Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you are all enjoying the holiday and capturing a lot of memories on your cameras! The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is certainly upon us with less than a month to Christmas!
I hopped on some early Christmas/holiday card deals this season and unlike my usual “a little bit behind” self I actually have them ready to go this year! In fact I’ve already dispatched a few to overseas family! But I have lots more to do yet in the photo gift department and I bet you might as well. So my goal is to help you get your projects across the finish line. Let’s go!
This post is going to feature one of my go-to companies for photo gifts – namely photo books, holiday cards and calendars – Mixbook. If you’ve followed my blog you probably know that my biggest draw to Mixbook is the ease of its software. Not to mention the flexibility it gives you in designing what you want. When I make gifts, I want them to look original and I don’t want to be constrained by a fixed template. With Mixbook, there are a variety of well designed templates that can be modified in a million different ways to suit your needs.
A few weeks ago I hosted a photo book party which I posted about on my Facebook page. I invited a few moms from my son’s school who had all expressed to me at one time or another that they have been wanting to make photo books of their kids. I told them I would help them with any company they wanted to use but if they didn’t have a preference, I suggested they try Mixbook because it’s so user-friendly. We all had a great time and I shared with them my best tips on how to get started. I had a fun time helping them and I was so glad to see their progress in making their projects. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes! If you want to read about my first photo book party, check out this post!
I know I’ve been rambling a bit about the holidays in general, but this post is going to focus on Mixbook’s holiday cards. I always love using Mixbook for my photo cards because I don’t have to worry about whether the photos I’ve selected will fit properly in the template. Everything is adjustable in Mixbook’s software – box size, text, color etc. You have tons of options for layouts and backgrounds which gives you that custom look.
If you are in a rush (and that happens to all of us at one point or another) – or are not inclined to tinker, there are tons of designs and you don’t need to change a thing. It’s just great to know the option is there if you need it!
Like most years, I love doing year in review photo cards. Thinking back, I believe what inspires me is a holiday newsletter that my parents used to get from an old professor of theirs. Every year this professor would type out (on a real typewriter – not computer) a newsletter detailing his family’s past year. Even though I had never met them I really enjoyed reading about their lives and I always looked forward to it until one day, they eventually they stopped coming. I think that really made an impression on me so I usually try to incorporate a short paragraph about the year’s highlights to share with my friends and family.
Below is one of Mixbook’s “year in review” type holiday cards. There a lot of other designs in the same vein. This one has some prompts to help you figure out what to put in the text boxes.
Just pick out a few of your family’s best snapshots from the year and drag and drop into the template. This template is great cause you don’t need to worry about professional photos – they don’t all need to match. As long as you dig up a few cute photos, you can make a beautiful holiday card! For more photo card ideas, check out my post on photo card inspiration and tips.
Here’s the back of the card. While the fronts of the cards feature the main design, the backs are usually more open-ended. Here’s where you can add your own touches. This is where you can incorporate that “newsletter” idea and give a short paragraph of the highlights of the year.
Holiday Card Types
You’ll find a lot of options for many holidays including Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s. There are designs which lean more traditional and others that are more modern.
You have lots of different trim choices too. Below is the “double round” option.
For the Scrapbooker Too!
If you are a digital scrapbooker and you’ve amassed your own stickers and backgrounds over time, Mixbook’s software is compatible. Import your embellishments and use them within Mixbook’s software. Just click on “Stickers” at the top left of the main workspace, then click on “Browse Stickers” then “Upload Stickers”. In the past I’ve uploaded my own clip art that I’ve purchased or downloaded from various sites offering high quality freebies. What’s nice is that the stickers (and my photos) I’ve uploaded before are automatically saved under my account. No need to reupload!
If you’re trying out a bunch of different designs but are using the same photos to test out in the various cards, here’s a tip to save time. If you’ve made one card and already saved it, open up another card design and when the “add photos” prompt pops up click on “My Projects” and you can easily select the photos from the prior project so you don’t have to upload the same photos with each different design you try.
Sizes and Paper Choices
Most cards are 5 x 7 in or 5 x 5 in size. There are a lesser number of 4 x 8 and 3.5 x 5 cards, plus some 3.5 x 5 designs.
Six paper options are available ranging from a standard Satin Finish to the high-end Luxe Board card stock.
Mixbook’s Upfront Pricing
I’ve mentioned this before, but I like how you can see all the options and the cost right at the start. I don’t like investing time in creating something only to find out the cost is not something I anticipated. So, I really appreciate how easy it is to see prices on Mixbook’s site.
(The prices below are for 5 x 7 cards based on an order of 20 cards). Sale prices below reflect the current 55% of cards deal which runs through 11/29/19. Don’t worry if you’ve missed this deal, new discounts pop up all the time – so be sure to check out my deals page before you order for the latest sales!)
- Satin Finish
$1.83$.82 - Signature Matte
$2.38$1.07 - Pearl Finish
$2.82$1.27 - Premium Matte
$2.94$1.32 - Cotton Texture
$3.41$1.53 - Luxe Board
$3.81$1.71
Foil cards are also a popular style. This glam option adds about 80 cents more per card – it depends on your paper choice and on the quantity you order. For every 5 additional cards ordered, foil or otherwise, the price per card goes down. You can choose from gold, silver or rose gold.
- Satin Finish
$2.66$1.19 - Signature Matte
$3.21$1.44 - Pearl Finish
$3.65$1.64 - Premium Matte
$3.77$1.70 - Cotton Texture
$4.23$1.91 - Luxe Board
$4.63$2.08
From my prior experience the Satin paper gives you slightly higher contrast and punchier color. Matte papers tend to mute colors, but only very slightly. The luxe board is printed on a very thick card stock with a high end touch that really makes an impression. Having all these options can seem like a lot to think about, but there’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple and staying on budget.
Other Options – Trims & Envelope Addressing
Specialized trims also add a unique touch. I prefer rounded corners – it’s a distinctive but clean look. Different edge options such as the “double rounded edge” is quite different and I haven’t seen it offered elsewhere. All of the special trims are $0.20 each.
Blank envelopes are included, but Mixbook can print both return and recipient addresses on your envelopes so you don’t have to. Adding this feature will run $0.25 each. You can also get matching address labels for a complete look.
Magnet Cards
Mixbook also offers magnet cards in two sizes: 5 x 3.5 and 7 x 5. For quantities of 20 cards, the smaller size is $3.04 while the 7 x 5 is $3.77. You can also purchase just a single card. Magnet cards for the holidays are ideal if you’re looking to send a combination birth announcement/holiday greeting or perhaps a wedding save the date or moving announcement during the holidays.
Mixbook Holiday Discounts
I have three special deals for PBG readers!
Deal #1
Photobookgirl Exclusive! 40% off photo books and 30% off all other products!
Coupon Code: Click for Code!
This offer applies to all photo books, cards, calendars and home decor products. Excludes labels and photo prints. Coupon will not apply to Montage and Mosaic brands. Maximum of one per customer. Offer cannot be combined with other coupons, vouchers, Groupons, or applied after an order has been placed. Discount applies only to completed projects. No adjustments on previous purchases. Shipping and taxes will apply.
Deal Expires: 12/31/2019 11:59pm PT
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Deal #2
50% off your first order from Mixbook!
For new customers.
Coupon Code: Click for Code!
Deal Expires: 12/31/2019 11:59pm PT
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Deal #3
11 Days of Deals! 55% off Cards!
Coupon Code: BFDEALS!
Deal Expires: 11/29/2019 11:59pm PT
Please check out my DEALS page for the latest updated deals for Mixbook and other companies!
If you’ve followed my blog you’ll also see that I have a tradition of getting photo calendars from Mixbook as well. This year will be year number 8! The holidays are all about tradition right? Check out my Mixbook calendars here!
*Disclosure: This post is a sponsored post and contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a referral fee. Regardless, my opinions are my own and I always give my honest opinion, good or bad.
As a longtime My Publisher user, I have found MixBook to be the best substitute. I liked the quality of Artifact Uprising products but their software is inadequate for developing custom photobooks. You appear also to be an advocate of Mixbooks. Perhaps you can influence them to correct major deficiencies in their otherwise very user-friendly software:
Ability to add page numbers
Automatic spell check
Ability to automate a background color, i.e. black, throughout the book
Option to use the new papers in the large-size hardbacked books, .
Incidentally, highlights of Mixbook include the ability to work with coauthors, high page numbers, easy editing on the layout pages, and automatic saving of one’s work.
Hi Joanne! Thanks for your thoughtful and detailed comments. I don’t know if I have influenced anything in the past, but I have frequently put a “wish list” in many of my reviews, hoping that they will be incorporated in future software updates and sometimes I’m happy to find out they are (not that I can take credit for that). I agree with you on the features that you mentioned. My personal request would be that they add a portrait option for the premium lay flat. Let’s hope future changes made will be for the better!