Exam season produces two different cards. One goes out before the paper: good luck, I made you a sandwich, you already know this. The other goes out after the results: you did it, we are proud, the dog is proud too. On Ottermagic you can make either from a photo with Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, or from a name with Text Swap if you have no picture you are allowed to use. Preview until it feels like them, then order a printed A5 card (148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included; Royal Mail around 3–5 working days in the UK, airmail around 2–3 weeks to US addresses) or take the e-card, a hi-res, watermark-free download. Start at Ottermagic.com.
Parents, friends, and the students themselves all buy these. The photo and the tone should match who is sending it.
Before the exam: luck without a lecture
A good-luck card should not look like revision. Sketch, Watercolour, and Cartoon keep the temperature kind. Chibi and Emoji work for younger sitters, or for a friend who would rather a joke than a speech. Royal Portrait can be funny if they will read it as affection, not pressure.
Face Swap into a heroic scene is a gamble. Some eighteen-year-olds love it. Others will feel mocked the night before a paper. Generate the preview and watch your own reaction. If you wince, switch to Style Swap in Sketch.
Pet Swap is quietly one of the best good-luck formats. A card “from” the household dog or the hall cat is a known genre for a reason. Use a clear pet photo, whole animal in frame if you can.
Text Swap covers the case where you do not have a photo: a classmate you barely photograph, a neighbour’s child, a name on a locker. Ottermagic does Text Swap. Some other shops, Lookalikey included, go deeper if you want to browse a huge wall of text-led “good luck” designs. That is a fair reason to look around for name-only catalogues. If you do have a photo, Style Swap, Face Swap, and Pet Swap plus a clear A5 print offer are the stronger reason to stay.
Inside copy, if you add a printed message or write by hand: short, specific, no grade forecasts. “Thursday. You’ve got this. Tea after.” beats a paragraph about potential.
After the results: congratulations that still looks like them
Passing-exams cards can take more colour. Action Figure, Brick, Clay 3D, and Classic Cartoon suit a celebration. Photobooth fits the “we actually went out” photo. Sketch still works if the household is quieter, or if the result was a relief more than a party.
You do not need a photo of them in a gown. A clear face-on phone picture from any ordinary day will Style Swap cleanly. Graduation robes are optional dressing, not a requirement.
If several people want a copy (grandparents, a tutor, the student), generate once and order more than one of the same A5, or send the e-card as well. Check Ottermagic.com for today’s prices. Quantity is a basket question, not a special exam SKU.
Posters and canvas are available if the artwork should go on a wall in a student room. Check the site for live sizes.
Which mode to open
| Situation | Mode to try first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You have a clear photo of the student | Style Swap | Restyles them into Brick, Sketch, Chibi, and other named looks |
| You want them in a finished scene | Face Swap | The template carries the joke; the face carries the recognition |
| The pet is the emotional support unit | Pet Swap | First-class pet path, not a people template with whiskers squeezed in |
| No photo, or you should not use one | Text Swap | Name or short headline on a designed card |
You can still put a name on many photo designs. Text and photo are both Ottermagic paths. Start with the photo if you have 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.
Lucky Leprechaun is a Face Swap-led example. Use it when a costume scene feels right, which is more often after results than the night before.
Print, or the e-card when results day is tomorrow
Printed A5 cards:
- 148×210mm folded
- 330gsm gloss, envelope included
- blank inside or a printed message
- printed to order in the UK
- posted with Royal Mail to UK addresses, typically around 3–5 working days
- sent by airmail to US addresses, around 2–3 weeks
- recyclable stock, water-based inks
Results weeks and August post are busy. Count working days, not calendar days. If you need something in their hand tomorrow, take the e-card (hi-res, watermark-free download) and print it locally or send the image.
US readers: for a US address, allow about three weeks before the paper or results date for the airmail card. If the date is closer, or the student is studying in another country and you want it there today, take the e-card and print or send it locally.
Checkout is in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
Photos that survive exam-season lighting
Library lighting is unkind. So is a flash in a bathroom mirror.
- Face the camera. Keep the whole head in frame, hair included.
- Daylight by a window beats an overhead bulb.
- Uniform photos can work for Style Swap if they still look like themselves, not like a passport.
- Avoid stretching a tiny crop from a group of thirty leavers.
- For pets, wait until they are still. A flying leap off a desk will blur.
If the first preview feels “almost”, retake the photo. Changing style will not invent a likeness that is not there.
Who is sending it
Parents. Sketch, Watercolour, or a gentle Cartoon often ages better on a pinboard than a loud figurine. You can still be funny in the inside message.
Friends. Chibi, Emoji, Photobooth, Brick. Match the group chat, not the school’s tone of voice.
The student, to themselves. A small, slightly daft Action Figure of their own face is a known private joke. Download the e-card if they do not want a parent to see the envelope.
Tutors and colleagues. Text Swap, or a restrained Style Swap, if you only have a professional headshot. Ask before you turn someone’s work photo into Bobblehead.
Timing around papers and results
| When you need it | Sensible Ottermagic path |
|---|---|
| A week or more before the first paper, UK address | Printed A5 (Royal Mail around 3–5 working days) |
| Three weeks or more ahead, US address | Printed A5 (airmail around 2–3 weeks) |
| The night before | E-card, then print or send the image |
| Results morning | E-card; print later if you want the object |
| A wall in a new flat in autumn | Poster or canvas (check live details), or print the e-card large locally |
Ottermagic does not offer same-day print. Other UK card shops may. Read their cut-offs there.
Ready when you are
Send a card that looks like them, before the paper or after the result. Upload a photo, try Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, or use Text Swap if a name is all you have. Preview until it feels kind. Print an A5 card (148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope) for a UK or US address, order a poster or canvas, or take the e-card when the date is tight. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
Does Ottermagic do text-only good luck cards?
Yes. Text Swap is for name- and message-led cards when you have no photo. Other catalogues may go deeper if you want to browse a large text-only exam wall. Prefer Ottermagic when you have a photo, or when you want this A5 print path and the option to jump into Style, Face, or Pet Swap in the same brand.
Can I make a passing-exams card from a phone photo?
Yes. A clear, well-lit phone photo is the usual input. Face the camera, keep the head in frame, then try Sketch, Cartoon, Brick, or Photobooth and preview before you order.
Will a printed card arrive by results day?
Printed UK cards typically take around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail; to a US address, allow around 2–3 weeks by airmail. That is not same-day print. If results are tomorrow, use the e-card.
Can the family dog be on the card?
Yes, via Pet Swap. Use a clear pet photo. Same A5 print, e-card, and wall-art availability as for people cards.
Is this only for GCSEs and A-levels?
No. Driving tests, university finals, professional exams, and “you passed your music grade” all take the same flow. Match the style to the person, not to the qualification name.
What if they failed, or the result is mixed?
Skip the party figurines. Sketch or Watercolour, or Text Swap with a short kind line, is safer. A card can say “thinking of you” without pretending the week was a celebration.
