The holidays are the perfect time to let your creativity shine — and what better way to do that than by designing your own holiday cards? This tutorial is packed with an hour of video instruction to guide you through the entire process, from customizing pre-designed templates to digitizing your own calligraphy.
‘Tis the season … to design holiday cards to send to loved ones. I’ve wanted to write about this topic for so long, but I’ve never posted anything on the Blog because I wanted to make sure that this project was accessible to anyone. My roadblock? Photoshop. It’s my go-to design program, but it costs $20+/month. A couple of months ago, I came across a free alternative called Photopea (read its backstory here). I decided to design my own holiday cards using Photopea so I could show you how to do that today, too.
You’ve got the artistic skills, and this tutorial — which is actually an hour-long video course in disguise — is here to show you how easily you can adapt them for digital design. That knowledge is especially helpful when it comes to creating pieces you want to duplicate, like holiday cards. Let this be a boost to your creative confidence and a new way to share your unique vision with more people! You can do it. Invest some time in following along with today’s videos, and you’ll be shocked at what you’re capable of creating.
Before you start watching the first tutorial video, you’ll need to do three things:
Then, watch the video below to learn how to use the Photopea interface. In it, I’ll walk you through placing your own photos in the card, editing those photos, adding text, and preparing the file for professional printing.
As you may have noticed in the video, Photopea/Photoshop has several keyboard commands that make life easier. Feel free to download the Photoshop Tools Cheat Sheet to get a handle on all of those keyboard shortcuts!
After watching the video above, you might feel ready to bring in your own calligraphy for a truly personal holiday card. I know that you can do it! Removing the background and layering your calligraphy into a design is easier than you think, and it gives you so much freedom to make the project your own. Watch the video below to learn how to digitize and tweak your own calligraphy for inclusion in your holiday card design (and many other projects):
If it will be helpful to you to have my “merry everything” calligraphy scan, you can download that here. Feel free to use it for your own holiday card designs! Otherwise, I encourage you to create and use your own calligraphy, doodles, or handwriting in your card design.
Okay, at this point, you’ve learned how to manipulate a .psd file in the first video. (Congratulations, by the way! Not many people can do that, and you should be proud.) Then, you digitized your own calligraphy in the second video. Now, let’s talk about how you can use what you learned to create a holiday card that’s completely your own!
The real magic of designing your own card happens when you hold several hardy, high-quality versions of that card in your hand. Professional printing is a must when you’re designing your own paper goods! For a quick turnaround, you can send the file to any local printing company (search “printing company your city” online). To get consistent high-quality printing for those of us based in the US, though, I recommend going through printingforless.com. In this video, I’ll show you exactly how to get the file to your chosen printing company and what information to give them.
After sending off your file and giving the green light on the proof (a digital preview of your card), it’s time to sit back and relax. In just a few days, you’ll have a gorgeous set of holiday cards that you designed, perfect for pairing with a hand-calligraphed envelope! (For tips on writing addresses on envelopes in bulk, see How to Address Envelopes for an Event.)
There’s no doubt about it: today’s tutorial brings a challenge, and I know that you’re more than ready to take it on! Even if my holiday card design isn’t quite your style, I encourage you to watch the videos for valuable insights on creating something uniquely yours. Knowing how to digitize your calligraphy and designs opens up endless possibilities. I use this skillset all the time, both for personal and professional projects.
If today’s tutorial seems like a big leap, don’t worry — it’s okay to take things at your own pace. The next TPK Premium tutorial will explore the artistic process of creating a family crest, a rewarding analog project. Keep this tutorial in your back pocket for when you’re ready to embrace the digital challenge — you’ve got what it takes!
Have fun and happy designing,
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