Best photo cards in 2024
We found the services that let you create the best photo cards with little hassle.
Whether it’s for the holidays, an upcoming birthday, a wedding, or some other special event, there’s nothing more personal than sending your own photo card. Creating a card with your favorite photos and unique designs is not as hard or as expensive as you may think.
But with so many services offering a dizzying array of printing options at a wide range of prices, it's hard to know which is the best photo card service. To help you choose the right company for your card-making needs, we tested out some of the most popular services out there: Mixbook, Printique, Shutterfly, Snapfish and Vistaprint.
We judged the companies not only on the quality of the cards we created, but the ease (or not) of making them, and the total cost. Which card service came out on top? Read on to find out. At the end of each section, click the link to read each review in full. You can also learn about the best photo books here, and our favorite photo calendar services here.
To ensure that you don't lose your images, check out our picks for the best photo storage services.
1. The quick list
2. Best overall
3. Best value
4. Best design
5. Other services tested
6. How we test
Recent updates
Costco has shut down its own photo book and card-printing service, but is now offering a similar service via Shutterfly. Costco members will receive 51% off regularly-priced Shutterfly orders, plus free shipping on orders over $49. There are some exceptions, and you must be a Costco member in order to take advantage of this offer.
The quick list
Best overall
Best overall
The best card stock, easy-to-use software, and excellent images make this our top pick — but it's not cheap.
Best value
Best value
A combination of excellent photo cards, smart software and reasonable prices make this our runner-up.
Best design
Best design
While the quality of its cards was so-so, Mixbook by far had the best software, and live chat support made things even easier.
The best photo card printing services
Why you can trust Tom's Guide
Best overall
1. Shutterfly
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Shutterfly finished in first place in photo cards during last year’s evaluation and it remains our favorite this time around too. But, as we noted previously, Shutterfly’s cards aren’t cheap. In fact, they had the most expensive base price for a simple 5 x 7-inch card of the services we tested, but they’re often discounted if you buy more.
Both Shutterfly’s cards and envelopes were top notch. For comparison’s sake, we ordered a basic two-sided holiday card and Shutterfly nailed it. The family portrait on the cover of our card was crisp, clear and inviting. The rear of the card, which featured a photo we took of a Tuscan vineyard at sunset, looked fabulous. The text was easy to read and the Signature Smooth Cardstock, which was the least expensive option, was thick and felt professional. Our only gripe is the intrusive Shutterfly logo on the back.
A more expensive, decked-out holiday card, with metal foil and premium envelopes, took top honors for overall quality, placing first for paper and text quality, color, and sharpness. So, whether you plan to spend a little or a lot, Shutterfly’s cards are winners. The company’s envelopes also were the best of all the services we tested. Even the basic, entry-level envelopes were simple, elegant, and classy.
Before ordering, be sure to check out Shutterfly's shipping guidelines.
Read our full Shutterfly review.
Best value
2. Snapfish
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Snapfish finished a close second to Shutterfly and we’d enthusiastically recommend either company if photo cards are the only thing you are making. (We're less enthused by its photo books and calendars.) Snapfish had no trouble producing accurate color and exposure for the multi-racial family image on the front of our card, which featured a range of skin tones. There was also good detail in their facial features and clothing.
The rear of the card, which features an image we shot of the George Washington Bridge at sunset, looked crisp and colorful with good detail in both the bright and shadow areas. The standard cardstock of our flat 5 x-7-inch card was weighty and felt good in our hand. Overall, it’s a professional-level card at a budget price.
We wish all of the photo printing brands would emulate Snapfish’s snazzy software. It’s not only simple to use and logically laid out, it turns the process of creating a photo card into a pleasure rather than like pulling teeth. While we felt overwhelmed picking a card design with some competing services because of confusing organization, Snapfish does a good job of helping you narrow down the choices thanks to filters that let you quickly sort your options.
Read our full Snapfish review.
Best design
3. Mixbook
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Mixbook’s photo cards finished in the middle of the pack in our testing. The color seemed a bit washed out in the Christmas card we created with skin tones of the family on the front of the card displaying a slightly yellow cast. It wasn’t a deal breaker but considering how much we liked Mixbook’s other products it was a disappointment. On the other hand, a photo of the Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy looked nice with the red brick color of the town hall really popping.
To level the playing field, we went with the default Signature Matte finish for most of our photo card orders, which made them appear kind of flat, across the board. But if you want to add a little more shine to your cards while pumping up the contrast, Mixbook does offer Satin and Pearl finishes for a more luxurious look but at a higher price.
If you’re intimidated about designing a card, Mixbook takes out the stress with clear and fun-to-use software that helps make the process a breeze. There’s even a helpful live chat feature with tech support if you get stuck. There’s a lot to choose from. Mixbook offers more than 3,000 templates for many occasions including Mother's and Father's Day, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, 4th of July, Rosh Hashanah, Halloween, New Year's, Chinese New Year's, Diwali, and Eid.
If you order photo cards from Mixbook, be sure to check out its shipping information and deadlines.
Read our full Mixbook review.
Other photo card services
4. Printique
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Given how much we liked Printique’s books and calendars, its photo cards were only so-so. The family on the front of our holiday card lacked sharpness and displayed a slight yellow cast on the edges of their faces. The cardstock also felt flimsy, and the text was somewhat hard to read.
Overall, the card looked like something that might have been produced at home on an inkjet printer. Some of the blame might be on Printique’s default Linen finish, which affected photo sharpness and color saturation. It also made it less legible than we would have liked. Printique also offers Matte and Felt finish options for the same price, though they are unlikely to add any more pop to images.
We also weren’t fans of Printique’s software, though the interface for designing photo cards is better than for books and calendars. Still though, things are organized strangely. Assuming that the most popular design would be “holiday” cards, we found it odd that these were at the bottom of the Photo Greeting Cards page. And while there were many template options for the Christmas card we created, most of the designs were a little ornate and, to our taste, intrusive on the photo.
When ordering a photo book, be sure to check out Printique's shipping information and deadlines, so you know how long to expect before it arrives.
Read our full Printique review.
5. Vistaprint
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Vistaprint’s photo cards were a disappointment, finishing last of the five companies we tested. The standard matte paper stock for our 4.6 x 7.2-inch holiday card was the thinnest of the bunch and seemed like it could easily bend or tear if sent through the mail.
The image quality of the family scene on the front of the card was only fair, with the faces looking smoothed over to produce an almost AI-like appearance. The waterfall shot on back also had a strangely flat look that resembled a painting. And lastly, considering how little the Vistaprint logo appears on its products, we were surprised to see it on the back of our card, creating an impersonal touch.
Fortunately, you won’t have to pay much for Vistaprint’s cards. The base price for its photo cards were amongst the cheapest of all the services. Add in the fact that Vistaprint frequently discounts all its products, and you’ll likely be paying just over a dollar per card, which is quite cheap for a custom product. Unfortunately, though, you get what you pay for.
Read our full Vistaprint review.
How we tested the best photo card services
We created similar two-sided photo cards from the five services we tested Mixbook, Printique, Shutterfly, Snapfish and Vistaprint. The photo cards were all approximately 5 x 7 inches in size and either Holiday or Christmas themed. We used stock photos of multi-racial families on the front of our cards to assess how each company handled a variety of skintones. On the rear of the cards, we used our own vacation photos of landscapes and cityscapes from a summer trip to Italy to judge the print quality for non-portrait images. For image quality, we compared photos across the selection of cards, as well as against the original digital images displayed on a MacBook Air retina display.
In addition to print quality, we judged the cards on the quality of the paper stock and the quality of the envelopes. We also took into consideration each company’s card-making software, including both the levels of customization and the ease-of-use. Finally, we judged the cards on price. For value, we took into account both the price of the photo cards and the level of quality of the finished product. So, for instance, a good quality card that was inexpensive would get a higher value score than a poor quality card at a similar price. The same value scale was used for more expensive cards in our testing.
More from Tom's Guide
Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox.
Here at Tom’s Guide our expert editors are committed to bringing you the best news, reviews and guides to help you stay informed and ahead of the curve!
Dan Havlik has worked in the photo industry for over decades and is currently editor-in chief of Wild Eye (www.wildeyemagazine.com), a new magazine devoted to the celebration of nature, wildlife, and underwater photography. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Outdoor Photographer and Shutterbug magazines. He has been an editor and writer for a variety of other publications and websites including Photo District News (PDN), Rangefinder, Wired, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Consumer Reports, Maxim, Men’s Journal, Imaging Resource, and LAPTOP. Dan is also an avid runner with three marathons under his belt and has written fitness reviews, including guides to the best running shoes and GPS watches, for Business Insider.