Clients remember the businesses that still sound like people in December. A card made from your actual team, or from the shopfront they walk past, does that job without a stock Santa and a slogan. On Ottermagic you upload a clear photo, run Style Swap or Face Swap (Pet Swap if the salon dog is part of the brand), preview until it looks professional enough for a doormat, then post a printed A5 or email the e-card. Printed cards are 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, made to order in the UK and posted with Royal Mail in around 3–5 working days; US realtors can have them sent by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks. The e-card is a hi-res, watermark-free download after payment, which is how you reach a list of clients by email.
This guide is for client-facing cards: estate agents, salons, barbers, independent trades, cafes, clinics, tutors. For internal office packs and Secret Santa, use corporate office Christmas card packs. For a card to a particular boss or colleague, teacher, colleague and boss Christmas cards. Check Ottermagic.com for today’s prices.
Get staff consent before you use faces
If someone is on the card, they should know. A quick message in the staff chat is enough: the photo you will use, the style you are trying, and that it is going to clients. Agency workers, Saturday juniors, and people who have handed in notice deserve the same courtesy. If anyone would rather not appear, crop to the shopfront, use a photo of the two owners, or run Text Swap with the business name only.
Do not scrape a candid from a night out. Use a photo you would also put on the website.
US realtors: the same rule applies to licensed team photos and to anyone whose face is part of your marketing. If they are on the postcard, they should have agreed to that postcard.
Photos that look like your business
The team. Line up in work clothes, faces visible, not squinting into low sun. A doorway or reception desk beats a car park. For Face Swap you need a clear, face-on shot of the person who is meant to be recognised (the stylist, the agent, the plumber whose van they already know).
The shopfront. Brick Style Swap is oddly good at buildings. A high-street facade, a market stall, a van with the livery readable: those can be the subject if faces are a hassle this year.
The work in progress. A florist’s bench, a freshly painted hallway, a groomed spaniel. Style Swap restyles the scene you already photographed. It does not combine three jobs into one fictional team.
Phone photos are fine. Turn the lights on. Take two extra frames with hats off so eyes are visible.
Styles that stay on-brand
| Style | Feels like | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Cartoon | Friendly, clear likeness | Salons, cafes, family firms |
| Watercolour | Calmer, a bit considered | Clinics, tutors, high-end trades |
| Photobooth | Informal, local | Teams who already share snaps |
| Brick | Toy-like shop or van | Builders, locksmiths, playful agents |
Sketch is a good fifth option if Watercolour is almost right but you want more line. Royal Portrait can flatter a small team if it does not look like you are knighting yourselves. Skip Bobblehead, Caricature, and Action Figure for a first client card unless your brand is already that jokey (a games shop, a very informal barber).
Face Swap into a wild festive scene is a risk on a client list. A simple Style Swap of the real team is easier to stand behind if someone forwards it.
Pets: a salon cat or an estate-agency dog can be Pet Swap, in Classic Cartoon or Brick, if that animal is already part of how clients talk about you. Do not invent a mascot.
Text Swap still covers a name-only front if you have no usable photo this year. Some catalogues lead on huge text-led Christmas walls; Ottermagic includes Text Swap and is stronger once you have a picture.
Message examples for clients
Keep it short, local, and free of fake intimacy.
Estate agents (UK) / realtors (US)
- “Thank you for trusting us with your keys this year. Happy Christmas from the team at [name].”
- “Wishing you a quiet week in a house that feels like yours. From all of us.”
- US clients: “Happy holidays from our team to your doorstep. Grateful we got to help with the search.”
Salons and barbers
- “Thank you for sitting in our chairs all year. Happy Christmas, and see you in January.”
- “From the team who know your usual. Have a good break.”
Trades, vans, independents
- “Thank you for having us in. Wishing you a warm house and a quiet phone.”
- “Happy Christmas from the people behind the invoice (we look friendlier in Brick).”
Avoid promising discounts you have not agreed. Avoid religious wording if your list is mixed; “Happy Christmas” and “with thanks for the year” are enough in the UK. US realtors often write “happy holidays” on mixed lists; follow how you already speak on email.
Leave printed cards blank inside if you want to add a one-line handwritten name for your best clients. For a long email list, put the greeting in the message that carries the e-card.
Printed cards by post, e-card for email
Printed A5: 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope, blank inside or printed message, recyclable stock, water-based inks. The UK shop posts with Royal Mail to UK addresses in around 3–5 working days; the US shop sends by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks. A proper object through a letterbox still stands out in a year of email. UK businesses should order with working days in hand; see Christmas posting deadlines. US realtors should allow about three weeks before the holidays.
E-card: download after payment, attach to a mailout, or print locally. This is the path for any business that lives in inboxes, and for US realtors once the holidays are less than about three weeks away. E-cards work anywhere.
Posters and canvas are available if you want the same team portrait in a window or staff room. Check Ottermagic.com for live wall-art details.
Pay as you would for any other card, once per design you are happy with. If you need many identical prints, generate one preview you would stand behind, then order the quantity shown at checkout that day.
Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day). Prices are in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop.
Ready when you are
Send a client card that looks like the people they already know. Upload a team or shop photo, try Classic Cartoon, Watercolour, Photobooth, or Brick, and preview until it feels on-brand. Print A5 (148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope; Royal Mail around 3–5 working days in the UK, airmail around 2–3 weeks to the US) or download the e-card for email. Start at Ottermagic.com.
FAQ
Can I use a Face Swap of myself on a client Christmas card?
Yes, with a clear photo and a calm scene. For a mixed client list, a Style Swap of the real team is usually easier to defend.
What if some staff do not want to be on the card?
Crop them out, use the shopfront, or use Text Swap with the business name. Ask before you send.
Do you offer bulk business discounts?
Check live prices on Ottermagic.com. If you need many identical prints, order the quantity shown at checkout that day.
Can US realtors send these?
Yes. The US shop sends printed A5 cards by airmail to US addresses, around 2–3 weeks door to door, so order with about three weeks in hand before the holidays. After that, use the e-card and print or email the file.
Which style suits a salon?
Classic Cartoon and Photobooth are friendly. Watercolour if your brand is quieter. Preview with your actual team photo.
Can the shop dog be on it?
Yes, with Pet Swap and consent from whoever owns the animal, which is often you. Keep the joke mild for clients.
