An emoji-style card is a photo of someone you love, restyled into Ottermagic’s live Emoji look, then placed on a card you would actually send. Upload a clear picture, run Style Swap in Emoji, preview until the likeness clicks, then order a printed A5 card (148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included; posted with Royal Mail in around 3–5 working days in the UK, or by airmail in around 2–3 weeks in the US) or take the e-card: a hi-res, watermark-free download. That is the whole path. Birthdays and thank-yous are the occasions it suits most, because the look is bright, readable at a glance, and still recognisably them. Start at Ottermagic.com.
US shoppers can use the same Emoji Style Swap and order the same printed A5 from the US shop, sent by airmail to a US address. If the day is less than about three weeks away, take the e-card and print or send the file locally.
What Emoji Style Swap is (and is not)
Emoji on Ottermagic is one of the named live styles, sitting alongside Brick, Chibi, Anime, Watercolour, and the rest. Style Swap restyles your photo into that look. You are not dragging a yellow circle onto a blank canvas in a messaging app. You are asking the card to keep their face, hair, and expression, in a simple, graphic treatment that reads like a well-drawn emoji portrait.
Face Swap is a different mode: their face dropped into a finished scene. Pet Swap is the pet path. Text Swap covers a name or headline with no photo. All four exist on Ottermagic. Open Emoji Style Swap when you want them, as that graphic look, on the front.
If you need a quieter object, Sketch or Watercolour will usually fit better. Emoji is for energy, a phone-screen mood, a thank-you that can also travel as a file.
Birthdays
Emoji birthday cards work when the recipient already lives in group chats, or when you want something playful without going full figurine (Clay 3D, Bobblehead, Action Figure). Kids often like it. Plenty of adults do too, especially if their actual texts are half emoji anyway.
Use a recent, well-lit, face-on photo. Party hats are optional. If the hat hides the eyes, take one without. A kitchen-table snap is enough.
You can pair Emoji with a louder second option if you cannot decide: generate Cartoon or Chibi from the same photo and keep the preview you smile at. The live style list is there for that comparison: 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.
UK print if you have around 3–5 working days. A printed card by airmail to the US if you have around three weeks. E-card if the birthday is tomorrow, then a local print if you want paper.
Inside: a short line they would recognise as you. The front already did the likeness work.
Thank-yous
Thank-you cards are where Emoji earns a second job. A teacher, a neighbour who took a parcel, a friend who drove you to the airport: an Emoji Style Swap of you (or of them, if you have a kind photo) is warmer than a generic floral and faster than waiting on a huge catalogue.
Teachers and colleagues: ask yourself whether a stylised portrait is welcome at work. If you are unsure, Text Swap with their name is still an Ottermagic card, and some other shops go deeper on text-led thank-you catalogues. If you have a friendly photo they already like of themselves, Emoji Style Swap is usually the more keepable front.
Pet thank-yous exist. The dog-sitter gets a Pet Swap of the actual dog, which is often funnier than a people portrait. Use a clear pet photo.
Timing: thank-yous are often late. That is what the e-card is for.
UK English and US English
UK shoppers will search “personalised” and “colour”. US shoppers will search “personalized emoji cards” and “color”. The style name on the site is Emoji. The printed card and the e-card are the same in both shops; only the post differs.
If you are writing an inside message for a US recipient, spell the way they spell. The artwork does not change.
Print, e-card, and wall art
Printed A5: 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, blank inside or a printed message, printed to order in the UK, Royal Mail around 3–5 working days to UK addresses or airmail around 2–3 weeks to US addresses, recyclable stock, water-based inks.
E-card: the storefront option, a hi-res, watermark-free download. Useful the same day, anywhere. People still search “digital download” for this.
Posters and canvas: available on Ottermagic as formats of the same Emoji artwork. Check Ottermagic.com for live sizes and details.
Checkout is in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
A photo that suits a graphic look
Graphic styles are honest about bad input. Soft, dim photos go muddy. Harsh shadows turn into blobs.
- Face the camera, or a gentle three-quarter angle.
- Even light. A window beats a yellow ceiling bulb.
- Keep hair in frame. Emoji-style crops that lose the hairline look like a different person.
- One subject. A busy group shot will fight the style.
- For pets, eyes and ears visible, not a motion blur off the sofa.
If the preview looks “sort of them”, retake the photo before you abandon Emoji for Sketch. Often the photo was the problem.
When to pick a different live style instead
Stay on Emoji when you want something bright and immediate.
Switch if:
- the occasion is careful (sympathy, some get-wells): try Sketch or Watercolour, or skip a face
- they would rather a figurine on a shelf: Clay 3D, Brick, Action Figure
- the fun is a finished scene, not a restyle: Face Swap (Lucky Leprechaun is the named costume example)
- you have no photo: Text Swap
None of those are failures of Emoji. They are different jobs.
How to make one in a few minutes
- Open the Emoji Style Swap design on Ottermagic.com.
- Upload a clear photo (pets use Pet Swap if the animal is the star).
- Wait for the preview. Zoom the eyes and the hair.
- If it feels right, choose the printed A5 or the e-card. Add a poster or canvas if you want the same art on a wall.
- Pay only when you would send it.
You do not need design software. You need a photo and an honest look at the preview.
Ready when you are
Make an emoji-style card that still looks like them. Upload a photo, run Emoji Style Swap, and stop when the preview clicks. Print an A5 card (148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope; around 3–5 working days in the UK, 2–3 weeks by airmail in the US), order a poster or canvas, or take the e-card when you need the file today. Results so good it feels like magic. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
Is Emoji a real Ottermagic style?
Yes. Emoji is one of the twenty named live styles on Style Swap, alongside Brick, Chibi, Anime, Watercolour, Cartoon, Clay 3D, Photobooth, Sketch, and the rest of the list above.
Can I use Emoji Style Swap for a thank-you, not only a birthday?
Yes. Thank-yous are a natural fit, especially when you want to send the e-card the same day. Match the energy to the recipient; a teacher may want a calmer photo than a best friend.
Do US shoppers get a posted emoji card?
Yes. The US shop sends the printed A5 by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks. If the day is closer than that, take the e-card and print or send it locally.
Can I put a pet in Emoji style?
Use Pet Swap with a clear pet photo, then see how the live pet designs treat the animal. Style Swap Emoji is built around a people photo. The pet path is first-class; you do not have to fake it.
What if I do not have a photo?
Use Text Swap for a name or short message. If you can get a photo, Emoji Style Swap will usually make a more keepable front.
How long does a printed Emoji card take in the UK?
Around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail after you order, printed to order in the UK. For something needed today, use the e-card.
