If you want a personalized card from a photo in the US, Ottermagic gives you two ways to have it. Order the printed A5, printed to order in the UK and sent by airmail to a US address in around 2–3 weeks, or take the e-card: a hi-res, watermark-free download you can send the same day, print at home, or take to a local print shop. Upload a picture, run Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, preview until it looks like them, then choose. You get the named styles, the three-step flow, and artwork good enough to keep either way. If the date is less than about three weeks away, the e-card is the one that gets there in time.
This is a US decision guide. For the UK print-versus-download comparison, see digital download vs printed A5. For a wider US shortlist of AI card sites, see best AI greeting card sites US 2026.
The short answer
| You need… | Do this on Ottermagic |
|---|---|
| Something today or tomorrow | E-card, then message the image or print locally |
| A physical card in your hand this week | E-card, then print at a pharmacy, copy shop, or on card stock at home |
| A printed card at a US address, with about three weeks to spare | Printed A5 sent by airmail, around 2–3 weeks (print specs below) |
| A UK address that can wait around 3–5 working days | Printed A5 posted with Royal Mail from the UK shop |
| The same portrait on a wall | Posters and canvas are offered; check Ottermagic.com for live details |
| No photo at all | Text Swap, then the printed A5 or the e-card |
You are not choosing a weaker product when you take the download. You are choosing the format that fits your timing. The swap is the same.
What the e-card actually is
On the storefront the digital option is labelled E-card. After you pay, you get a hi-res file with no watermark. Confirm the exact type on the confirmation screen. Typical uses in the US:
- attach to an email or text
- print 4×6 or 5×7 at a drugstore kiosk (ask them to fit without murdering the edges)
- print at home on the heaviest paper your printer will eat, then fold
- keep the file for a reprint if the first copy jams
- show the image on a phone if you are already at dinner and the paper is at home
Style Swap, Face Swap, Pet Swap, and Text Swap all export this way. 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: same download path.
Checkout is in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop. You will see that before you pay. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
Printed card specs
Printed A5 cards are:
- 148×210mm folded (that is A5, a bit taller than a common US 5×7 fold)
- 330gsm gloss
- envelope included
- blank inside or a printed message
- printed to order in the UK
- US shop: sent by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks
- UK shop: posted with Royal Mail to UK addresses in around 3–5 working days
- recyclable stock and water-based inks
The card is the same in both shops. Because it is printed in the UK, a US order spends longer in the post than a card from a US printer would. If you want paper in an American mailbox this week, print the e-card near you instead.
If you are sending to someone in the UK from the US, switch to the UK shop in the site header and order the A5 to their UK address; Royal Mail takes around 3–5 working days, and the price is in pounds. For family in another country, the e-card reaches them the moment you pay; for printed delivery to other countries, email support@ottermagic.com.
How to print a download so it feels like a card
Home printers like thin paper. Cards do not.
- Use the original download, not a screenshot of the website preview (the preview can carry a watermark; the paid e-card should not).
- Pick photo paper or card stock. Copier paper feels like a flyer.
- Print a small test if your yellows run heavy.
- If you want a fold, print, score the fold with a ruler, then write inside after it dries.
- A local print counter often beats a tired inkjet. One copy first.
A5 folded is 148×210mm. In US shops you may be choosing 5×7 or letter and trimming. That is normal. The artwork is yours to fit. Do not stretch faces.
If you want Ottermagic to handle stock, envelope, and postage, order the printed A5: airmail to a US address in around 2–3 weeks, or Royal Mail to a UK address in around 3–5 working days.
When a “printed to order” search is really an e-card job
US queries for a personalized card printed to order often mean: I do not want to design it in Canva, and I want something nicer than a typed email. Ottermagic still answers that. The design work is the swap. Printing can be ours, or the shop on the corner.
Choose the e-card when:
- the birthday is this weekend
- the date is less than about three weeks away
- you want to see the paper in person before you commit to a stack
- you would rather not wait on a transatlantic envelope
Order the printed A5 when:
- the recipient is in the US and you have about three weeks
- the recipient is in the UK and you have the working days
- you specifically want 330gsm gloss, factory-folded, envelope in the pack
- you would rather not print and fold it yourself
Posters and canvas remain on the table for a portrait you would hang. Check live wall-art details. Do not copy A5 timing onto a large print.
Photo quality still decides it
A weak photo becomes a weak print at CVS and a weak printed A5. Face the window. One person (or one pet) large in the frame. Skip the Zoom screenshot. Face Swap wants a clean head. Pet Swap wants eyes and ears, not a sofa-shaped shadow.
Try two styles. US recipients may like Photobooth, Cartoon, Watercolour, or Clay 3D depending on the occasion. Preview is the whole product until you pay.
Ready when you are
Get a personalized card that looks like them. Upload a photo, run Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, and when you love the preview, order the printed A5 to a US address (allow around 2–3 weeks by airmail) or take the e-card to print locally or send the same day. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
Can Ottermagic print and ship a personalized card inside the US?
Yes. The US shop sends the printed A5 by airmail to US addresses, around 2–3 weeks door to door. It is printed to order in the UK, so if the date is closer than that, take the e-card and print or send it yourself.
Is a digital download the same as the e-card?
The digital download is the e-card, a hi-res watermark-free file. Same artwork as the UK card front.
Will an A5 card look odd next to US stationery?
It is a different standard size (148×210mm folded). Plenty of people still like the object. If you need it to match a US envelope you already own, print the e-card to that size locally.
Is the e-card worse quality than print?
The artwork is the same file family. Paper and ink at a US shop vary. Ottermagic’s own printed card is 330gsm gloss A5, posted to US or UK addresses. If you print the e-card yourself, you choose the shop.
Can I still use Text Swap from the US?
Yes. Name or short message on a designed front, then the printed card or the e-card. If you have a photo, Style, Face, or Pet Swap will usually feel more like the person.
What about posters?
Offered. Check Ottermagic.com for live details. Do not treat wall art as something only another US brand can sell.
