A corporate Christmas card in Singapore is usually an A6 or A5 folded card on 260–350 gsm art card or 300–400 gsm uncoated stock, creased before folding, often finished with hot foil, and sent in a matched envelope. The decisions that matter are whether the card will be signed by hand, which finish carries the brand, and which envelope fits the folded size.
What goes into a corporate Christmas card specification?
A corporate Christmas card is quoted from six decisions: the folded size, the stock, how many sides are printed, the finishing, any insert, and the envelope. Settling whether the card will be signed by hand comes first, because that one answer removes half the stock list and decides which side, if any, is laminated.
| Decision | Standard options | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Size | A6 105 × 148 mm, A5 148 × 210 mm, DL 99 × 210 mm, square 148 × 148 mm | The envelope it must fit and how much room the message needs |
| Stock | 260–350 gsm gloss or matt art card; 300–400 gsm uncoated woodfree | Whether the inside is signed or written on |
| Printing | 4C/4C or 4C/1C, built in CMYK | Whether the inside carries colour or only a greeting |
| Finishing | Creasing and folding, hot foil, blind emboss, spot UV, lamination, round-cornering | The brand mark and the feel in the hand |
| Insert | A lighter sheet sized to slide inside the main card | Whether a separate note travels inside the card |
| Envelope | Matched to the card size, plain or printed | The folded card size |
| Lead time | Standard 7–14 working days | The date the cards must be posted or handed out |
The minimum run is 50 cards, so a short run for a leadership team and a long run for every client are the same specification at different quantities. The full range of card sizes and stocks is on the postcard and greeting card page.
Which card size and fold suit a corporate Christmas card?
A6 at 105 × 148 mm is the standard card size, with A5, DL and square cut from the same sheets. A greeting card is printed like a postcard, then creased and folded rather than trimmed flat. The size is chosen against the envelope it must fit, so decide the envelope and the folded size together.
Each size does a different job:
- A6 (105 × 148 mm): the standard. It fits every rack and envelope sold here, and it is the size a card is assumed to be.
- A5 (148 × 210 mm): reads as a small poster in the hand, with room for a photograph and a longer message.
- DL (99 × 210 mm): a long card for a DL envelope, with more room for words than for an image.
- Square (148 × 148 mm): distinctive on a desk, but it needs a square envelope, which is worth confirming before printing.
A greeting card is creased before it is folded. The crease is scored into the card so the coating does not crack along the spine. Ask for the fold position before the artwork is laid out, and keep text away from the crease.
Which paper stock suits a card that will be signed?
If the inside of the card will be signed, choose uncoated woodfree at 300–400 gsm: it is completely matt, slightly toothy, and the one sheet a fountain pen behaves on. Matt art card gives a cleaner image but its coating still resists a wet pen, and a ballpoint skids on gloss.
The three card stocks held for postcards and greeting cards each suit a different brief:
- Gloss art card (260, 310 and 350 gsm): the image side does the work. High chroma and even solids, which suits a photographic front, but it is the wrong surface for a signature.
- Matt art card (310, 350 and 400 gsm): no glare, warm to the eye, and a rich-black build reads deeper than on gloss. Heavy handwriting is still a problem, because the coating resists a wet pen.
- Uncoated woodfree (300, 350 and 400 gsm): completely matt and slightly toothy. It suits anything handwritten, though full-bleed photography goes soft on it.
A split specification solves the conflict between a strong image and a writable inside: film or coating on the image face, and a bare surface where the pen goes. Laminate one side only on anything that will be written on, because film on both faces makes a card no pen can mark. Keep any tint on the writing area under 20 per cent, so handwriting stays legible over it.
Which finishes work on a corporate Christmas card?
Hot foil, blind embossing and spot UV are the usual finishes on a corporate card. Each needs its own vector layer in register with the artwork, and foil and emboss need tooling made before the first run. That tooling is kept with the approved artwork, so a card reordered next Christmas starts from it.
How each finish behaves:
- Hot foil: a brass block strikes metallic foil onto the sheet. Foil reads cleanly on a smooth or lightly textured sheet, and breaks up on deep felt or heavy laid texture, where the block sits on the peaks and skips the valleys. Supply it as solid shapes on a layer named FOIL; a gradient cannot be struck in metal.
- Blind emboss and deboss: embossing pushes the sheet up towards you and debossing presses it down, using a matched pair of dies. Blind means no ink and no foil, only the relief. Keep the reverse light behind an emboss, because a heavy solid on the back ghosts through as a visible dent.
- Spot UV: a gloss coating on selected areas, supplied on its own layer named SPOTUV, in register with the front artwork.
The detail limits are practical: keep foil and emboss elements 8 mm inside the trim, use no foil detail finer than 0.7 pt, and keep 2 mm between separate embossed elements or the sheet can tear between them. Foil within 5 mm of the trim is a common failure, because registration tolerance is around half a millimetre and the strike looks cropped on some cards and not others.
Which envelope fits each card size, and what about inserts?
Envelopes are matched to the card size and supplied with the job, plain or printed. An A6 card goes into a C6 envelope at 114 × 162 mm, a DL card into a DL envelope at 110 × 220 mm, and an A5 card flat into a C5 envelope at 162 × 229 mm. A square card needs a square envelope.
| Card | Envelope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A6 105 × 148 mm | C6 114 × 162 mm | The standard pairing |
| 5 × 7 inch 127 × 178 mm | 130 × 181 mm | The invitation standard |
| DL 99 × 210 mm | DL 110 × 220 mm | A long card or a slim insert |
| A5 148 × 210 mm | C5 162 × 229 mm | Takes A5 flat |
| Square 148 × 148 mm | Square envelope | Confirm before printing |
Printed envelopes are made envelopes printed on the face and, where asked, on the flap. Ink is kept clear of the gum line, which will not take it, and full-bleed envelope printing is avoided because the seams print unevenly. Envelopes come window or plain, gummed or self-seal. For letterheads and envelopes printed as a matching set, see business stationery printing.
Inserts, such as a year-end note or a message card, are printed on a lighter sheet sized to slide inside the main card. Laid text at 100 or 120 gsm is held for inserts and envelope liners, and insert collation gathers each piece into its envelope in order.
Worked example: how would a company specify its year-end card?
A company sending one card to every client, signed by a partner, needs a writable inside, a brand mark that reads on a desk, and an envelope that fits without forcing. The specification below puts foil on the front, leaves the inside uncoated for a pen, and pairs the A6 card with a C6 envelope.
Hypothetical planning example. Actual production timing, paper availability, and logistics are confirmed individually upon artwork and specification review.
A company wants a year-end card for its clients and plans it as follows:
- Card: 600 cards, A6 105 × 148 mm folded, on 350 gsm uncoated woodfree, printed 4C/1C with the greeting inside in black.
- Finishing: gold hot foil on the logo from a FOIL layer, kept 8 mm inside the trim; the card is creased before folding.
- Writing area: the inside right panel is left clear with no tint, so each card can be signed by hand.
- Insert: none this year, so the card is the whole message.
- Envelope: 600 matched C6 envelopes at 114 × 162 mm, printed with the return address on the face, clear of the gum line.
Timing. MOM lists Christmas Day 2026 on Friday 25 December 2026. The company counts back from the date it wants the cards signed and posted, using the upper end of the standard 7–14 working day window, and approves the foil artwork first because the brass block has to be made before the first card is struck. The block is kept with the approved file, so if next year’s card uses the same foil artwork, the block does not have to be made again.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a corporate Christmas card be?
A6 at 105 × 148 mm is the standard card size, with A5 148 × 210 mm, DL 99 × 210 mm and square 148 × 148 mm cut from the same sheets. A6 goes into a C6 envelope at 114 × 162 mm and DL into a DL envelope at 110 × 220 mm, while a square card needs a square envelope.
What paper should a Christmas card be printed on if it will be signed?
Uncoated woodfree at 300–400 gsm, which is completely matt and the one sheet a fountain pen behaves on. Matt art card at 260–350 gsm gives a cleaner image but its coating still resists a wet pen, and gloss makes a ballpoint skid.
Why is a greeting card creased before folding?
A crease is scored into the card before it is folded so the coating does not crack along the spine. A greeting card is creased and folded rather than trimmed flat, and the crease is part of the standard finishing.
Can a corporate Christmas card have gold foil?
Yes. Hot foil is struck from a brass block made from a solid vector layer named FOIL, and it reads cleanly on a smooth or lightly textured sheet. The block is kept on file with the approved artwork, so a reorder of the same design starts from it.
How long does corporate Christmas card printing take?
Standard turnaround is 7–14 working days, whether the card is plain or foiled, and the envelopes are quoted with the cards. Count back from the date the cards must be posted or handed out, and ask for an express quotation if the date is tighter.
How do you get a quote for corporate Christmas cards from EZ Print?
EZ Print prints greeting cards, invitations and matched envelopes in Singapore, and has traded since 2017. Send the card size, stock, sides, finishing, quantity, envelope and the date the cards must be in hand. Standard turnaround is 7–14 working days; express is quoted per job, with island-wide courier delivery.
For foil, emboss and letterpress options see invitation and card finishing, and for card finishes in more detail read our invitation finishing guide. When the specification is ready, request a quote.
Same-day and urgent printing available. Subject to artwork approval, payment, print type and production availability. Timing confirmed per job.