A Christmas card can hold a whole year of memories: a new baby, a favorite trip, a growing family, or the everyday moments you want to share. The right design brings those photos and your holiday greeting together in a card that feels like you. But the choices you make after picking a template matter, too, from the paper and photo layout to the envelope and mailing options.
Shutterfly and VistaPrint both offer custom Christmas cards with photo designs, paper upgrades, foil finishes, and free back of card customization. At Shutterfly, we give you more card formats to tell your story, finishing details to make it your own, and the option to have us mail your cards for you. Here’s how the two compare as you create this year’s Christmas greeting.
Shutterfly vs. VistaPrint Christmas Cards at a Glance
| Feature | Shutterfly | VistaPrint |
| Card formats | Flat, folded, gatefold, and tri-fold | Flat and folded |
| Main paper options | Standard Smooth, Signature Smooth, 100% Recycled, Pearl Shimmer, and Luxe Double-Thick | Uncoated, matte, glossy, soft-touch, recycled, linen, and pearl options |
| Decorative trims | Square, rounded, bracket, scallop, and ticket | Standard, rounded, wavy, and ticket |
| Specialty finishes | Foil Stamped, Personalized Foil, and real no-mess glitter | Raised foil |
| AI photo editing | Yes | Yes |
| Free back customization | Yes | Yes |
| Custom and colored envelopes | Yes | Yes |
| Free recipient and return address printing with custom envelopes | Yes | Yes |
| Christmas card mailing | Mail for Me® on eligible cards, using plain white envelopes | Cards and addressed envelopes ship to you to stuff and send |
More Christmas Card Formats to Share Your Year
Both Shutterfly and VistaPrint offer flat and folded Christmas cards. At Shutterfly, we give you two more options: gatefold and tri-fold cards. These formats have additional panels for sharing more family photos, favorite memories, and updates from your year.
Choose a flat card for a greeting that’s easy to display, a folded card for a message inside, or a gatefold or tri-fold design when you want more room for your story. From a new baby to a family vacation, you can give each moment its own space without squeezing everything onto the front.
Christmas Card Paper Options From Smooth to Double-Thick
Both brands offer paper upgrades, with different finishes to choose from. Our Shutterfly selection includes five main cardstock options:
- Standard Smooth: Smooth matte cardstock for a classic Christmas card.
- Signature Smooth: Our most popular cardstock, with a thicker feel and select decorative trim and finish options.
- 100% Recycled: Bright, smooth cardstock made from 100% post-consumer waste.
- Pearl Shimmer: A subtle shimmer that catches the light.
- Luxe Double-Thick: Our thickest cardstock, at 280 lb. and 35pt, for an extra-substantial feel.
VistaPrint offers uncoated, matte, glossy, soft-touch, recycled, linen, and pearl paper options. Its separate painted-edge holiday card collection uses 32pt cardstock with colored edges.
With Shutterfly, you can keep the focus on your photos with a smooth matte finish, choose Pearl Shimmer for a little holiday shine, or give your greeting a keepsake-worthy feel with Luxe Double-Thick. Check your selected design for the available papers and upgrades.
Foil and Trims to Finish Your Christmas Cards
Both Shutterfly and VistaPrint offer foil and decorative trims. Our collection includes Foil Stamped, Personalized Foil, and no-mess glitter designs. With Personalized Foil, you can make select details, such as your name or Christmas greeting, shine in real foil. VistaPrint offers raised foil in gold, silver, red, and glitter finishes.
Trim choices differ, too. Shutterfly offers square, rounded, bracket, scallop, and ticket edges. VistaPrint lists standard, rounded, wavy, and ticket edges. At Shutterfly, you can pair your favorite design with details such as a scalloped edge or a foil greeting, depending on the options available for your card. Paper, foil, and trim combinations vary by design.
Photo Editing for Your Christmas Card Pictures
Both brands offer standard photo adjustments and AI editing tools. With Shutterfly, you can crop, zoom, rotate, and enhance your photos, then use filters such as black and white, sepia, or vibrant to adjust their look.
Our AI tools give you more ways to work with the photos you love:
- Expand Photo: Extend a photo beyond its original edges to help it fit a different layout.
- Transform Photo: Choose effects such as Winter Wonderland to change the setting or Face the Camera to help adjust where someone is looking.
VistaPrint’s AI editor offers image expansion, background and element removal, and written edit requests. The available tools differ, but both brands give you options beyond basic cropping. With our Expand Photo and Transform Photo tools, you can adjust a favorite family picture or give it a festive setting for your Christmas greeting. Review any AI edits before ordering to make sure you’re happy with the result.
Free Christmas Card Back Customization With Both Brands
Shutterfly and VistaPrint both let you customize the back of your Christmas cards for free. With our photo and text layouts, you can make that extra space part of the greeting instead of leaving it blank.
Add another family picture, share highlights from the year, include your new address, write a longer Christmas message, or send a year-in-review update. Free back-of-card customization gives you more room to tell your story and share what matters most with family and friends.
Christmas Card Envelopes and Free Address Printing
Both brands include envelopes with their Christmas cards and offer custom printed and colored upgrades. At Shutterfly, you can choose from white envelopes, colored envelopes, custom printed designs, pre-lined foil envelopes, and slip-in liners. Available choices depend on your card and envelope selection.
Custom Shutterfly envelopes include FREE recipient address printing, plus free return address printing. VistaPrint offers free recipient and return address printing with upgraded printed envelopes, too. The envelope upgrades themselves cost extra. Our free online address book helps you collect and organize your mailing list, so your addresses are ready when it’s time to send your cards.
Shutterfly Can Mail Your Christmas Cards for You
Shutterfly’s Mail for Me® Service can address, stamp, and mail eligible Christmas cards directly to your recipients. VistaPrint’s Christmas cards and addressed envelopes ship to you for stuffing and mailing.
With Mail for Me®, your cards are sent in plain white envelopes. If you prefer a custom envelope or another upgrade, you can have your cards delivered to you and mail them yourself. That gives you a choice: enjoy the finishing details you selected, or let us handle the mailing and take one task off your holiday list.
Christmas Card Pricing and Small Orders
Prices vary with both brands based on your design, quantity, paper, finishes, envelope upgrades, and shipping. Promotions change throughout the season, so compare similar cards and check the full order total rather than the starting price alone.
Shutterfly allows you to order as few as one Christmas card, while Vistaprint holiday cards require a minimum order of 10 cards. If you’re creating a card for a small mailing list, want a keepsake for yourself, or would like to see your finished design before placing a larger order, Shutterfly gives you that flexibility.
FAQs About Shutterfly vs. VistaPrint Christmas Cards
How do Shutterfly and VistaPrint Christmas card formats compare?
Both offer flat and folded Christmas cards. Shutterfly offers gate fold and tri-fold designs as well, giving you additional panels for photos and messages.
Do both brands offer free back customization?
Yes. Shutterfly and VistaPrint both include free back customization. With Shutterfly, you can choose photo and text layouts to share more memories and a longer greeting.
Do both brands offer free recipient address printing?
Yes. Shutterfly includes free recipient address printing with custom envelopes, and VistaPrint includes it with upgraded printed envelopes. Both offer free return address printing with those envelope options, too. Envelope upgrades cost extra.
Can both companies mail Christmas cards directly to recipients?
Shutterfly offers Mail for Me® on eligible Christmas cards using plain white envelopes. VistaPrint’s Christmas cards ship to you, so you handle stuffing and mailing.
Can you order just one Christmas card from Shutterfly or VistaPrint?
Yes. Shutterfly allows you to order as few as one Christmas card, making it easy to create a keepsake, send cards to a small mailing list, or see your finished design before placing a larger order. VistaPrint holiday cards require a minimum order of 10 cards. If you only need a handful of cards or want to order a single copy first, Shutterfly gives you the option to order exactly the quantity you need.
Share Your Christmas Memories With Shutterfly
From your favorite family portrait to the little moments that made your year, your Christmas card should have room for what matters to you. At Shutterfly, we give you more card formats to share those memories, finishing details to make your greeting your own, and Mail for Me® when you want help sending it. Create a card you’re excited to share, and bring a little Christmas joy to the people on your list.
Additional Resources:
