30 Vintage Christmas Cards to Print, Write by Hand and Post

Vintage christmas cards are having a proper moment, and not because anyone decided to make it happen. People are simply tired of tapping a name into an app and calling it done.

A real envelope landing on a real doormat means something again, and this set exists because the card in the shops is either too generic or already has a verse printed inside that says everything except what you actually wanted to say.

Every design here prints flat on A4, two cards per sheet, with the inside left completely clear except for a faint guide of five ruled lines so your handwriting sits straight.

The front carries the artwork and, where the design calls for it, a short period greeting of four words or fewer. No sender name, no verse, no bow that requires a scorer. Print, write, seal, post. That is the whole method.

If you are planning a Christmas gathering alongside the card-sending, the easy Christmas party games guide is worth a look, and the Christmas party invitation ideas page pairs neatly with this set if you need something to go in the post first. Now, the cards.

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1. The Twenties Bordered Panel

This one suits anyone who receives post with genuine pleasure: an older relative, a colleague who still uses a fountain pen, a friend who frames things. The geometric border is true to the decade, when Art Deco detail reached even the Christmas card.

Print two per A4 sheet on 160gsm card stock, cut along the trim line and the cards are ready to write. The border runs all four sides, so the front has presence without taking up the space the message needs.

2. The Thirties Centred Vignette

The thirties card is the one for someone you want to feel thought of rather than organised. The oval vignette sits dead centre on the front, which gives the whole card a formal, unhurried quality that a busier layout would lose.

Two fit an A4 sheet; print on 160gsm or heavier and the card holds its shape without a second backing sheet.

3. The Forties Corner Motif

Wartime printing kept illustration to a minimum, and that restraint is what makes this card feel different from the more decorated ones in the set. The motif sits in one corner only, which leaves the front airy and easy to read across a table.

Send it to someone practical, someone who would never choose a fussy card for themselves but will notice that this one is well considered. Two per A4, plain copy paper works if card stock is not to hand.

4. The Fifties Full Bleed Winter Scene

This is the card with the most illustration on the front, a full-bleed scene that fills the card edge to edge in the manner of the mid-century cards that came in tissue-lined boxes. It suits someone who keeps cards on the mantelpiece all December.

Print it on the best paper in the drawer, because the scene earns it. Two per A4; a 200gsm matte photo card gives the richest result.

5. The Sixties Off-Centre Illustration

The sixties card breaks the symmetry that runs through the earlier decades: the illustration shifts to the right-hand side of the front, and the greeting sits to the left.

It reads as modern without looking recent, which makes it the one to send to a friend with a carefully curated flat. Two per A4, 160gsm. Cut carefully because the off-centre composition only works when the margins are even.

6. The Botanical Holly Border

Holly drawn botanically, with the accuracy of a field guide rather than the cheerfulness of clip art, works for almost anyone on the list: it is festive without being coy.

Send it to the person who grows things, to the colleague you like but do not know well, or to anyone for whom a fussy card would feel wrong. Two per A4 on 160gsm.

The border is detailed enough that a sharp home printer does it justice; avoid economy mode.

7. The Stagecoach Scene

A coaching scene is one of the oldest subjects in British Christmas cards, which makes this the one for a traditionalist, the person who uses the word ‘post’ rather than ‘mail’ and probably has a letter rack.

The scene runs across the full width of the front with the greeting set above it. Two per A4, 160gsm minimum. This card photographs well for the envelope flat-lay if that matters to the sender.

8. The Candle and Ribbon Panel

The panel format puts a border around a central illustration and gives the front an almost gift-tag quality. This one works well for someone you see once a year at best: it is warm without being intimate. Two per A4.

If the stack of cards for posting is mixed, this is the one to slip into the most plain envelope because the card itself does the work.

9. The Bell Corner Motif

Bells in the corner keep the front almost plain, which is exactly the point. The space on the front draws the eye to the inside, where the message is.

Send this to anyone who might feel self-conscious receiving something overly decorated: a new acquaintance, a professional contact, a neighbour met only recently. Two per A4; this one prints acceptably on 80gsm paper if card stock is not available.

10. The Pine and Cone Full Bleed

A close-up of pine boughs and cones, drawn in the manner of a natural history print, bleeds to the edges and makes the front feel more like a fine art card than a Christmas card. That is precisely its appeal.

Two per A4 on the heaviest paper the printer accepts, because this one benefits from weight in the hand. It suits anyone with a taste for things that do not announce themselves.

11. The Bauble Vignette

A single large bauble in a vignette at the centre of the front is the design that a child will remember receiving.

Send it to the household rather than to an individual: addressed to the whole family, written to all of them inside, posted in one envelope. Two per A4, 160gsm. The vignette is generous enough that the bauble reads clearly even on a standard home printer.

12. The Lantern Panel

A hanging lantern inside a vertical panel suits the card that goes to someone who lives alone and will put it on the windowsill. The panel format makes the front look intentional even on a home printer. Two per A4. Print on matte card rather than glossy: the lantern’s warmth reads better in matte.

13. The Village Rooftops Scene

Snow-covered rooftops seen from a slight elevation, with a church spire visible, is the scene that reads as ‘Christmas card’ the moment it lands.

It is the design for a wide list: neighbours, distant family, anyone who would appreciate the gesture of real post without needing a specific sentiment. Two per A4. Print in the highest quality mode the printer allows for best detail in the skyline.

14. The Poinsettia Bordered Panel

Poinsettia as a border rather than a centrepiece gives the front rhythm without the slightly corporate feeling that a single centred flower can have.

This is the card for someone who appreciates a considered layout, a graphic designer, a teacher, anyone who reads the card front before opening it. Two per A4, 160gsm. The border is dense enough to reward a close look.

15. The Mistletoe Corner Motif

Mistletoe in the corner is the card that suits someone with a sense of humour about the season without requiring a joke to be printed on it. The motif carries the implication; the sender writes the rest. Two per A4.

This is a good candidate for the card sent to someone who will pin it up rather than stand it on a shelf, because the corner motif reads well at an angle.

16. The Matching Gift Tags

Eight small gift tags per A4 sheet, drawn in the same hand as the card set so a parcel and its card look as if they came from the same place.

Each tag has a small holly motif in one corner, a ‘To:’ line in period lettering and a blank line below it. No ‘From:’ printed, because the handwriting says that.

Print on 160gsm, cut with a trimmer rather than scissors, and punch the hole before threading the string.

17. The Bookplate Card

A bookplate-format card is for the reader on the list, the one whose home is organised by shelf.

The front mimics the ex-libris label: an oval cartouche, a decorative border at the top and the greeting in the position where a name would appear in a true bookplate. Two per A4, 160gsm.

It is the most unusual design in the set and worth keeping for the person who will appreciate the reference.

18. The Nineteen Tens Engraved Panel

Edwardian engraving style, with finer linework than any of the later decades in the set, suits a card that needs to feel genuinely old. The panel format keeps the detail contained so it does not read as overwhelming.

Send it to anyone who would open a letter with a paper knife. Two per A4, 160gsm minimum; this design rewards heavier paper more than most in the set.

19. The Church in Snow Scene

A country church in snow is the card that arrives and immediately says December. It is neither religious nor secular: it is architectural, which makes it suitable for most people on the list. Two per A4.

Print at full quality because the stonework detail in the church facade carries the period feeling. A 200gsm matte card gives the best result here.

20. The Ribbon and Pine Corner Motif

A tied ribbon with a pine sprig tucked underneath it is the corner motif that works when the earlier bell and mistletoe versions have already been assigned to other recipients.

It is neat, it is period-appropriate and it leaves the front almost entirely clear for the artwork inside the corner. Two per A4, 160gsm. Good for the card that goes to a lot of people: it is unfussy enough to suit a wide list.

21. The Skating Scene Full Bleed

Figures on a frozen pond, drawn in the manner of a Victorian print, bleed to all four edges.

The scene is busy in the best way: there is always something new to look at, which makes this a card the recipient will leave out for the full season. Two per A4, 200gsm matte for the richest result.

Send it to someone who will frame it in January.

22. The Eighties Bold Graphic Panel

Bold geometric shapes and high contrast lettering in the manner of nineteen eighties printed cards: this is the design for a friend who grew up with that era and has some affection for it. The panel format contains the graphic energy. Two per A4.

It prints best in colour but holds up in greyscale if the ink is running low, which gives it a practical edge over the more detailed scenic designs.

23. The Hand Lettered Greeting (No Picture)

No illustration at all: the front carries only the greeting, set in careful period lettering large enough to fill the space without looking sparse.

It is the design for a sender who believes the words are sufficient, or who is printing in black only and wants the result to look intentional rather than economical. Two per A4.

Write the inside in the same ink colour as the printed lettering and the card reads as fully considered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I print vintage Christmas cards?

Any home inkjet or laser printer handles these flat card designs. For the best result, use a printer set to its highest quality mode and load one sheet at a time.

Local print shops and library print services also work well if the home printer is not up to it, and most will print on heavier card stock than a standard home machine accepts.

What paper is best for printing cards?

160gsm white matte card stock is the most useful weight: heavy enough to feel substantial in an envelope, light enough for most home printers to feed without jamming. For the full-bleed scenic designs, 200gsm matte photo card gives richer results. Standard 80gsm copy paper works for a test print but feels too light for posting.

What do you write in a Christmas card?

One specific thing is worth more than a general wish. A line about what the year held for the recipient, a sentence about the next time you will see each other, or simply the fact that you thought of them and meant to say so.

The five ruled guide lines on the inside of these cards hold roughly forty to sixty words, which is exactly the right length for a message that someone will re-read.

When should Christmas cards be posted?

Second and third week of December covers most domestic post, with a buffer for slower delivery days. For international post, the first week of December or even late November is safer.

Royal Mail and national postal services publish last recommended posting dates each year, and checking the current year’s dates before buying stamps saves the disappointment of a card that arrives in January.