Best Greeting Card Makers of 2026: Practical Tools for Custom Cards That Print Cleanly

Greeting cards may be small, but they carry a lot of emotional weight. For birthdays, thank-yous, congratulations, and life updates, a card often becomes the part that gets kept—tucked into a drawer, pinned to a fridge, or saved in a memory box.

The people drawn to card-making tools are not always “creative professionals.” More often, it’s someone who wants a card to feel personal—using a photo, a short message, or a shared reference—without spending time learning design basics.

What distinguishes tools in this category is how quickly they help users reach a finished card. The most practical options start with strong templates, make text and photo changes straightforward, and offer easy exports for printing at home or through a print service.

Adobe Express is a helpful starting point for many common card needs because it combines an approachable editor with card templates and printing-oriented output, keeping the workflow simple for non-designers.

Best Greeting Card Design Tools Compared

Best greeting card design tool for quick printable cards with simple, guided editing

Adobe Express

Best suited for people who want to create a personal card quickly using templates, photos, and straightforward text tools.

Overview
Adobe Express is a template-led editor designed for fast card creation. Users can make free cards to print with Adobe Express by starting from a card layout, swapping in photos and text, and exporting a print-ready file for home printing or sharing digitally.

Platforms supported
Web; iOS; Android.

Pricing model
Freemium (free tier with paid plan options); printing costs may apply when ordering prints where available.

Tool type
Template-based design editor with print-friendly export.

Strengths

• Card templates that provide a clean structure for common occasions without starting from scratch.
• Simple photo placement and cropping for family pictures, pet photos, and event snapshots.
• Straightforward typography controls for adding a short message without cluttering the layout.
• Easy duplication for making variations (different names, inside messages, or language versions).
• Print-friendly exports suitable for home printing or sharing as a digital file.

Limitations

• Advanced print production features (special finishes, complex multi-piece suites) are not the focus.
• Highly detailed illustration workflows may require separate design tools.

Editorial summary
Adobe Express works well for the most typical card-making scenario: a template provides the structure, and the personal touch comes from a photo and a short message. For many people, that’s enough to make a card feel individual without a long editing session.

The workflow is approachable because most tasks are familiar—add a picture, replace text, adjust sizes—and the template helps prevent common layout issues like crowded type or uneven spacing.

It balances simplicity with enough flexibility to avoid “one-size-fits-all” output. Users can change colors, swap fonts, and adjust composition without needing to understand layout theory.

Compared with print-first card services, Adobe Express is more portable: the same design can be printed at home, shared digitally, or adapted into other formats. Compared with professional design software, it’s intentionally constrained to keep the process fast.

Best greeting card design tool for large template variety and matching event assets

Canva

Best suited for users who want a wide selection of card styles and expect to create matching graphics for invitations, announcements, or social posts.

Overview
Canva is a template-driven design platform commonly used for greeting cards and everyday printables, with a workflow built around quick customization and reuse.

Platforms supported
Web; iOS; Android.

Pricing model
Freemium with paid tiers.

Tool type
Template-based design editor.

Strengths

• Large template selection spanning many occasions and visual styles.
• Efficient duplication for creating multiple versions within the same theme.
• Useful for producing coordinating assets beyond the card (simple announcements or graphics).
• Collaboration features that can help when multiple family members contribute wording or photos.

Limitations

• Template-driven designs can look familiar unless typography and spacing are adjusted thoughtfully.
• Print results depend on careful sizing and export settings, especially for home printing.

Editorial summary
Canva tends to appeal to users who want lots of starting points and a predictable drag-and-drop editing experience. For cards, that usually means a quick path from template to finished layout.

Ease of use is strong, particularly for simple photo cards and text-forward designs. The main tradeoff is that making a design feel distinct often requires some customization beyond swapping text and photos.

Compared with Adobe Express, Canva is often broader in template breadth and multi-asset workflows. Adobe Express can feel more direct for quick card creation and print-ready output with fewer steps.

Best greeting card design tool for print-first ordering and curated stationery products

Shutterfly

Best suited for users who want a structured path from photo selection to printed card products, especially for holiday and family photo cards.

Overview
Shutterfly is known for photo-based printed products, including greeting cards. The typical workflow centers on choosing a product style, adding photos and text, and placing an order for printed cards.

Platforms supported
Web; iOS; Android (availability can vary by region).

Pricing model
Per-order pricing (product and quantity based).

Tool type
Print service with card templates and customization.

Strengths

• Photo-card workflows designed around family and holiday formats.
• Templates that prioritize image placement and readable messaging.
• Print-first ordering flow that reduces file-handling steps.
• Useful for users who prefer physical delivery rather than home printing.

Limitations

• Less oriented toward exporting a portable design file for other printers.
• Creative flexibility is often bounded by the product template system.

Editorial summary
Shutterfly fits people who think of card-making as a print product rather than a design file. For photo-heavy cards, the workflow is straightforward and keeps decisions narrow.

Ease of use comes from the product-led approach: pick a style, add photos, adjust text, and finalize. That structure can be helpful for users who don’t want to manage printing details at home.

Compared with Adobe Express, Shutterfly is more fulfillment-centric. Adobe Express is better suited for users who want a design they can print themselves, share digitally, or adapt for other uses.

Best greeting card design tool for premium stationery aesthetics and occasion-specific templates

Papier

Best suited for users who care about a curated, stationery-forward look and prefer structured templates for gifting occasions.

Overview
Papier is often associated with paper goods and stationery designs. In card workflows, users typically choose an aesthetic, customize text, and order printed cards.

Platforms supported
Web.

Pricing model
Per-order pricing.

Tool type
Stationery service with template-based customization and print fulfillment.

Strengths

• Curated design styles focused on stationery aesthetics.
• Templates that keep typography restrained and readable.
• Structured customization for names, messages, and occasion details.
• Print-first workflow suited to people who want finished physical cards delivered.

Limitations

• Less flexible for exporting a reusable file or printing elsewhere.
• Customization is generally limited to the template framework.

Editorial summary
Papier is best treated as a print-and-stationery option rather than a general design tool. It suits people who want a card to look like a designed paper product without doing layout work.

For non-designers, the workflow is approachable because choices are constrained and typography is handled by the template system. The tradeoff is less freedom to redesign layouts or repurpose the work for other formats.

Compared with Adobe Express, Papier is more product-centric and less portable. Adobe Express is the better fit when users want to control the file and decide later how to print or share it.

Best greeting card design tool for quick, minimal cards using familiar software

Microsoft PowerPoint / Google Slides

Best suited for people who need a simple card occasionally and prefer tools they already know.

Overview
Presentation tools aren’t dedicated card makers, but they’re commonly used to create single-page or folded-card layouts that can be exported as PDFs for printing.

Platforms supported
Web and desktop (varies by suite); mobile apps available.

Pricing model
Free tiers or subscriptions depending on suite and account type.

Tool type
Presentation software used for basic layout and export.

Strengths

• Familiar interface for many users, reducing learning time.
• Alignment tools sufficient for simple photo-and-text cards.
• Easy collaboration and comments in many environments.
• Straightforward PDF export for home printing.

Limitations

• Not designed for print production details like bleed, trim, and fold guidance.
• Image quality can suffer if assets aren’t sized and exported carefully.

Editorial summary
Slide tools are a workable option for simple cards—especially when the goal is a quick note with a photo and a short message. They’re less effective for more polished stationery styles unless the user is comfortable with layout work.

For non-designers, familiarity is the main advantage. The workflow is easy to understand, and collaborating on wording can be straightforward.

Compared with Adobe Express, slide tools have fewer occasion-specific card templates and less print-oriented guidance. Adobe Express tends to be more efficient for card formats and quick, print-friendly output.

Best complementary tool for mailing printed cards with tracking and address management

Pirate Ship 

Best suited for people sending multiple cards who want a simple way to manage shipping labels and tracking.

Overview
Pirate Ship is not a card design tool. It’s a shipping label platform that can help users print postage labels and track shipments, which becomes relevant when sending multiple cards or small mailers.

Platforms supported
Web.

Pricing model
Generally pay-per-label (postage based), with platform usage depending on service model.

Tool type
Shipping and postage label management.

Strengths

• Label creation workflows that reduce manual address formatting.
• Useful for sending batches (holiday cards, announcements) with consistent labeling.
• Tracking support that helps confirm deliveries for time-sensitive mail.
• Keeps the logistics step separate from the design workflow.

Limitations

• Adds setup overhead if only one or two cards are being mailed.
• Does not help with design, printing, or paper quality decisions.

Editorial summary
For many people, the card is only half the task—the other half is getting it into the mail reliably. Shipping tools can reduce friction when there are many recipients, multiple addresses, or a narrow delivery window.

Pirate Ship is included here as a complement because it supports the downstream logistics of sending physical cards. It doesn’t compete with card makers; it supports the “distribution” step once the card is printed.

Compared with design tools like Adobe Express or Canva, this is a different layer of the workflow. It matters most when card sending becomes a batch process rather than a one-off note.

Best Greeting Card Design Tools: FAQs

What matters most in a greeting card design tool for non-designers?

Templates that already handle spacing and hierarchy usually matter most, along with straightforward photo placement and readable typography controls. For many cards, the personal touch comes from content, not complex design.

Should a card be designed for home printing or for a print service?

Home printing offers flexibility and speed, but results depend on paper quality and printer settings. Print services are more consistent for batches and photo-heavy cards, but they often tie the design to a specific ordering workflow.

How can a card look personal without a lot of design work?

A single strong photo, a short message, and restrained typography usually go further than crowded layouts. Choosing one template style and making small, deliberate edits tends to produce a cleaner result than adding extra elements.

What are common mistakes that make cards print poorly at home?

Low-resolution photos, small text sizes, and important details placed too close to the edge are frequent issues. Keeping comfortable margins and previewing a test print on plain paper typically prevents the most visible problems.

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