Most of my designs that are for invitations, birth announcements, or Christmas cards end up being printed as a 5x7 photo. Sending the design file to a digital photo lab is always easy, and a 5x7 card, in my opinion, looks best. If you will be printing a Redbud Christmas card or another design in the future, here are a few price comparisons for 5x7 prints:
- Sam's Club - 38 cents each for one hour / 34 cents each for multi-day
- Costco - 39 cents each
- Shutterfly - on sale now for 50 cents each, normally 99 cents each
- Walmart - 58 cents each
- Snapfish - as low as 59 cents each for 50+ prints
- Walgreens - $1.59 each (although I think they go down to $1.00 if you order a certain amount)
5x7's are a bit high maintenance when it comes to finding envelopes, but there are several options. Envelopes that fit a 5x7 perfectly are called A7, but they are hard to find in stores. Something I have done in the past is buy a cheap box of generic Christmas or greeting cards and use the envelopes from that box, as they usually fit a 5x7 perfectly. I have also bought "invitation" envelopes from an office store. They are a bit bigger than a 5x7 print (5-3/4" x 8-3/4"), but they work just fine, and are relatively easy to find. My friend
Annalee just happened to ask the salesperson at Walgreens about getting 5x7 envelopes with her prints, and he told her that he would give them to her for free as long as she printed her cards there. (As Annalee told me, it never hurts to ask!) Just in case your Walgreens worker isn't as friendly, here are some options and price comparisons for invitation envelopes:
My goal is to eventually provide printing services (complete with free envelopes with your order!), but until then, I hope this is helpful! Feel free to leave a comment if you have any other helpful tips or suggestions. As always, thanks for your support of Redbud Designs!
