It is reasonable to pause before you send a face, or a child’s face, to a website that will run it through an image model. “Safe” here means: you know what the company says it does with the photo, you can delete it, strangers cannot browse your preview, and you are happy with the trade-off of using a shop that has to pass the picture to its image-generation services to make the card. On Ottermagic, the public privacy copy is short and specific. Photos are stored privately and used only to make your card. They are never used for marketing or training, and Ottermagic does not sell personal information. You can delete saved photos any time from the photo picker. Previews are visible only to you and are watermarked until you buy. Photos of children may only be uploaded by a parent or guardian, or with their permission. You still preview before you pay, then order a printed A5 card or take the e-card. If that matches how careful you want to be, start at Ottermagic.com. If a site will not say these things in its own privacy page, use a different site.
What follows is how Ottermagic describes the upload on its privacy policy, terms, FAQ, and how-it-works pages, plus a general checklist you can take to any AI card shop. For the related “can I see it before I pay?” question, see can you preview an AI personalised card before you pay.
What Ottermagic says it does with your photos
The privacy policy’s short version is: your photos are used to make your card and nothing else.
The customer FAQ puts the same idea in shopper language: photos “are stored privately and used only to make your card,” and you can “delete them any time from the photo picker.”
On use: “We never use your photos for marketing or training, and we do not sell personal information.” Ottermagic also says it does not send marketing emails today; if that starts, it will ask first.
On who can see a design: “Only you. Previews are watermarked until you buy.”
On children: you must be 18 or over to order. “Photos of children may only be uploaded by a parent or guardian, or with their permission.” The terms add that by uploading, you confirm you have the right to use the photo, and that everyone in it agrees to appear on a card (a parent or guardian for under-18s).
Guests can preview without giving a name or email. Sign-in happens at checkout.
That is the customer-facing picture. It is also honest about sharing: to make the artwork, Ottermagic uses image-generation services, which receive your photo for that job. A print partner receives the artwork plus the recipient name and address when you order a posted card. A payment provider handles card details; Ottermagic says it never sees those details. Hosting, storage, sign-in, and email providers sit in the same “who we share it with” list, each acting on Ottermagic’s instructions. Data is described as stored in the UK and EU, with some processing in the US under UK-approved safeguards, encrypted in transit and at rest.
Saved photos are kept until you delete them or ask. Previews and artwork are kept so you can reorder or re-download, and deleted on request. Guest sessions: one year of inactivity. You can ask to access, correct, delete, restrict, or move your data at support@ottermagic.com. The privacy policy says that rights request is answered within a month. Ordinary support mail is a different promise: a reply within one working day.
None of this is a legal pep talk. Read the privacy policy and the terms on the live site, because those pages are the ones that apply when you order.
Children’s photos
If you are making a Face Swap or Style Swap card of a child, you should be the parent or guardian, or you should have their permission. That is Ottermagic’s rule, not a vibe.
A school photo, a grandchild on the sofa, a baby in a hat: all of those are still someone’s child. Do not upload a picture from a class WhatsApp without asking. Do not put a child on a poster for a wide hallway if the parent only agreed to a private card.
The rest of the safety here is the same as for adult faces: private storage, no marketing or training use of the photos, delete from the picker, watermarked previews only you can see. The extra care is consent, and picking a kind style. Watercolour and Sketch are usually gentler than a harsh caricature.
A sensible checklist for any AI card site
Use this on Ottermagic and on everyone else. If a shop cannot answer, that is your answer.
- Is there a privacy page that talks about photos, not only about cookies?
- Does it say whether photos are used for marketing or for training models?
- Can you preview as a guest, or must you create an account first?
- Can you delete uploads yourself, and is there an email for a full delete request?
- Are previews public, shareable by guessable URL, or limited to you?
- Does the site admit that an image-generation provider will process the photo to make the art?
- For children: is there a minimum age to order, and a parent-or-guardian rule?
- Can you try another design before paying, so you are not stuck with a likeness you hate?
Ottermagic’s public answers to those points are in the sections above. Other brands change their policies; check their sites.
How this sits with actually buying a card
Privacy is the pause. The product is still a card. Upload a photo, run Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap (Text Swap if you have no photo), look at the watermarked preview, and only pay if you would give it. The printed card is A5, 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, 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. The e-card is a hi-res, watermark-free download after payment, ready straight away when the date is close.
Posters and canvas are available; check the site for live options. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day). Checkout shows pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop.
You can change your mind after previewing: try another photo or design as many times as you like before you order.
Ready when you are
If the privacy copy above is the level of clarity you wanted, make the card. Upload a photo you have the right to use, preview on Ottermagic, and pay only when it looks like them. Start at Ottermagic.com. Questions: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day). For the preview-before-pay path, read can you preview an AI personalised card before you pay.
FAQ
Do AI card sites use my photos for training?
Ottermagic’s privacy policy says it never uses your photos for marketing or training. Other sites set their own rules. Read theirs. Do not assume the whole category is identical.
Is it safe to put my child’s photo on an AI card?
On Ottermagic, only if you are the parent or guardian, or you have their permission, and you are 18 or over to place the order. The photos are stored privately and used to make the card. You can delete them from the photo picker. You still have to be comfortable with image-generation services processing the photo to produce the artwork.
Who can see my Face Swap preview?
Ottermagic’s FAQ: only you. Previews are watermarked until you buy.
Can I delete the photo after I have ordered?
Saved photos can be deleted from the photo picker any time. You can also ask support@ottermagic.com. Orders are kept for six years for tax, according to the privacy policy.
Do I have to give my email to try a design?
Guests can preview without giving a name or email. You sign in at checkout.
