There’s still time to get your Christmas greeting cards designed and printed! The key to quick, quality designs is to start with the right resources. Once you have quality stock images and fonts, you can quickly put the finishing touches on the design and send it to the presses.
Stock images are necessary for the background of the front of your greeting cards. Some people design with a solid color or a very simple gradient background, but these are not quite as engaging visually. For businesses looking to get some last minute marketing in for the holidays, simple designs probably won’t have the response rate you hope for because the greeting cards go unnoticed. So look for graphics that are exciting!
Fonts are another way to get attention, but require restraint. An exciting script font is great for the centerpiece of your design, but put any other messages in a simple font that is easy to read. Try to avoid any more than 2-3 fonts on your design as too many fonts can be confusing and distracting.
Check out these resources for stock images and fonts. Let us know how you used these resources to come up with your designs!
Stock Images
Whether you need actual photos or just an abstract background to set the tone, these collections have everything you need to get going.
35 Abstract Backgrounds (PNG, JPG)
Here’s a collection of 35 Christmas backgrounds that you can use ranging from snowflakes to snowmen to Santa.
10 Christmas Backgrounds (PNG)
This is a set of 10 designs in different colors. Combine them or use a single image as your background. The large file size makes them perfect for printing.
Retro Christmas Backgrounds (EPS – Vector)
Need some vector Christmas backgrounds? This set of 34 vectors runs the gamut of vector designs and are easy to use. Since they’re vector designs, you can make them fit any size of greeting cards you need.
Stock.xchng
With thousansd of stock photos free for use, Stock.xchng is one of the most popular stock image sites on the Internet. A quick search for “christmas” produced around 1,000 high resolution photos.
DeviantArt
If you’re looking for designs on the edgier side of things, check out Deviant Art. Over 320,000 images are available in their Christmas photography section, but you should check to be sure the artist allows for personal or professional use without permission. Not all Deviant Art designs are safe for work.
Fonts
This collection of fonts focuses on script or handwriting fonts to give your designs an exciting, seasonal flair.
Google Webfonts
Looking to match up your greeting cards with an email campaign design? Google Webfonts are the perfect choice. You can design your printed cards using these fonts and apply them using CSS to any online-based designs.
DaFont
One of the more popular websites for all things typography is DaFont and they don’t disappoint with more than 80 fonts just in their Christmas category. Don’t find what you need? Do a search for curly and handwriting fonts to find more.
1001 Fonts
1001 Fonts has a nice collection of handwritten, calligraphic, and celtic fonts that are free for personal or commercial use.
FFonts
The collection at FFonts is also a great place to start and they have a large collection of Wing Bat fonts that have Christmas shapes — great for adding holiday design elements to any design.
Font Squirrel
While not the largest collection, Font Squirrel has a number of excellent font families from which you can choose.