An office Christmas card works when the person on the front is recognisably a colleague (or the office dog), not a stock elf. On Ottermagic you upload a photo, run Face Swap or Style Swap, preview until it feels like a kind joke, then order a UK 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 and posted with Royal Mail in around 3–5 working days. This guide is for teams who want several of those cards. You make each design, add what you need to the basket, and check today’s postage on Ottermagic.com.
What a pack means on Ottermagic
Some stationery sites sell identical cards in bundles of ten or twenty, one design, a space for a logo. That is a useful product if the MD wants the same robin on every envelope.
A Style Swap or Face Swap Christmas card is the other idea: one photo, one likeness, one card, repeated for as many people as you have decent pictures for. A “multipack” in practice is a basket with several line items, or several e-cards you send from the same afternoon.
If you only need one shared company greeting with a name in the headline, Text Swap can cover a name-led design. When you have staff photos (with permission), Face Swap and Style Swap do more.
Face Swap vs Style Swap for the office
Style Swap restyles the photo they already have: the jumper Friday shot, the Teams avatar that is actually a holiday picture, the pair from the summer lunch. Brick, Cartoon, Watercolour, Sketch, Clay 3D, Photobooth, Anime, Action Figure, and the rest of the live list all run on that picture. Good when the setting is part of the joke (they are at the desk, they are in the pub).
Face Swap puts their face onto a finished template. Lucky Leprechaun is the live costume example; other scene-led designs work the same way. Good when you want “them as a character” rather than “their actual meeting-room photo, drawn”.
Pet Swap is for the office cat, the warehouse dog, or the founder’s spaniel who already has more fans than the Slack channel.
Keep it affectionate. A Bobblehead of someone who asked you not to use their photo is a HR problem, not a cute card. Use pictures people are happy to see printed.
Styles that survive a desk pile in December
You do not need a design titled “Corporate Cheer 12”. A clear photo plus a strong look is enough.
- Sketch and Watercolour for clients, directors, or anyone who would bristle at a figurine.
- Photobooth and Cartoon for teams that already send chaotic group photos.
- Clay 3D, Bobblehead, and Action Figure for engineering, games, or anyone who collects clutter.
- Brick and Retro Game if the studio already has a brick box on the windowsill.
- Chibi and Anime for younger teams who will actually put it on a monitor.
- Royal Portrait if you want a straight face and a gold-frame gag without a licensed character.
- Sticker Sheet or Emoji when the brief is light and the photo is strong.
- Lucky Leprechaun only if the person would enjoy a costume Face Swap; skip it for a first card to a new client.
Try two styles on the first volunteer photo. The one that makes the team chat kinder, not meaner, is the one to repeat.
Full live list if you are browsing: 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.
How to produce several cards without a “corporate portal”
A practical December workflow:
- Collect photos with consent. One person per card is easier than a crowded party shot.
- Open Ottermagic.com, pick Style Swap or Face Swap (Pet Swap if needed).
- Generate, zoom, retry the photo if the likeness slips.
- Add a printed A5 to the basket, or buy the e-card (hi-res, watermark-free download) if you will print in the office or send digitally.
- Repeat for the next person. Saved photos on the site can make the second card faster if you are signed in.
- At checkout, read the live delivery window. Royal Mail around 3–5 working days is typical for print. It is not a same-day courier promise.
There is no group-sign feature. If twenty people need to write in the same card, leave the inside blank and pass a pen in the kitchen, or print a short shared line and add handwritten names.
Quantities are whatever you add to the basket. If the site shows any multi-buy on the day you order, you will see it there.
Printed A5 vs e-card for an office send
Printed A5 (UK)
Use print when the card should land on a real doormat or in a pigeonhole:
- 148×210mm folded
- 330gsm gloss
- envelope included
- blank inside or printed message
- printed to order in the UK
- posted with Royal Mail, typically around 3–5 working days
- recyclable stock and water-based inks
Give that window room around Christmas last posting dates. Ottermagic does not offer same-day printed cards. For colleagues or clients at US addresses, switch to the US shop in the site header: the same A5 is sent by airmail and takes about 2–3 weeks, so allow about three weeks before Christmas. Posters and canvas are available if you would rather hang one portrait in the studio; check Ottermagic.com for live wall-art details.
E-card
Use the e-card when:
- the leaving drinks are tomorrow
- you are sending a PDF-style file into a remote Slack
- one person in New York should see the same artwork sooner than about 2–3 weeks of airmail allows (they can print locally)
- you want to proof a design on a screen before you commit to a stack of envelopes
Same Style Swap or Face Swap. Different format.
Clients, staff, and the office dog
Staff to staff. Face Swap and Style Swap beat a logo card because the gift is the likeness. Write something human inside.
Clients. Prefer Sketch, Watercolour, or Royal Portrait unless you know they like cartoons. Do not Face Swap a client into a joke they did not consent to.
The pet. Pet Swap, clear photo, maybe one printed A5 for reception and e-cards for the group chat.
No photo. Text Swap. Then hunt for a photo next year.
Office extras that are not part of Ottermagic
Ottermagic does not currently sell a branded corporate portal, a CSV mail-merge, a digital group-signing wall, or advertised pack sizes of 10, 25, or 50. You generate each card, add it to the basket, and pay the live total.
If you need a print broker with a brand kit and a mail merge, that is a different shop. Keep Ottermagic for the cards that look like people.
Ready when you are
Upload the first colleague photo, try Style Swap or Face Swap, and order UK A5 print or the e-card when it looks like them. Repeat for the rest of the list. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day). Prices are in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop.
FAQ
Can I order a box of 50 identical Style Swap cards?
You add each design to the basket rather than buying a pre-counted box of 50 identical cards. Check Ottermagic.com for any live multi-buy. Identical logo packs are a different product.
Can the whole team sign one Ottermagic card online?
No. There is no group-signing feature. Leave the inside blank and sign by hand, or add a printed message and extra notes in pen.
Do you have a corporate account?
Pay as you would for any Ottermagic order. Email support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day) if you have a practical order question.
How long do printed office cards take in the UK?
Around 3–5 working days via Royal Mail after print-to-order, plus your own buffer for December. Use e-cards when post will miss.
Can we use a group photo?
You can try Style Swap on a group shot if everyone is clear. Face Swap wants a readable face. For a pack of individual cards, one person per photo is kinder.
What about posters for the office wall?
Ottermagic offers posters and canvas. Confirm live details on the site. A wall print of the office dog in Clay 3D is a reasonable December object.
