Your Own Greeting Card Print Shop
If you're even the least bit creative, have a printer, and don't mind spending $35 on startup cost, then you can start your own greeting card printing business. We'll show you exactly how to get started in this post.
So whether it's pandas or ponies that make your heart sing with joy, odds are that others will be equally charmed by what you print out. Even those other freelancers and small business owners who are fond of your handmade greeting cards will use them and give you credit for a job well done.
The art in creating greeting cards has been around for years, and it's an artistic field that can be made into a viable business. If you have digital savvy, printing ability, know how to have fun with the process, and can save some money in the beginning – then this could be a fun business opportunity to investigate.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the greeting card and gift industry is an $11 billion dollar a year field. That's a lot of potential business. The company Hallmark (which is known for it's personal greeting cards) has roughly $5 billion in sales each year, which includes all their non-greeting card products.
So that tells you that there's money to be made in this field if you hit upon the right idea and predict what your customers want ("punny" cards always make you laugh).
You can manage your business from home – a good thing if you have kids, a spouse, or both. If there's anything that takes the joy out of running a business, it's seeing other people make money from your hard work. You'd rather be the one making money than someone else seeing that profit.
You can even give them all sorts of different gift ideas in your greeting cards and make extra money on top of the sale price at Christmas time.
But what if I don't have any children or a spouse? Work at home moms and dads are rare these days. But even if you don't fall into that category, it's still possible to start this kind of business with very little overhead.
However, if you do have children, you can even make special personalized cards for birthdays and holidays. There's nothing like a specially designed card with the color schemes and images that your kid is fond of. It will create long lasting memories of "that time when…"
The main thing is to find out what people want in their cards. You'll be surprised as to how personal a card can be – especially if it's customized just for one person.
You can even take your business to the next level and sell cards at local craft fairs or other small events where there are lots of people getting into the festive spirit. You can sell them in the normal greeting card cases you'd buy at your local craft store, or even purchase a customized case designed to make your cards stand out.
If you like the business and want to get into it more seriously, there are several companies that specialize in selling cards. One of the popular ones is Cardstore.com; they ship your inventory directly to customers so you don't have to worry about that aspect of running a business.
You could even team up with other lucrative opportunities and use this as a way to advertise for them (it's called affiliate marketing). This would be an easy way of making extra money on top of what you're already selling online.
And if you have a blog, you could advertise your greeting card business on there. You'd be surprised as to what people are willing to spend money on when it's nice and convenient for them. There's nothing like a personal touch to make those special days that much more memorable for people.
You'll need a good computer at home with digital capabilities, and a printer that can print out high quality images in full color without breaking the bank. If you don't have an inkjet printer, then I highly suggest buying this Epson Workforce 520 Scanner/Printer for $30 on Amazon . This is an all-in-one printer perfect for greeting cards and other small prints you might want to do from home.
You can also choose to purchase a separate scanner, but this is a good start if you're just starting out.
After you have your printer, it's time to learn how to use it. Take some basic courses on card design and layout at your local community college or online through their continuing education classes. There are even books that can teach you how to make greeting cards at the bookstore if you don't have the time or patience for classes.
So that's most of the work done for you – all that remains is to pick out a good niche market in which to target. I recommend starting with your family and friends.
Here's an idea for a successful greeting card business:
Mother's Day or Father's Day card company – Send out holiday cards in the spring when people start to think about birthdays, anniversaries, and that sort of thing. Have some designs and ideas ready so people can choose the ones they like best. Then send them out and make a percentage on each sale.
– Send out holiday cards in the spring when people start to think about birthdays, anniversaries, and that sort of thing. Have some designs and ideas ready so people can choose the ones they like best. Then send them out and make a percentage on each sale.
Conclusion
So what do you think? Is the greeting card business right for you? Do you have a niche that you could take advantage of and see results before too long?
Or are you going to go another route altogether? If so, I'd still love to hear from you. Let's talk about it in the comments section below.
Have fun!
Adam McFarland is the publisher of Work at Home Success magazine and also writes for several websites in the work at home niche. He has been working from home as a graphic designer since 1996. When he's not working on graphics or making websites, he likes to spend time with his wife, family and friends.