What are Gallery Letterpress with Photo Affixed Cards?

Are you looking for an eye catching card with an elegant flair to share with your customers, family, friends, etc?  The Gallery Letterpress with Photo Affixed Cards are there to fill your needs.  Whether it is for holidays, birthdays, or just blank inside, a card like this is not just like sending a simple card but an elaborate present.  Let’s break it down.

What is the definition of letterpress?  This is an upgraded form of printing that requires the use of a printing press.  Many think of the printing press of an “old fashioned antiquated” way of doing things.  I say, “If you want it right, do it the way it has been done for ages.”  A worker uses movable type setting it up in the press.  The next step requires applying the appropriate color ink or foil.  Lastly, the worker presses paper against the press in order to transfer the ink from the type.  This will create an impression on the paper leaving a remarkable imprinted greeting.  That is just the first part of these wonderful Gallery Letterpress Photo Affixed Cards.

Now, let’s address the photo affixed part of the equation.  Talk about a thing of beauty.  Affixing is the act of attaching one item to another.  The Gallery Collection finds beautiful pictures from landmarks, holiday themed items, or birthday themed items and affixes them to the outside of a one of there high quality cards.  It gives every card a magnificent look that stands out from all other cards.  Besides sharing these wonderful photos on the card, the person receiving the card can eventually frame this photo and display it for all to see.

When you send a Gallery Letterpress with Photo Affixed Cards, you are not only sending well wishes, but you are also sending the recipient a gift.  This type of card is a remembrance of you to last long after the special occasion has passed.

Correspondence Note Cards – A Personal Touch for Your Business

There is so much competition out there today making the little things a business does so much more important than ever before.  Keeping a personal connection with your customers, clients and even personnel is necessary in today’s business world. Correspondence note cards are a simple and fun way to let them know you care about everything in their world.  This intimate connection will keep them coming back to you oppose to looking elsewhere.

On these elegant correspondence note cards, you can have your name imprinted on the top leaving the rest of the card open for your use in many different situations.  Did you read in the paper about one of your clients landing a much important client?  This would be a perfect time to send a note of congratulations to him.  Or how about reading the sad news of a death in a customer’s family?  A special sympathy note would let them know you care.  Did an employee receive an acknowledgement commending them on their service from a business acquaintance?   As her boss, she would enjoy being praised for a job well done.

Correspondence note cards have many uses and can make a forever impression on your customers, clients and employees.  A personal touch in business leaves the people you connect with feeling important.

Why Calendar Cards are a Wise Business Investment

Any productive business usually sends out some form of a holiday card to celebrate their relationships with their clients and customers. Calendar cards are a wise alternative that any company should consider. They are a wise business investment for any company. With a calendar card, a business is not just doing a one time advertisement, but they are making a year long lasting impression. Most of the time, once the holiday season has come to an end those gorgeous holiday cards are tossed in the trash and never seen again. Calendar cards can be displayed and referred to throughout the year making your cards a valuable commodity.

In the bottom portion of the calendar card, a company has the ability to customize the card by typesetting their company name, address, phone number, website and any other pertinent information. The company is also able to have their logo added in this area. And who doesn’t need a calendar displayed at their desk? Your customer will display this card and always remember you in their time of need. It is a one time investment that is referred to long after the holiday season ends. Calendar cards are a wise business investment.

Birthday Cards from the Boss Make for a Happy Office

These days everyone spends so much time at work; most of us spend more time with our co-workers than with our own families! Since we all have to be there so much, it helps when colleagues all get along well and are congenial. An extra plus is if the office is actually sometimes “fun”.  The boss is instrumental in setting the tone of the office.  A good boss recognizes that a happy office is a productive office, and so will treat employees with respect and kindness.

One way for a boss to keep happy employees and a happy office is to give employees personalized attention. Many managers use birthday cards as a way to give their employees personalized attention. Birthday cards from the Boss make employees feel valued and appreciated.  Birthday cards from the boss help to make employees feel like a family. Birthday cards from the boss also help foster a spirit of celebration in the office, and it is great to have something to celebrate at work!

An employee who gets a birthday card from the boss is bound to feel more loyal to the boss and the company, and will feel like their efforts are appreciated. Happy employees who feel personally appreciated and respected are definitely also more productive, and are more likely to talk about how great their companies are to their friends and family. This could lead to recruiting other good employees and also to gaining new customers.  More importantly, however, birthday cards from the boss just make the workplace a nicer place to go-for everyone!

Personalized Birthday Cards Help Keep You Organized

It is much easier to keep track of who you are sending birthday wishes to if you choose to send out personalized birthday cards. If you are a company who sends birthday cards to either your clients or employees, it is much more convenient to do so if they have already been personalized with your company name. There are many tasks and projects a professional has to worry about finishing during a work day. Having to choose a card and physically sign it can be very tedious and time consuming. Especially if there is more than one birthday card that needs to be signed in a day. If you order birthday cards with a company name or signature already included, it creates fewer steps when it is time to send or hand out the card. It also makes it much less time consuming to keep track of as its one less step that you have to worry about.

I don’t know how many cards I’ve had to buy when an employee or customer’s birthday is coming up. Then I would have to walk around to various employees and wait for them to find the time to sign them.   It’s also frustrating if a fellow employee isn’t in that day and can’t sign it themselves. In such a professional world, no one has time to do this anymore. Your regular work projects are more important so many companies will not even acknowledge a birthday in the office.

By giving an employee or customer a birthday card really helps office morale and helps to continue business with others. If you don’t show your appreciation, it can deter people from giving 100% to the company. In my personal experience, it’s become very easy for a birthday to fall through the cracks because of these time consuming issues. It’s much less time consuming when the cards are already set up with a personal greeting and imprint. Because there are fewer steps involved, it is much easier to keep track of how many cards need to be sent or handed out.

I will never send out cards on a whim again. At least now I know that if I do remember a birthday at the last minute, I am already prepared.

Greeting Cards Highlights – Business Photo Cards

As the one who is in charge of ordering our cards every year, I am always challenged at to what card I choose to order. It’s not that I can’t find one I like, but quite the opposite. I find too many that I like. Therefore, it is always hard to make the final decision. I finally nailed it down to 5 designs.

Glowing Holiday Forest Card is a glossy photo of snow covered trees, set on a dark mate background.  Twinkling lights adorn the snow covered branches that gently illuminate the forest.

Lights and Bows Card has a gold embossed stamped border framing a mounted photo. This Christmas tree and holly boughs remind me of holidays of years gone by. Warm and festive, bringing thoughts of gathering family and friends close.

Christmas Welcome Wreath Card is a cream matte embossed with gold. This frames a mounted photo of a wreath adorned door. This to me declares, “Welcome – I wish you Peace and Joy!

New York City, Tribute in Light Christmas Card is a photo mounted on a white matte card stock that will forever remind me of 9/11. Not only the horror, but of the extreme acts of courage and heroism that will be etched in our hearts and minds for the rest of our lives. This beautiful tribute in lights that depict the twin towers is a befitting memorial to all the lives lost and to remind us all that some things are never to be forgotten.

Thanksgiving Cards – The New Christmas Cards?

Everyone expects to receive Christmas cards from family, friends and even establishments where they do business. No one really expects a Thanksgiving card, so why not get a jump on the holiday season?

This year I have decided to send out Thanksgiving cards to friends and family to show how thankful I am to have each and every one of them in my life. While they are busy prepping for the holiday, they will receive a card from me and know that they are being thought of. While everyone tends to spend time with family for that special dinner, a card can slow them down for a minute and fill them with the joy of being appreciated.

It seems as almost as Thanksgiving dinner is coming to an end, you star to get flooded with Christmas cards. Wouldn’t it be nice to share a beautiful Thanksgiving card with friends when everyone else is receiving Christmas cards? The holidays come and go so fast that I like to get an early start on mailings, decorations, and shopping of course. This year, as every year, I will turn to The Gallery Collection for my Thanksgiving cards…and Christmas cards too!

Increase Customer Loyalty with Birthday Business Cards

Sending birthday cards to your customers is a great way to increase your business and loyalty with customers.  If you are a doctor or dentist with an office, a birthday card can serve as a reminder for your customers to come in for a checkup.  If you have a retail store, it can remind your customers to come in and check out some new sales.

A birthday card comes off as sincere, thoughtful, and kind.  It makes customers aware that you appreciate their business and look forward to seeing them again.  I can tell you from personal experience that birthday cards can definitely increase customer loyalty.  Every time my mother receives a birthday card from her dentist, she calls and books an appointment for a teeth cleaning.

Customers will positively view your business after they receive your card, maybe even more than some other companies who were not as thoughtful.  It is also a great way to bring customers back into your business who may have not visited in recent days.  Maybe there was a customer who was not satisfied with their last visit or purchase.  A birthday card may just change their opinion of your business!

Q and A with Jennifer Soriano – Winner of the 8th Annual Create a Greeting Card Scholarship Contest

First and foremost, congratulations to Jennifer Soriano on winning the 8th Annual Create a Greeting Card Scholarship Contest!

Right now, Jennifer is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Illustration at the Academy of Art University.

We had an initial conversation with Jennifer, but we wanted to get a little more personal in this Q and A session in which she explains how her beautiful design came to life, what she truly wants to accomplish in her life as an artist, and what other artists could learn from her approach to the Create a Greeting Card Scholarship Contest.

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MA: So, it’s been a few months – How has winning the 8th Annual Scholarship Program Contest affected you (besides being on top of the world)?

JS: Well, I have to admit to still being in a feeling of disbelief (that I won). It has been such a wonderful affirmation of all the work it takes to perfect one’s craft. I think, like many artists, we often question our abilities, especially in a world where artistic achievement is often overlooked – where our creations are often conceived in solitude. You begin to wonder if anything you paint or draw will matter to anyone else… its a little like putting your soul on display. The scholarship has certainly been both an  inspiration to work harder and to take pride in the work one achieves.

The money has been truly helpful to relieve some of the stress that comes with always figuring out how to pay for cost of tuition. Less stress of course means more energy to invest in one’s artwork.

MA: After reviewing your response towards, “What are your plans after Graduate School,” you stated you are “currently teaching studio art and want to become a better teacher.” What do you feel you need to do to accomplish this goal?

JS: While art may be created in solitude, its ideas are always rooted in other people. There is always an element of the artist’s character within their work. When I create a piece of art, it’s for people. When I teach art, it is not only for the individual student’s fulfillment as an artist, but also as a way for them to communicate artistically with their larger cultural setting. Part of communicating effectively is to understand what you want to say, who you are speaking to, and what is going to be the most effective telling of the story for your audience. I always like to think of art as being a conversation between the artist and the viewer.

(On computer’s changing the way an artist is evolving) – I decided it would be essential as both a teacher and an artist to learn new ways in which to use the computer to communicate a visual idea. Digital media today has a larger audience base and opens up many ways for the artist to communicate with as well. I also wanted to push myself to begin to think about different ways an artist could use this platform, whether they were using traditional illustration methods or digital painting programs. This is the world which my students navigate daily and I wanted to be a more effective educational leader for them by increasing my knowledge in this arena. I also felt the traditional world of artistic creation was an important component of being better able to manipulate new technology, so I wanted to increase my own technical ability in both traditional and digital painting techniques.

MA: What did you find to be the best and most challenging aspect of creating your artwork for the Greeting Card?

JS: I wanted to capture that feeling of when you are small and you are so excited for your birthday! The thing I remember (and is still true of my own children) is when you just can’t wait for that colorful mountain of sweetness that you get in fluffy frosting and colorful sprinkles. There is that barely contained excitement for the anticipation of cake!

2014 Scholarship Winner

I set up my still life of cupcakes so that it was from a child’s perspective, when you can see what’s waiting for you on the kitchen counter or table, but its out of your reach. I wanted to create the perspective like you were that child, looking up at that tempting row of cupcakes, and they are just out of reach.

I ended up sitting on the floor with a table easel in order to see my still life from a kid’s perspective with the cupcakes on the top of a pedestal. I got a real appreciation for the view kids have of much of the world (and their world). It is not the most comfortable position to paint from, but it was very effective.

MA: What did you think of the overall process of the Scholarship program? Besides being monetarily rewarding, was it a process where you feel you can grow from (as an artist and an individual)?

JS: Greeting cards are a form of communication and in this case, there is a very specific type of communication needed for a greeting card. As an artist, you have to think about the best way to communicate the theme. Additionally, you also have to think about the human being you are creating the card for, what ideas might appeal the most to them. It requires the artist to step outside of themselves into the mind of others and try to figure what moves them.

MA: Do you see this contest as being something rewarding to an artist in a creative aspect?

JS: I like these kind of mental challenges. You are presented with a problem and then you have to come up with a solution to the problem that is uniquely your own. Each of the artists who participated came up with answers to the theme that were vastly different. That is the wonderful part of the creative challenge… you get to see how other artists have different approaches to the same ideas.

MA: What advice can you give to other future participants of our Scholarship Program?

JS: Before you launch into drawing out an idea, think about who the card is for. Imagine a scenario in which it might be given and what is that person feeling. I think understanding the audience you are designing for is as important as the technical work of drawing or painting itself.

MA: If you could change anything about the Scholarship Program, what would it be?

JS: Perhaps people would benefit more if the news was spread to make (the contest) more widely known to the artistic community.  Especially as there is little financial support for working adults going back to school. As a group, we are often working full time jobs, supporting children, and even our children in college. Our financial burdens often outweigh younger students and there is little aid out there older students.

I happened to have a friend who saw the “Creating the Greeting Card Scholarship” contest because he ordered cards from The Gallery Collection. Prior to this, I had no idea such a contest existed or that graduate students were eligible! I wish I had known about it earlier.

I think (the Scholarship Program) is a wonderful way to support the education of artists.

Why You Should Send Congratulations Cards

When someone in our lives achieves a goal or accomplishes something great, it is a nice gesture to congratulate them and wish them well.  The person will remember your gesture in the future and may even congratulate you with a card of their own!  A card that says “Congratulations” is perfect for countless occasions.   These may include the birth of a child, a graduation, securing a new job, or another similar accomplishment in someone’s life.

There is not a better feeling than someone who gives you a “Job Well Done” or “Congratulations” after you have worked so hard towards a goal.  That type of recognition can make us strive for more success and to achieve even bigger goals in our lives.  This is especially true when we know that our loved ones and friends are behind us supporting our dreams every step of the way.  This can also be true in the workplace.  A “Congratulations” can go a long way when recognizing an employee’s accomplishments.

You will always remember the people who send you a card on a special occasion.  This shows that they care, they are proud of you, and they are happy for you.  So the next time someone in your life deserves recognition, you’ll be happy to have these cards on hand!