A Christmas card lands better when the person on the front is recognisably them, drawn into a festive look they would actually put on the mantel. On Ottermagic you upload a clear photo, run Style Swap (or Face Swap or Pet Swap) onto a template, preview until it feels right, then order a printed A5 card or take a digital download. Printed cards are A5 folded (148×210mm), 330gsm gloss, envelope included, made to order in the UK, posted with Royal Mail to UK addresses in around 3–5 working days or sent by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks. Anyone who is already late can download the file and print or send it themselves. Start when you have a decent photo at Ottermagic.com.
What you get from a Style Swap Christmas card
The usual photo Christmas card drops a snapshot into a snowy border. Style Swap restyles the photo into a named look, then sits that result on the card. Grandad can turn up as a Clay 3D figure. The kids can look like a Chibi pair. A couple can land in Photobooth or Sketch. The joke still reads as them, which is why people keep these instead of recycling them with the wrapping paper.
Face Swap is useful when the fun is the scene: their face in a finished festive template rather than a restyle of the whole snapshot. Pet Swap does the same job for the household animal, which is often the real star of December. Text Swap is there if you have no photo and still want a name or headline on a designed card.
You see a preview before you pay. If the likeness is off, try another photo or another style. Order only when you would be happy to hand it over.
Styles that suit Christmas without looking like a clip-art jumper
You do not need a design labelled “Christmas tree 14” for the card to feel seasonal. A winter photo plus a strong style is often enough. Live looks worth trying in December include:
- Brick and Action Figure, if they collect toys or still have a childhood Lego box in the loft
- Chibi and Anime, for younger recipients or anyone who likes a softer cartoon face
- Clay 3D and Bobblehead, when you want a novelty that still looks like them
- Photobooth, for a party-snapshot mood
- Sketch and Watercolour, when you want something quieter for parents or neighbours
- Cartoon, if you want colour and a clear likeness without going full figurine
- Tarot and Lucky Leprechaun, if the household likes a costume gag and you have a Face Swap-friendly photo
Try two or three. Christmas cards are given in stacks, so the one that makes you laugh first is usually the one to print.
Printed A5 by post, digital when the calendar is tight
Printed A5 card
Ottermagic’s printed Christmas card is a proper greetings card, not a flimsy insert:
- 148×210mm folded (A5)
- 330gsm gloss stock
- envelope included
- blank inside, or a printed message if you add one
- printed to order in the UK
- UK shop: posted with Royal Mail to UK addresses, typically around 3–5 working days
- US shop: sent by airmail to US addresses, around 2–3 weeks
- recyclable stock and water-based inks
Posters and canvas are available as well if you would rather hang the portrait than post it. Check Ottermagic.com for live wall-art details.
Give the delivery window some air, especially around bank holidays, and allow about three weeks for a US address. If you want the card in someone’s hand before they travel, order earlier than you think. Ottermagic does not promise same-day printed cards.
Digital download (UK and US)
Choose digital when:
- the office Secret Santa is tomorrow
- you are posting a card in a family WhatsApp group tonight
- Christmas is less than about three weeks away and the card is going to a US address
- you will print at home or at a local shop on your own paper
The Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap preview is the same. You are choosing a file instead of a posted card. Confirm the exact file you receive at checkout.
For family in another country who should see it on Christmas morning, the e-card is the fastest way to reach them: it is ready the moment you pay and works anywhere.
Who these cards work for
Family to keep. A Sketch or Watercolour of the kids, or a Photobooth of the whole table, reads as a portrait with a December date on it.
Friends who already have everything. An Action Figure or Bobblehead of them in a Christmas jumper photo is a small gift that still feels considered.
Pets. Upload a clear photo of the dog in the hat (or, more likely, the dog refusing the hat). Pet Swap is a first-class path, so you are not squeezing a pet into a people template as an afterthought.
Late senders. Digital download, then print on the kitchen table or send the image. The art can still be good when the post will not make it.
A photo that survives fairy lights
Christmas photos are often taken under warm lamps, with hats, and with someone blinking. That is fine if the face is still clear.
- Face the camera. Side profiles are harder for Face Swap.
- Keep the main person large in the frame. A tiny face at the back of a party shot will struggle.
- Phone photos are fine. A recent one usually beats a stretched screenshot from 2019.
- For pets, get the whole animal in if you can, with the eyes visible.
- If everyone is wearing matching pyjamas, that can become part of the charm in Cartoon or Chibi. If the hats hide the eyes, take one without the hats.
If the first preview feels “almost”, retake the photo rather than pushing a blurry original. The style cannot invent a likeness that is not in the pixels.
Timing your Christmas order
Work backwards from the day you need the card.
| When you need it | Sensible Ottermagic path |
|---|---|
| A week or more before you will give it, UK address | Printed A5 (Royal Mail around 3–5 working days), or poster/canvas if you want wall art |
| A few days before, and you can still wait on post | Printed A5, but read the live estimate at checkout |
| Tomorrow, or already Christmas week | Digital download, then print locally or send the file |
| US recipient, about three weeks or more before Christmas | Printed A5 by airmail from the US shop, around 2–3 weeks |
| US recipient, closer than that | Digital download |
Royal Mail windows are working days. Weekends and UK bank holidays sit outside that count. If you are sending several cards, generate the previews in one sitting, then order the prints together so they travel in the same stretch of post.
Text Swap if you have no photo
Not every Christmas card needs a face. Ottermagic’s Text Swap covers headline- and message-led designs when you only want a name, a house, or a short greeting on the front. Some catalogues (Lookalikey is the usual comparison) go deeper if you want to browse a huge text-only Christmas wall. If you do have a photo of the person or the pet, Style Swap, Face Swap, and Pet Swap are the stronger Ottermagic reason to stay. The A5 print specs stay the same either way.
Ready when you are
Make a Christmas card they will keep on the shelf in January. Upload a photo, try Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, and stop when the preview looks like them. Print an A5 card (148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope; Royal Mail around 3–5 working days in the UK, airmail around 2–3 weeks to the US), order a poster or canvas, or download the file if you need it today. Results so good it feels like magic. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
Can I make a Style Swap Christmas card from a phone photo?
Yes. A clear, well-lit phone photo is the usual input. Face the camera, keep the person large in the frame, and avoid heavy blur. Then pick a style such as Chibi, Sketch, Clay 3D, or Photobooth and preview before you order.
Will a printed Ottermagic Christmas card arrive before Christmas?
Printed cards to UK addresses typically take around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail after you order; cards to US addresses go by airmail and take around 2–3 weeks. That is not same-day print. Order with enough working days in hand, and check the live estimate at checkout. If you are already late, use digital download.
Can I put my dog on a Christmas card?
Yes. Use Pet Swap with a clear pet photo. The same A5 print, poster, canvas, and digital download options apply as for people cards.
Do US customers get a posted Christmas card?
Yes. The US shop sends the printed A5 by airmail to US addresses, around 2–3 weeks door to door, so allow about three weeks before Christmas. After that, take the digital download and print or send it locally.
Can I write inside the card?
Printed A5 cards can be left blank inside for handwriting, or you can add a printed message where the product allows. Digital downloads are a file; you write on whatever you print, or send a message with the image.
What if I do not have a photo?
Use Text Swap for a name or message on a designed card. If you can get a photo, Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap will usually make a more keepable Christmas front.
