Corporate Christmas Cards: Formats, Papers, Text
A guide to ordering corporate Christmas cards: formats from A6 to A5, card stock weights, foil, personalisation with logo and recipient name, prices and turnaround times.
Corporate Christmas cards are most commonly ordered in four formats — A6 (105×148 mm), A5 (148×210 mm), DL (99×210 mm) and square 148×148 mm — on 300–350 gsm card stock, with a logo and personalised text inside. Catalogue cards start from €0.51/pc at 100 pcs (Herald A6), while our digital printing is available from as little as 1 piece, with a turnaround of 1–3 business days. If cards need to be sent out by mid-December, it's best to approve the artwork by the end of November — postal and courier workloads rise sharply in December.
Why you should start thinking about cards in October and November
A corporate card isn't just a greeting — it usually travels together with an invoice, a gift set or a year-end letter. That's why the timeline should be counted backwards from the day the card needs to be in the recipient's hands.
A practical schedule for this year:
- By 10 November — format, design and print run decided, recipient list prepared.
- 10–25 November — artwork approval and printing (our printing takes 1–3 business days; catalogue cards with custom printing take 6–10 business days).
- 1–10 December — envelope stuffing, personalised text insertion, handover to post or courier.
- After 15 December — realistically only in-person delivery to clients or urgent jobs by special arrangement.
Formats and indicative prices
Below are the most commonly used formats. Catalogue card prices are from the price list; our digital printing prices are indicative and depend on paper, print run and finishing. All prices exclude VAT.
| Format | Size | Best suited for | Indicative price at 100 pcs |
|---|---|---|---|
| A6 single-sided | 105×148 mm | Large print runs, cards attached to invoices | from €0.51/pc |
| A6 folded | 105×148 mm folded | Classic card with text inside | from €0.75/pc |
| A5 folded | 148×210 mm | Key clients, partners | from €0.99/pc |
| Square | 148×148 mm | More design-focused solutions | from €0.99/pc |
| DL | 99×210 mm | Fits a standard envelope without folding | from €0.60/pc |
For small print runs (10–30 pcs), the price per piece is considerably higher, as the setup work is the same regardless of quantity. At 250–500 pcs, the price per piece drops by 20–35%.
Paper and finishing
Thickness matters for a card — thin paper is immediately noticeable in the hand. In practice, we use:
- 300 gsm matt card — the standard choice, takes digital printing well, comfortable to write on with a pen inside.
- 350 gsm card — a sturdier card, recommended for the A5 fold so it doesn't bend inside the envelope.
- Design and textured papers — sandy, linen-textured or uncoated fibre papers; work well for minimalist designs with a single colour and foil.
- Matt lamination — protects against fingerprints if the design has dark tones or large areas of colour.
- Foil stamping — gold, silver or copper tone for a logo or snowflake element; most effective on dark or textured paper.
- Embossing — a logo or year number without colour, using relief only.
Dark tones printed digitally on textured paper can come out slightly uneven — this is a property of the paper, not a printing defect. If your design has a large dark blue or black background, a smooth 350 gsm card is a better choice.
Personalisation: logo, text, variable data
Three levels of personalisation that companies use most often:
- Logo + a single text version — one print version for the entire run. The cheapest option, suitable for 100+ recipients.
- Text by language — one run in Latvian, another in English or Russian. Practical if your clients include foreign partners; each language is a separate artwork version.
- Variable data — the recipient's name or company name printed on each card from an Excel list. Extra cost is usually €0.10–0.20/pc plus data preparation.
A QR code is also often added, leading to a video greeting, an annual report or a donation page — turning the card into a link to digital content. If you're planning a QR code, leave at least 20×20 mm for it and check the contrast against the background.
When the card is sent with an envelope
For A6 and A5 formats, we use standard C6 and C5 envelopes. The envelope can be printed with a logo and address — this increases the chance the item gets opened, but adds one more print cycle and 1–2 days to the timeline. The DL format fits into a long envelope without folding.
Examples from our catalogue
A few examples from our catalogue:
- Herald A6 greeting card – card stock, 2 colours, digital printing on paper, foil stamping or embossing; from €0.53/pc at 50 pcs and from €0.51/pc at 100 pcs.
- Herald A5 greeting card – card stock, 2 colours, digital printing, foil stamping, embossing; from €1.04/pc at 50 pcs, from €0.99/pc at 100 pcs.
- Herald square greeting card – square format on card stock, 2 colours, same finishing as A5; from €1.04/pc at 50 pcs.
Files and artwork preparation
We work with vector graphics (.ai, .eps, .pdf, .svg), CMYK colours, and raster images at 300 dpi at actual size. A 3 mm bleed is required, along with at least a 5 mm safety margin from the edge for text. If you don't have a design, we'll create one based on your logo and text — this usually takes just one day.
We send the artwork for approval by email; printing starts once we receive written confirmation. Cards and other small-format printing take 1–3 business days; catalogue cards with custom printing require 6–10 business days (production 4–7 days + delivery 2–3 days).
Frequently asked questions
What's the minimum order quantity for cards?
For our digital printing — from 1 piece, though it's economically worthwhile from 25–50 pcs. For catalogue cards in the Herald range, the minimum order is 50 pcs.
What's the final deadline to get cards before Christmas?
For our printing — by 12 December, provided the artwork is ready and the finishing isn't complex. For catalogue cards with foil or embossing, the order needs to be confirmed by 1 December. We review urgent requests on a case-by-case basis.
Can the recipient's name be printed on each card?
Yes, from an Excel list with name, job title or company name. The extra cost is approximately €0.10–0.20/pc plus a one-off data preparation fee; add one business day to the timeline.
How much does gold foil on a card cost?
Foil stamping is a separate process requiring its own stamping die — preparation usually costs €45–90 depending on the size of the element, plus €0.15–0.35/pc. At print runs of 300+ pcs, the per-piece cost becomes negligible.
Do you print envelopes too?
Yes, C6, C5 and DL envelopes with a logo and return address. Single-colour printing is cheaper and faster than full colour.
Can you also put the cards into envelopes and send them by post?
We can arrange envelope stuffing on request; the price depends on the print run. Address labels are printed together with the rest of the order — see the stickers section.
Send us the format, print run and logo at info@attaprint.lv or message us on WhatsApp at +371 25776699 — we'll prepare a quote with pricing, paper options and timeline within one business day.
FAQ
What's the minimum order quantity for cards?
For our digital printing — from 1 piece, though it's economically worthwhile from 25–50 pcs. For catalogue cards in the Herald range, the minimum order is 50 pcs.
What's the final deadline to get cards before Christmas?
For our printing — by 12 December, provided the artwork is ready and the finishing isn't complex. For catalogue cards with foil or embossing, the order needs to be confirmed by 1 December. We review urgent requests on a case-by-case basis.
Can the recipient's name be printed on each card?
Yes, from an Excel list with name, job title or company name. The extra cost is approximately €0.10–0.20/pc plus a one-off data preparation fee; add one business day to the timeline.
How much does gold foil on a card cost?
Foil stamping is a separate process requiring its own stamping die — preparation usually costs €45–90 depending on the size of the element, plus €0.15–0.35/pc. At print runs of 300+ pcs, the per-piece cost becomes negligible.
Do you print envelopes too?
Yes, C6, C5 and DL envelopes with a logo and return address. Single-colour printing is cheaper and faster than full colour.
Can you also put the cards into envelopes and send them by post?
We can arrange envelope stuffing on request; the price depends on the print run. Address labels are printed together with the rest of the order.
