Holiday

Product and Ordering Information

Click Here to place an order for custom photo cards.

Please read all product and ordering information below
before placing your order.
 

Pricing

Minimum order of 25 announcements required.

If ordering quantity from 25 to 50 cards ($3.95 each)

If ordering quantity from 51 to 100 cards ($3.50 each)

If ordering quantity from 101 to 150 cards ($2.95 each)

If ordering more than 150 cards ($2.50 each)

The Inviting Smiles Difference
The Inspiration Behind These Unique Photo Cards

On a daily basis, many of our customers ask us if we can print their photograph on a birth announcement or invitation.  There are a variety of  birth announcement companies that provide this service and we have referred many of our customers to these sites.  However, after receiving this same question countless times, we decided to offer a service that would provide our customers with an alternative to the "same old thing" that they continue to see.

One of the messages that provided such inspiration came from a customer through email.  The customer writes:  "Dear Inviting Smiles,  I am hoping that you can help me with my baby's birth announcements.  I have waited many years to finally have my dreams come true, and will be giving birth to my first child in less than three weeks.  Since this occasion will be so special to me and my husband, we are searching high and low for an announcement that will reflect this incredible time in our lives.  We have seen many companies that provide birth announcements with photos, however they all look the same.  Your cards are so incredibly different and unlike any we have seen elsewhere.  We thought that if there was a company out there that could create something truly unique for our special child - it had to be Inviting Smiles.  Can you help us or recommend a company that can?  Thanks in advance, Melanie."

This led to the creation of our newest photo line - Custom Photo Cards.  At Inviting Smiles we do not just print a black and white or color photograph that is hazed out around the edge.  We could do this, and it would be a very quick process, however Inviting Smiles prides itself on being original and unique.  You will notice that in our custom photo cards the subject of the picture is actually extracted from the photograph.  The extraction eliminates the "background" around your baby so that the focus of the picture is on your child.  This is a complex process that gives our cards the custom look that our customers continue to request.  The process is much more difficult and tedious than just hazing the edge of the photograph - but the end result is phenomenal.  In addition to the extracted image, we take the time to incorporate spot colors in your announcement.  Notice how the black and white Christmas card above uses the colors red, yellow and blue on the Christmas lights.  These are not the same colors from the original photograph.  These spot colors can be any color you desire.

Product Information

1)  Custom photo cards are available in three sizes:

5.75 x 5.75 (square)
5 x 7 inches
6 x 9 inches

2)  Cards are available as flat cards or with vellum and ribbon (see images below)

3)  Matching thank you notes are available with the same photo from your custom cards

4)  Cards are printed on high quality white cover stock with matching white envelopes

5)  Cards can be printed with any wording you desire in the font of your choice
 

Flat Card

 

Wording printed on card

? Questions ?

If you have any questions regarding our custom photo cards, the quickest and easiest way to get answers is by sending an email directly to our custom design department.  To email a custom card specialist, click here.

Ordering Information

1)  Orders can be placed over the internet or by calling our customer service department at 888-410-0099.  Customer service will be able to answer most of the questions you may have regarding custom photo cards, however you can email a custom card specialist by clicking here.

2)  After placing your order, you will need to send your photograph to Inviting Smiles.  Photographs can be sent through the mail or emailed to our custom design department.  Details regarding your photograph and how to send it to Inviting Smiles will be explained below in the photograph section.

3)  After receiving your photographs, Inviting Smiles will choose the photo that will work best for your announcements and begin creating your proof.  Let us know if you have specific requests in regards to your proof when you place your order.  Your proof will be emailed to you within 3 to 5 business days.  Quality custom work takes time to produce.  It is possible that your proof will be sent earlier.

4)  After receiving approval of your proof, Inviting Smiles will print your custom cards within 2 to 5 business days and then ship your order.  You may make changes to your proof at no additional charge before approval such as wording, spacing and coloring.  If you decide that you would like to start the proofing process over with a new photograph - a $45.00 graphics art fee will apply per photo.

5) Photographs sent through the mail can be returned separately from your order at your request.  To request your photographs to be returned, please email our custom photo department and let them know by clicking here.  Please include your name and the address where you would like your photographs returned.

Taking Photograph

The following information is critical in order for your custom cards to be of the highest possible quality.  Please read and follow these guidelines regarding your photograph:

1)  The quality of your custom photo card will depend on the quality of the photograph that you send.  Remember...it often takes many shots to get the perfect picture.

2)  We recommend professionally processed 35mm prints on glossy paper.  We do not recommend 110, Polaroid, still video shots or other instant camera photographs since they typically don't take clear, high resolution photos.  We cannot use color photocopies, or any image printed on a laser printer, inkjet printer, or photo quality printer, regardless of the type of paper used for printing.

3)  Photographs should be as clear and as sharply focused as possible.

4)  Photographs should be taken in color, not in black and white.

5)  Your card will turn out the best if the size of the subject (child) in the photograph is not any smaller than the size you are wanting them to be on your card.  We can usually somewhat enlarge a high quality photograph and still maintain great quality, however this will depend on the photograph's original quality.  For example, we would not suggest sending a wallet sized picture or a picture in which the child is a small portion of the frame.  A good guideline to follow is that the person in your photo should have their head at least the size of a quarter.

6)  For optimal quality, photographs should be taken on a white background or at least a light colored background.  Dark colored backgrounds will not work well for a high quality end result.

7)  When getting the photograph developed, choose the glossy rather than the matte finish.

8)  Very important:  Professional photographs remain the property of the photographer who took the picture.  If you are using a professional photograph,  it is your responsibility to make sure you have permission from the photographer for your photo to be reproduced.  If you are mailing us the photograph, you will need to include a signed copyright release letter from the photographer with your order.  You can also email the release form to us at customcards@invitingsmiles.com

9)  We recommend, if possible, that you send several photographs.  We will use the photograph that we believe will be best suited for the size of card that you have chosen.

10)  Make sure that you have good lighting when taking your photograph.  Natural light (sunlight) works well if you are near a window.

11)  The subject's entire body does not need to appear in the photograph.  However, make sure that your photo does not cut off part of the subject on all 4 sides of the photo.  Take a look at the following examples to understand how the subject can be placed on a photo card.

 

Left, right and bottom
of photo is cropped

12)  Place something in the photograph with your child that we can use to create the spot colors.  We suggest the following ideas.

Dress your child in an outfit that has something on it that can be colorized.

Dress your child in something denim - pants, overalls, skirt, dress, hat, etc.

Place a cute hat or scarf on your child or a bow in their hair.

Place a novelty hat on your child - Santa hat, fireman hat, frilly hat with flowers, stocking hat, baseball cap

Have your child hold something in their hand - a flower, a stuffed animal or toy

Have your child sit inside of something - a wagon, a flower pot, a box that is wrapped in bright paper

For babies - place them on their tummies asleep.  You can place a variety of objects on their back or next to them.

Take a photo of a baby from above while they are lying on their backs.  They can be inside an oversized Christmas stocking or among other objects.

It is important to keep the idea simple and not get too many items in the picture that distract from the child.  A little girl simply holding a single rose, for example, is beautiful.  Or a close up pose of  little boy in a denim baseball hat is adorable.

Sending Photograph

1)  For highest quality results, we recommend mailing your photograph to Inviting Smiles so that our graphic artists can use our professional scanning equipment.  We recommend professionally processed 35mm prints on glossy paper.  We do not recommend 110, Polaroid, still video shots or other instant camera photographs since they typically don't take clear, high resolution photos.  We cannot use color photocopies, or any image printed on a laser printer, inkjet printer, or photo quality printer, regardless of the type of paper used for printing.

2)  You may also scan your original photograph yourself and send it by email as a jpeg (jpg) file.  When scanning your image, please set your scanner to 600 dpi.  If your photograph will not need to be enlarged, you can scan it at 300 dpi.

2)  If you would like to use a digital camera, you can email us the image.  We strongly recommend digital images be at least 1800x1200 pixels.  Your digital camera must be set on the highest quality setting possible.   Lower resolution images cannot be used and cannot be changed to higher resolution.  Although lower resolution images look great on the computer screen,  they will produce blurry or low quality printed pictures with jagged edges and possibly with pixels showing.

3)  We recommend that you do not send images stored on CD by the photo processing company that printed your pictures.   Usually, these images are stored at about 480 x 640 resolution which is too low for the high quality end result we want to achieve.

4)  If you do send a digital photograph, images should be emailed to us in jpeg (jpg) format.  When sending a digital image be sure to send the full size version.  The image should not be compressed or resized.

By Mail - send your photograph(s) to:

Inviting Smiles
Attn:  Custom Photo Department
PO Box 295059
Lewisville, TX  75029-5059

Click Here to go to our printable order form if you prefer to send in your order by mail when you mail your photograph.

By computer - email your image to customcards@invitingsmiles.com

Legal Information:  By placing your custom photo card order with Inviting Smiles you are legally declaring that the rights to the images or photos you provide for creating your cards belong to you, the customer, and you agree to the following:  

You have all legal rights to reproduce the images or photos that you send Inviting Smiles.   In providing your photographs or digital images to Inviting Smiles you give Inviting Smiles permission to create and print photo cards using your pictures for the purpose of filling your order.

By submitting your photograph to Inviting Smiles, you give us permission to use the photo for advertising purposes in both print and on our website.  Names will be changed to protect your privacy.

Photographs taken by professional photographers are protected by copyright laws .  All professional or copyrighted photos must be accompanied by a signed letter from the photographer granting Inviting Smiles permission to use the photograph to create your custom card or announcement. 

You agree to accept full legal responsibility for the reproduction of the photos you provide, and to hold Inviting Smiles harmless for all liability they may incur as a result of processing and printing copyrighted photographs, including any other party which may claim an interest in the photograph.

Order Cancellation:  You may cancel your order and receive a refund of your charges up until the time your order is being processed, meaning before our graphic artists have begun working on designing your cards.  You must notify us at customcards@invitingsmiles.com  if you choose to cancel your order.  Your order is not considered canceled until Inviting Smiles has confirmed the cancellation by email.   After the creation of your custom cards has begun, you will only receive 50% of your order total back if you cancel your order.  We hope you understand that creating a custom photo card takes a great deal of work from our graphic design team.  This policy must be in place since processing your order requires the graphic artists at Inviting Smiles to invest a great deal of time into your custom cards.  After your cards have been printed, you will not be able to cancel your order or receive a refund on any portion of your order.

Do you have questions or need help?  Feel free to contact us.

Inviting Smiles™
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