When did Custom Photo Cards Become so Popular?

I was reading the other day a trend that is becoming more and more popular is custom photo cards. It all started about 5 years ago with the birth of the digital camera. Suddenly overnight people went from being novice photographers to experts, thanks in part to some crafty digital editing software. It wasn’t long until people started producing their own range of calendars and custom greeting cards. Many retail stores make the process of producing a calendar or custom photo cards quite easy, all you need to do is upload the photos to your computer, edit them if need be and send them away. The stores send back the finished product a couple of days later. The Internet is full of examples of custom photo cards and they’re plenty of tips on how to get the best out of your images.

One issue a newspaper raised was the fact that digital cameras have taken away the mystique of taking photographs because now everything is instant with digital. From a printing perspective I think digital cameras have been great, no longer do we have to send away rolls of film and only half comeback worthwhile. The digital camera has also made it possible for us to produce our own range of calendars and custom photo cards relatively cheaply. Originally, if we wanted to produce a range of custom cards we would’ve had to get someone professionally to take care of it and nowadays we can do most of it ourselves. Sure you still need a store to take care of the printing but the rest we can manage ourselves.

Stores ban new style Wedding Cards

I wrote a post last week about a big name card company producing same-sex wedding cards. Well, today I’ve read that some stores in Idaho have banned the new range of cards. Yes, banned them! The last time I checked we’re living in the 21^st century but obviously some areas of the US are still living in the past. The card industry is a multi-billion dollar industry with cards for all tastes and groups of society. Many gay groups came out and supported the new range of cards saying it was a step in the right direction. I don’t want gay people to have to go back to making their own custom cards surely like the rest of society they can have their own range of cards.

Custom Cards now come in Pink

A major card company has released a same-sex range of marriage cards. Now that California has joined Massachusetts in allowing same-sex marriages card companies have finally decided to cash in on the pink dollar. Beforehand people attending gay marriages would’ve had to make their own custom cards, while making your own cards is fun it’s more convenient to buy them. Finally card companies are seeing the pink light and the marketing opportunities that go with the gay market. Research has been conducted on gay consumers and they’re known to earn 20% more money than straight consumers. So they’re definitely marketing opportunities available to card and stationary companies.

Cusom Cards signed by the President

I was reading the other day that you can get customized cards from 'The White House'. The President will sign greeting cards for many different occasions including anniversaries, birthdays (80 and above) and other special occasions. You need to be a US citizen and allow 6 weeks for the White House to organize the cards. The cards will be sent out 10 days before the event. I think this would be a great way to mark a special occasion or birthday. Many companies specialize in custom cards but how cool would it be if you received something form The White House.

Where did all the custom photo cards for the Olympics go?

With the Olympics into their second week and Michael Phelps has one every gold there is to win in the pool, our attention now turns to track and field. What fortunes will the track and field stars bring us in our quest for the most medals at this Olympics? A popular thing at the Sydney and Athens Olympics was the sending of custom cards to support our athletes. This Olympics I’m struggling to find any custom cards to send to anyone. A quick search failed to turn up anything. Now I’m wondering what’s going on?

The sending of cards to our favorite Olympian’s was very popular among young people, especially children. All I could find this time around was a service in Australia, provided by a phone provider, where you could text your support to an Olympian. Unless something is not clicking in my head there was a great opportunity missed at this Olympics. Not only could you send cards directly to our Olympians supporting them in their quest for gold but, you could also send shots of your favorite Olympic moments to friends and family. The custom photo cards could also double as a souvenir of the Olympics.

Don't Make the same Mistake as the Spanish, with your Custom Card

There’s an interesting story going around the net at the moment involving the Spanish Basketball team, which has got themselves caught up in racial scandal that could affect their relationship with the host nation of the Olympics. The players were pictured in advert, using their fingers to make their eyes look more Asian. The Spanish have come out and defended themselves saying the ad was only intended for local Spanish audiences and it wasn’t meant to be offensive in anyway. Well it was a bit naive on their behalf thinking they wouldn’t offend anyone.

The point of this post is not to talk about right or wrong but to consider other people when you make custom cards. Think carefully about the images you select to place on your custom photo cards. And, ask yourself will this offend anyone? Even if you don’t find it offensive you could upset someone else.

Customizing cards for Halloween

Most of us look forward with anticipation to Halloween, it’s a day when we can let ourselves go and be silly. We stuff our faces with junk food; dress up in ridiculous outfits and send scary cards. Customizing a card for Halloween is so easy to do and there are a number of companies specializing in custom cards to choose from.Your friends will love receiving the cards and they'll appreciate the effort you've gone to. Halloween is meant to be fun and with all the gloom and doom out there these days we should all make an effort in making this Halloween the best ever.

Custom Card Opportunities

I read an interesting article on the stationary industry. Did you know the industry is worth over $37 billion? That’s a massive figure to me. The report defined the stationary industry as being:

- Greeting cards, both those sold individually and in boxed sets;

- Paper crafts and crafting, including scrapbooking and make-your-own cards;

- Social stationery, notably specialty paper for writing, computer printing;

- Gifting and Party Goods, such as gift wrap and bags and other gifting supplies, paper party goods;

- Other stationery, including calendars, date books, blank books, desk accessories, albums; and

- Custom-printed card and stationery for personal use.

While I didn’t purchase the full report the article did state the average for consumers was 42 years old, with 65 percent being female and with an average household income of $65k. The results were similar to the survey taken in 2005. This year’s results maybe a different story due to the slowing of the economy. One thing is for sure people may scale back on buying expensive birthday presents but they will always buy greeting cards and custom cards, so that side of the industry is safe.

Celebrity Greeting Cards

Have you seen the latest trend in greeting cards? Celebrity greeting cards are being circulated with pictures of Brad Pit, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson and Lindsay Lohan to name a few. The greeting cards are very humorous, for example printed on Lindsay's card is "have some good clean fun" and "when you figure out how let me know". I think this may be the start of something big! Why not make a greeting card stick a funny photo of your friend on it and add a silly tag line! Gold!

Lucky Number 8

With the Olympics starting this week there's so much buzz about the start date, 08/08/08. The number 8 is a lucky number for the Chinese and many people across America are capitalizing on its significance. The popularity of getting married this Friday is huge with demand as high as Valentine's day and New Year's Eve. Casino's and gambling venues are expecting massive business as people try to cash in on their luck. So, if you're one of the many people attending weddings tomorrow why not make a custom card marking this lucky day.

Barack’s Custom Made Birthday Cards

Yes, now you’ve heard of everything, Barack Obama custom made greeting cards. The president in waiting, Barack Obama celebrated his birthday last week turning 47. And, if you look on the web there are sites dedicated to him celebrating his birthday and you can actually custom make a card and send it to him! Check out this site and you too can create your very own card. I don’t about anyone else out there but have custom photo cards gone crazy or is this just the norm?