Print Blank Announcement Cards for Easy Sales

As a graphic designer you can add to your income by printing blank announcement cards for easy sales, especially when clients aren't seeking custom designs but something quick and simple they can fill out for weddings, confirmations, graduations, retirements, moving and other occasions. Here's how you can take advantage of event-specific purchasing and make money from blank announcement cards.

Design a stable of blank announcement cards

Start by creating a stable of blank announcement cards in several colors, styles and layouts for popular occasions. These occasions include weddings, wedding showers, confirmations, graduations, retirements, moving and other events. Each of these general categories can be further broken down into sub-niches; examples might include destination weddings, casual weddings, traditional weddings, etc. And in each of these sub-niches you should have a diverse variety of styles the varied tastes of your customers. If you're like most graphic designers, you don't have time to design hundreds of blank announcement cards without guaranteed sales. No worries - instead, focus on a specific sub-niche to explore. This way you can come up with perhaps a dozen or so blank announcement cards in varying colors and focus on marketing those.

Make them writable or printable

When you print your blank announcement cards, be sure to print with premium papers such as a super-thick 16-point gloss cover stock for an elegant sheen. Since your customers will either want to handwrite their cards or send them through desktop printers, make sure that you print with C1S paper, which has a high-quality gloss on one side and a more subtle, printable surface on the other. Alternatively, you could hold off on printing a lot of blank announcements and instead print just a few to keep in a book to show to customers. When they choose which design they like, you can add in their relevant information and then send it to the printer. It will take a little bit of time, but not near as much as custom work, plus you'll be able to charge for the time it takes to input names, dates, etc., on the cards.

Distribute blank announcement cards for sale

There are several outlets in which to distribute your blank announcement cards for sale. Depending on the type of blank announcement cards you've designed, you might distribute them in supermarkets, gift shops, flower shops, conference centers, tourist venues, wedding shops, bookstores and anywhere else that might sell your blank invitation cards to their customers. One way to increase your sales is to create a display that sets your announcement card collection apart from the regular rack cards and to focus on a specific style or niche. Shoebox Greetings is a division of Hallmark that focuses on snarky humor, for example. Develop your own style and niche, and your announcement cards could be the next big hit at the major department stores. If you have trouble getting chains to pick up your cards, offer to sell them on consignment - that way you only get paid when they do. With the right exposure, such as a display, this type of arrangement can be a win-win for everyone.