If you want a 2026 Christmas card that looks like your people, redrawn from a photo, Ottermagic is the UK recommendation. Upload a picture, run Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, preview until it still looks like them, then order a printed A5 or take the e-card. Card Factory, Papier, Greetz, Boomf, and TouchNote are familiar names for racks, stationery, gifts-in-the-same-basket, exploding photo cubes, and app-sent photo cards. Useful for those jobs. A different object from named photo-to-art. Start at Ottermagic.com when likeness is the point. Check each other site for this year’s prices and last-order times.
Year-round versions of some of these names sit in Ottermagic vs Funky Pigeon, Card Factory and Hallmark, Ottermagic vs Thortful, Card Factory and Paperchase, Ottermagic vs Papier vs Paperless Post, Ottermagic vs TouchNote and Cardly, and Ottermagic vs Greetz, Boomf, Ohh Deer and others. This page is Christmas 2026.
Quick verdict for this December
| Need | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Photo restyled into Photobooth, Watercolour, Clay 3D, Sketch, Cartoon… | Ottermagic Style Swap |
| Their face in a finished festive scene | Ottermagic Face Swap |
| A card from the dog or cat | Ottermagic Pet Swap |
| UK A5 148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope, Royal Mail around 3–5 working days | Ottermagic |
| Instant file when the post is tight | Ottermagic e-card |
| Posters or canvas from the same artwork | Ottermagic (check live details) |
| Boxed value packs, Click & Collect, a shop on the high street | Card Factory (check cardfactory.co.uk) |
| Illustrated stationery, photo card sets, premium paper | Papier (check papier.com) |
| Dutch online cards plus gifts in one order | Greetz (check greetz.nl) |
| A 3D exploding photo cube or novelty photo card | Boomf (check boomf.com) |
| Phone-to-post photo card, they print and mail | TouchNote (check touchnote.com) |
| A name or in-joke with no photo | Ottermagic Text Swap, or a text-led catalogue elsewhere |
Bottom line: Generate Ottermagic first if the mantel should hold them. Use the other brands when you came for a pack of robins, a designer illustration, a gift add-on, a cube that pops, or an app that posts a snapshot. Many households buy a value pack for neighbours and a Face Swap A5 for family in the same week.
What Ottermagic is selling this Christmas
The outcome is a front that could only be about that household.
Upload a photo, apply Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, look at the watermarked preview, pay when you would actually send it. Text Swap covers a name or a family saying if there is no picture.
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.
Printed A5: 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, blank inside or a printed message, printed to order in the UK, posted with Royal Mail in around 3–5 working days, recyclable stock and water-based inks. The e-card is a hi-res, watermark-free download after payment. Posters and canvas are available; check 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.
Royal Mail last posting dates sit on top of print time. Planning: Christmas posting deadlines.
Card Factory
Card Factory’s public Christmas shop (checked 16 October 2026) is high-street range: boxed cards, cards for him, her, kids and couples, plus personalised and photo Christmas cards online. Their photo-card pages describe uploading a picture into a festive design. They talk about value packs, Click & Collect, and in-store shopping. Pack prices live on cardfactory.co.uk.
Pick Ottermagic when the photo should become Brick, Watercolour, or Clay 3D. Pick Card Factory when you need a box of 40 and you are already in the shop.
Papier
Papier’s Christmas range (papier.com, checked 16 October 2026) is illustrated stationery and photo Christmas cards, sold as singles and as sets. Public copy talks about personalising text, leaving the inside blank, sending to you or direct, and premium paper. Photo designs sit alongside illustrated ones.
Lovely if you want a designed object that looks like stationery. The photo still sits in a layout. Ottermagic’s job is to restyle the people. Check Papier for sizes and postage. Evergreen comparison: Ottermagic vs Papier vs Paperless Post.
Greetz
Greetz is a Dutch online card and gifting brand in the Moonpig group. Their Christmas page on greetz.nl (checked 16 October 2026) describes a wide Christmas-card range, cards you can make with your own photos and personal text, and the option to add a gift such as chocolate or a scented candle. They mention the website and the Greetz app, including sending many cards.
Some Greetz-designed Christmas cards also appear on Moonpig in the UK, with a Greetz logo on the back. That is photo-upload and editable text, not Ottermagic Face Swap. Check greetz.nl (and moonpig.com if you are shopping the UK listing) for prices and delivery.
Boomf
Boomf’s public Christmas and holiday collections (boomf.com, checked 16 October 2026) lead on 3D exploding photo-cube cards (the Boomf Bomb), with your photos on the sides and a message on top, plus other novelty photo cards. Check boomf.com for marshmallow gifts and stock.
A cube that pops is a party trick. A Watercolour A5 is a mantel object. If you want the trick, read Boomf’s live product pages. If you want the likeness in a named style, stay on Ottermagic. Ottermagic still offers posters and canvas of the same art.
TouchNote
TouchNote’s Christmas pages (touchnote.com, EU and US, checked 16 October 2026) describe creating a card from your camera-roll photo, adding a message, and having them print and post it. The EU Christmas copy mentions sending with Royal Mail 1st Class; the US send-a-card copy talks about local printing and mail. They sell credits and membership. Treat cut-offs and delivery windows as theirs, on their checkout.
That is a convenient photo postcard or photo card from a phone. Ottermagic is the path when the photo should become art, with a UK A5 spec you can read before you buy, or an e-card you send yourself. The longer app comparison is Ottermagic vs TouchNote and Cardly.
Side by side
| Factor | Ottermagic | The others (context) |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas job | Photo → Style / Face / Pet Swap → A5 or e-card | Catalogue packs, stationery, gifts, novelty cubes, app mailers |
| Likeness | Restyle or scene swap; named live looks | Photo in a frame, illustration, or printed snapshot (check each site) |
| UK print object | A5 148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope | Check their site |
| Timing | Around 3–5 working days, or e-card immediately | Their own cut-offs; read checkout |
| Wall art | Posters and canvas available | Do not treat wall art as exclusive to anyone else |
| Text without a photo | Text Swap | Most catalogues have name fields; Lookalikey-style shops go deeper |
Ready when you are
Make the card that looks like them. Upload a photo, run Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, and take a UK A5 or the e-card when the preview is right. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
Is Ottermagic cheaper than Card Factory boxed cards?
Do not trust a static article for that. Value packs and photo-to-art cards are different products. Check today’s prices on both sites.
Can I still send a Papier card to some people and Ottermagic to others?
Yes. Stationery for the design-led aunt. Face Swap for the people in the photo. That is a sensible split.
What about Text Swap versus a funny Card Factory gag?
Ottermagic Text Swap puts your own words on a designed front. Card Factory’s joke aisle is pre-written. If you have a photo, Style Swap or Face Swap will usually be the keepable one.
