If you are expecting and you want the news to look like you, Ottermagic can turn a clear photo into a card people actually keep. Upload a picture, run Style Swap or Face Swap (Pet Swap if the resident animal is part of the reveal), preview until it feels like your household, then order a UK A5 card (148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, Royal Mail around 3–5 working days) or take the e-card, a hi-res watermark-free download. Posters and canvas are available if you want the same artwork on a wall later. This is for the announcement itself, not a baby shower or a christening invite. Start at Ottermagic.com.
The outcome is a piece of paper (or a file) that says the news in your faces. The mechanism is a photo restyled or placed into a scene. You see a preview before you pay.
Three slightly different jobs
Pregnancy announcement is often the first message: we are expecting. The photo is usually the couple, a bump that has just become visible, or a very ordinary sofa picture that suddenly means more.
Baby announcement comes after the birth. Faces change quickly. A photo from the first week can be soft and tired and still perfect, as long as eyes are visible and the light is kind.
Gender reveal is a party some families love and others skip. If you are doing one, the card can carry the couple (or the siblings) rather than a pile of balloons.
Baby showers, naming days, and christenings are separate occasions. You can reuse a portrait you already like. The wording and the timing are different.
Text Swap remains available if you only want a name, a due month, or a short line and no face on the front. Some catalogues go deeper on text-only baby headlines. When you have a photo, Style Swap and Face Swap are the Ottermagic reason to stay.
What to upload (and what to skip)
Bump photos are emotionally right and technically mixed. Side-on silhouettes against a window look lovely in an album and give Style Swap very little face to work with. If you want a likeness, take a second frame facing the camera, with the bump still in shot if that matters to you.
Ultrasound printouts are meaningful and usually a poor Face Swap input. The machine image is not a portrait. If the scan picture is the whole joke, keep it as a photo you print yourself, or use Text Swap for the words and a separate Style Swap of the parents.
Newborn lighting is often yellow and dim. Turn a lamp on. Keep the baby large in the frame if they are the subject, or keep the parents large if the card is "we made it home." Group shots with grandparents, balloons, and a cake can confuse a swap. Crop to the people the card is for.
Pets as "big sibling" are a real genre. Use Pet Swap with a clear animal photo, then write the inside in your own voice. Do not force a Face Swap of the baby onto a costume they cannot consent to.
If the first preview is only "sort of us," retake the photo. Style Swap is kinder to a sharp phone picture than to a screenshot of a group chat.
Styles that tend to sit well
You can use any live look. These are starting points, not a ranking.
Softer announcements: Watercolour, Sketch, Royal Portrait. Good when the news is going to older relatives, or you want something that can stay on a dresser for months.
Playful reveals and sibling cards: Chibi, Cartoon, Classic Cartoon, Photobooth, Clay 3D. Good when there is already a party energy in the house.
Object / novelty: Brick, Action Figure, Bobblehead. Only if that is genuinely your humour. A first pregnancy is not required to be a figurine.
Full live list: 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.
Face Swap into a wild scene is usually too much for a first announcement unless you already joke that way with the people opening the envelope. Lucky Leprechaun energy belongs at birthdays more often than at twelve-week news. If you try a scene, look at the preview the way a grandparent would. If you wince, switch to Style Swap.
Who the card is for
Parents sending to their own parents, a sibling in another city, friends who have been waiting, or a colleague you like enough to tell in an envelope. A quieter Style Swap suits a mixed group. You can be funnier with people who already knew.
Consent still matters. A surprise card to someone who has had a hard year with pregnancy news can land heavily. You know your list better than a template does.
UK print versus the e-card
Announcements often happen on a Tuesday because that is when you decided you were ready. Printed A5 still needs around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail. If the group chat is already moving, take the e-card and send the file, then post the physical card to the people who like objects.
| Situation | Sensible Ottermagic path |
|---|---|
| You can wait ~3–5 working days and want 330gsm gloss in an envelope | Printed A5, blank inside or a printed message |
| You are telling people this week | E-card, then print locally or send the image |
| You want the portrait on a nursery wall later | Poster or canvas (check live sizes on Ottermagic.com) plus a card if you like |
| A face on the front would be too much | Text Swap, or wait for a photo you like |
Printed cards: 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, printed to order in the UK, recyclable stock, water-based inks. UK orders go by Royal Mail in around 3–5 working days; US orders go by airmail in around 2–3 weeks. Checkout is in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
Inside wording
The front already shows you. Due-date month is enough for many families, or the baby's name if you are sharing it, or a single sentence ("We are very happy and quite tired"). If you are doing a gender reveal, write the words you would say in the room. Leave the A5 blank if different people need different notes. Handwriting still suits this occasion.
The same preview can become a thank-you later if you still like it. Keep the download if you take the e-card. If the pregnancy ends in loss, you are allowed to ignore this whole category.
Ready when you are
Upload a photo that looks like you, try Watercolour, Sketch, Photobooth, or Cartoon, and keep the preview you would put on the fridge. Print a UK A5 card (148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope, Royal Mail around 3–5 working days), take the e-card if the news is already travelling, or look at poster and canvas when you want the artwork to stay. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
Can I use a bump photo for Style Swap?
Yes, if a face is still clear. A silhouette-only bump gives the style very little to hold on to. Take a second, face-on frame if you can.
Will an ultrasound work as a Face Swap?
Usually not well. Use the scan as its own print if you love it, and Style Swap the parents for the card.
How fast can a baby announcement card arrive in the UK?
Printed A5 is typically around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail. For sooner, use the e-card.
Can I make a card that includes our dog or cat?
Yes, via Pet Swap. Use a sharp pet photo. The inside can say they are being promoted to sibling, if that is your voice.
Do you print gender-reveal cards in the US?
The cards are printed to order in the UK, and the US shop sends them by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks. If the reveal is sooner, take the e-card and print or send the file locally.
Is this the same as a baby shower card?
No. These cards are for pregnancy news, birth announcements, and optional reveals. Shower invites and christening stationery are a different job, even if you reuse a portrait you already like.
