If you are trying to get a personalised Christmas card through someone’s door before they travel, the Ottermagic version of the truth is narrower than a supermarket slogan. Printed A5 cards are made to order in the UK and posted with Royal Mail to UK addresses in around 3–5 working days. The e-card is a hi-res, watermark-free download after payment, which is what you use when the calendar has already gone. Royal Mail publishes last posting dates each year; Ottermagic’s checkout shows the estimate for your order. Upload a photo, run Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, preview, then choose print or e-card from those two clocks. Start at Ottermagic.com.
The short answer
| When you are ordering | What to do |
|---|---|
| Comfortably before Christmas, with 3–5 working days plus a little air | Printed A5 on Ottermagic (148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included) |
| Inside that window, or a bank holiday sits in the way | E-card, then print locally or send the file |
| You have not checked this year’s Royal Mail last posting dates yet | Check Royal Mail’s current Christmas last posting page, then count Ottermagic’s print window on top |
| You want the portrait on a wall instead of in the post | Posters and canvas are available; check Ottermagic.com, and still allow make-to-order time |
Working days are Monday to Friday, excluding UK bank holidays. Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day (and any substitute days when those dates fall on a weekend) are not ordinary print-and-post days. Always read the live estimate at checkout.
What “around 3–5 working days” means in December
Ottermagic cards are printed to order. Nobody is pulling your Clay 3D grandad off a warehouse shelf. You approve the preview, you pay, the UK print file is made, the card is printed on 330gsm gloss with the envelope, then Royal Mail carries it.
In December that sequence shares the country with everyone else’s parcels. The typical window is still described as around 3–5 working days. It is a range, not a 10am guarantee. Standard post on this product is the Royal Mail service described on the site.
If a card seems late, Ottermagic’s own guidance is to get in touch after a longer wait than the usual window. Email support@ottermagic.com; replies come within one working day. Prices are in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop.
Posters and canvas use the same print-to-order idea. Do not copy the A5 envelope timeline onto a large wall piece without checking the product page.
Royal Mail last posting dates: check theirs
Every year Royal Mail publishes last posting dates for Christmas, usually split by service (the cheap stamp versus anything quicker). Those dates change. They are also about their last collection for a card that is already in the system.
A personalised Ottermagic card is not already in the system. You still need the print step. A sensible way to plan:
- Open Royal Mail’s current Christmas last posting dates (search “Royal Mail last posting dates” when they are up, often in the autumn).
- Open Ottermagic.com and treat printed A5 as around 3–5 working days after you pay.
- Aim to approve the preview several working days before Royal Mail’s last date for the service you will rely on, so print has room to happen.
- If you cannot do that, stop pretending the post will rescue you and take the e-card.
If another site has a last posting table, confirm it against Royal Mail.
Same-day Christmas cards
Some UK retailers advertise order-by-this-afternoon for next-day or even same-day cards. That is their print network. Read the cut-off on their checkout.
Ottermagic does not sell printed cards as same-day. The fast product is the e-card:
- download after payment
- print on your own paper or at a local shop
- send the image if they are happy to open a file on Christmas Eve
The artwork is still Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap. The likeness is already in the file.
A dark pub photo at 11pm on the 23rd will not become a better card because you are in a hurry. Retake it under a lamp.
How to count backwards from Christmas
Pick the day they should hold the card. For many households that is before they leave for someone else’s house, which may be several days before the 25th.
Then:
- Count back 5 working days for a comfortable printed A5.
- Skip weekends and UK bank holidays.
- If you are inside 3 working days, look hard at the e-card.
- Check Royal Mail’s last posting dates once they are published, and check Ottermagic’s estimate at checkout.
- If they are going away, post to the address they will actually open mail from.
For a US address, switch to the US shop in the site header: the same printed A5 goes by airmail in around 2–3 weeks, so count back about three weeks rather than five working days. For family in another country who should have it by Christmas morning, the e-card reaches them the moment you pay, and they can print it locally. For printed delivery to other countries, email support@ottermagic.com.
What to put on a Christmas card when time is the constraint
You do not need a design named “Christmas 14”. A decent photo plus a style is enough.
Style Swap restyles the photo: Brick, Chibi, Anime, Clay 3D, Photobooth, Sketch, Watercolour, Cartoon, Action Figure, Bobblehead, and the rest of the live list.
Face Swap puts their face in a finished scene. Pet Swap is for the animal who photobombed the tree. Text Swap exists if you have no photo; if you have one, use it.
Live styles: Brick, Chibi, Emoji, Anime, Watercolour, Caricature, Cartoon, Classic Cartoon, Action Figure, Clay 3D, Retro Halftone, Retro Game, Royal Portrait, Pixel Art, Bobblehead, Sticker Sheet, Tarot Card, Photobooth, Sketch, Lucky Leprechaun.
Generate the preview in a quiet week even if you pay later. Likeness is the slow bit in your head, not the checkout.
Printed A5: 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, blank inside or a printed message, recyclable stock, water-based inks.
Ready when you are
Upload a photo, try Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, and order the printed A5 when you still have working days. If you do not, download the e-card the same day. Check Royal Mail and the Ottermagic checkout closer to Christmas rather than trusting a remembered date. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
What is the last day I can order an Ottermagic printed Christmas card?
Allow around 3–5 working days after you pay, skip bank holidays, then compare that with Royal Mail’s last posting dates for the year. The checkout estimate is the one that matters for your order.
Does Ottermagic offer same-day Christmas delivery?
No. Printed cards are not sold as same-day. Use the e-card when you need it immediately.
Where do I find Royal Mail last posting dates?
On Royal Mail’s own website, usually published in the run-up to Christmas. Search for their last posting dates page rather than copying a screenshot from social media.
Can I still send something on Christmas Eve?
Yes: the e-card. Print it locally if you will see them, or send the file.
What if I am sending a stack of family cards?
One preview can become multiple printed A5s, subject to what checkout allows on the day. Leave more working days than you would for a single birthday card. If the stack is late, e-cards scale without extra envelopes.
Do posters still arrive before Christmas?
Treat wall art as print-to-order as well. Check Ottermagic.com for live details, and prefer the e-card or a local print shop if you are close to the date. Posters and canvas remain available formats; they are not a last-posting shortcut.
