If the invite should look like the people throwing the party, Ottermagic is a straightforward way to make it. Upload a photo of the hosts, the house, or the dog who will greet everyone at the door, run Style Swap or Face Swap, preview until guests would recognise you from the picture, then order a printed A5 card or take the e-card. Printed cards are A5 folded (148×210mm), 330gsm gloss, envelope included, blank inside or with a printed message, made to order in the UK, then posted with Royal Mail to UK addresses in around 3–5 working days or sent by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks. The e-card is the file you drop into a WhatsApp group the same day.
This is for a Christmas party, drinks, or an open house. It is not a Secret Santa gag and it is not an office pack for every desk. Those live in Secret Santa and stocking fillers and corporate Christmas card packs.
What the invite has to do
A party card has two jobs. The front should make people smile. The inside (or the message you send with the file) should carry the facts: whose house or which pub, date, start time, how to RSVP, and whether they should eat first.
Photo invitations from big retailers often drop a snap into a bauble border. Style Swap restyles that snap into a named look. Face Swap puts a face onto a finished scene. Either can feel more like “this is our night” than a template with a date stamp.
Style Swap is the default when the photo already shows the mood: fairy lights in the kitchen, the two of you in jumpers, the living room before anyone arrives.
Face Swap is the party trick when you want a scene rather than your actual hallway. Lucky Leprechaun is the named costume example. Use it if your guests already know your humour.
Pet Swap is worth it when the dog is the unofficial host, or when the cat will be somewhere on a chair judging the playlist.
Text Swap covers a name and a date if you truly have no usable photo. If you have one, use it.
Posters and canvas are available if you want a matching sign on the sideboard. Check Ottermagic.com for live wall-art details.
Photos that read as an invitation
Good:
- Hosts facing the camera, similar size in the frame, daylight or a bright lamp
- The front door with the wreath, if you are happy for guests to recognise the house
- The dog sitting where guests will trip over it
- A couple already dressed for the kind of evening you are throwing
Skip:
- A packed party from last year where nobody’s face is sharp
- A photo that gives away a door code, a key safe, or a child’s school jumper logo you did not mean to publish
- A Face Swap source crop that cuts off the hairline
For Face Swap, keep one clear face in the crop. For a couple invite, Style Swap of both of you together is usually kinder than forcing two faces into a single-person scene. More on that in couple and family Face Swap.
Styles that feel like a party, not a board meeting
Start with the evening you are actually hosting.
- Photobooth and Cartoon for drinks, karaoke, jumper night
- Clay 3D, Action Figure, and Brick if your friends already collect clutter
- Chibi and Anime when the guest list would choose those looks on purpose
- Retro Halftone or Retro Game for a nostalgic playlist night
- Watercolour and Sketch for a quieter supper, or for older relatives who still expect a proper envelope
- Royal Portrait if you can carry the joke without it feeling like a roast
- Sticker Sheet or Emoji for a kids-welcome afternoon
- Caricature and Bobblehead only if the hosts are the ones being drawn, and they have already laughed at the preview
Live looks also include Classic Cartoon, Pixel Art, Tarot Card, Lucky Leprechaun. Generate two. The one you would pin on the fridge is the invite.
Ugly jumper photos have their own page: Christmas Jumper Day cards. Use that if the party is the jumper; use this page if the party is the event.
Printed A5 or e-card
| How guests will get it | Format |
|---|---|
| Posted to people who still open envelopes | Printed A5: around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail in the UK, around 2–3 weeks by airmail in the US |
| Handed over at school pickup or at work | Printed A5, ordered in time to sit in your bag |
| WhatsApp group, email, or Messages tonight | E-card: hi-res, watermark-free download after payment |
| Guests far away who need it today, or a US party less than about three weeks away | E-card, then they print locally if they want paper |
| A sign on the drinks table | Print of the e-card, or a poster if you confirm that format on the site |
You can do both from the same preview: paper for the neighbours who do not text, a file for everyone else. How to attach the file is in how to send an Ottermagic e-card.
Inside the A5, keep the facts short. Ottermagic can print that message, or you can leave the card blank and write after you have settled the time. There is no separate Ottermagic RSVP tracker. Put a phone number or an email in the note.
US hosts can order the printed A5 about three weeks before the party, or use the e-card if it is sooner. Checkout is in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
Timing
Count backwards from the night. Printed cards to UK addresses need around 3–5 working days after you pay, excluding weekends and bank holidays; to US addresses, allow around 2–3 weeks by airmail. If the party is Friday and you are designing on Wednesday, take the e-card.
For Christmas posting in general, see Christmas posting deadlines and how late can I order personalised Christmas cards UK 2026. Those pages are about greeting cards in the post. An invite has an even harder date, because nobody can attend last Tuesday.
Ready when you are
Send an invite that already looks like the evening. Upload a photo on Ottermagic, try Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, and only pay when the preview feels like your household. Print an A5 (148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope; around 3–5 working days in the UK, 2–3 weeks by airmail in the US), or download the e-card and share it in the group chat. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
Can I use an Ottermagic card as a Christmas party invitation?
Yes. Treat the front as the picture, and put date, place, and RSVP in the printed inside message, in a handwritten note, or in the chat you send with the e-card.
Should I Face Swap the guests?
No, not without a photo they are happy to see printed. Swap the hosts, the house, or the pet.
Is this the same as a work Christmas card?
No. Work stacks and Secret Santa portraits are separate jobs. This page is the party at your house, the pub, or the hired room.
What if some guests are abroad?
Send the e-card and it reaches them the moment you pay, wherever they are. Printed A5 cards go to UK addresses by Royal Mail in around 3–5 working days and to US addresses by airmail in around 2–3 weeks. For printed delivery to other countries, email support@ottermagic.com. You can also post a home print of the file yourself.
Can I put the date on the front?
Text Swap can carry a name or a short line if you have no photo. With a photo, put the detailed facts inside or in the message, unless a particular design already leaves room you are happy with. Judge the preview.
Do I need matching stationery?
No. One strong photo in Photobooth or Sketch is enough. Save-the-dates for weddings are a different article: save the date and engagement party cards.
