sparkle on select designs. For a different kind of shine, our glitter cards give your greeting a sparkling finish without leaving glitter behind.
Mpix Foil Christmas Cards
Mpix offers personalized foil cards in gold and silver. Its foil designs come with rectangle or rounded trims, while other decorative trims are offered on non-foil cards.
Which Offers More Foil and Glitter Options?
Shutterfly gives you more ways to add shine to your Christmas cards. Along with gold and silver foil, you can choose other colors like rose gold and red, or select a no-mess glitter design. That gives you more options to match the finish to your photos, holiday colors, and personal style.
Compare Christmas Card Envelopes and Addressing
Once you’ve finished your card, the envelope is the next detail to consider. Both brands include plain white envelopes and offer upgrades and address printing for an additional cost.
Shutterfly Envelopes and Address Printing
At Shutterfly, you can choose from white, colored, custom printed, and pre-lined foil envelopes, as well as slip-in liners. A custom printed envelope can coordinate with your card and give your greeting a finished look before it’s even opened.
We offer FREE recipient and return address printing with custom printed and pre-lined foil envelopes. Choose recipient addresses, your return address, or both. Address printing is available for a fee on white and colored envelopes and envelopes with slip-in liners. Envelope upgrades cost extra.
Mpix Envelopes and Address Printing
Mpix includes plain white envelopes and offers white peel-and-stick, kraft, and pearl silver envelopes for an additional charge. Recipient and return address printing is available for a fee on 5×7 cards.
Which Offers More Envelope and Addressing Options?
Shutterfly gives you more ways to finish your envelopes and includes free addressing with two upgraded envelope options. You can choose a custom printed or pre-lined foil envelope and have your recipient and return addresses printed at no additional charge for the printing.
Mpix offers paid address printing on 5×7 cards. At Shutterfly, you can choose the envelope and addressing combination that fits the look you want, including coordinated custom envelopes.
Compare Christmas Card Mailing Services
Addressing your envelopes is one part of sending Christmas cards. You still need to put each card in an envelope, add postage, and get the cards in the mail. Here’s where Shutterfly can take more off your holiday to-do list.
Shutterfly Mail for Me®
With our Mail for Me® service, we can address, stuff, stamp, and mail eligible Christmas cards directly to your recipients. Select the people on your list, and we’ll take care of the mailing for you.
Mail for Me® uses plain white envelopes and costs extra. If you’d prefer to assemble and send your cards yourself, you can have your cards and addressed envelopes shipped to you instead.
Mpix Christmas Card Mailing
Mpix offers paid address printing on eligible 5×7 cards, then sends the cards and envelopes to you. You’ll need to stuff, stamp, and mail the cards yourself.
Which Makes Sending Christmas Cards Easier?
Shutterfly can handle the entire mailing process for you. Mail for Me® saves you the time of stuffing envelopes, adding stamps, and taking your cards to the post office. You still have the choice to send them yourself, but when the holiday season gets busy, we’re here to help.
Why Choose Shutterfly for Christmas Cards?
Mpix and Shutterfly both make it easy to create Christmas cards with your favorite photos, premium paper, and foil details. But if you want more control over your design and more help sending your cards, Shutterfly gives you more ways to make it happen.
With Shutterfly, you can use advanced photo editing tools, choose from more personalized foil colors, and add extra photos and text to the back of your card without giving up a designed background. You can select a custom or pre-lined foil envelope and get FREE recipient and return address printing, too.
And when your cards are ready, you don’t have to spend an evening stuffing envelopes and adding stamps. Choose Mail for Me®, and we’ll address, stamp, and send your eligible cards for you. Create your Christmas cards with Shutterfly and share your favorite moments with everyone on your list.
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