Greeting Card and its Importance

By Sangeeta Dhanmeher

A Greeting card is just a small piece of paper printed or hand painted or handcrafted with printed or handwritten message to convey your feelings to someone. Nowadays there are so many ways we can express ourselves, our feelings to someone such as a SMS, an email massage, an ecard, a fax message or just a telephone/cell phone. But still Greeting Cards are being used for this purpose. Some people think to such an extent that why to spend money and time in purchasing and sending a greeting card, instead why not send a SMS, so cheap and time saving option!!!

Nowadays what matters in every field is the presentation. Greetings card is also one of the means of presenting your feelings. I would say that the Greetings card is an esthetic looking packing of your feelings/expressions so that the recipient feels delighted and honoured.

Hence Greeting cards can be used for almost all occasions, only thing that you should select the right card, appropriate color, design or picture along with the printed message or your own handwritten massage, which will reveal your affection. As Greeting cards are for many reasons, occasions and hence there are many types of Greeting Cards available in the market:

1. Birthday card
2. New year card
3. Anniversary card
4. Thank you card
5. Thinking of you card
6. Sorry card
7. Best wishes card
8. Good Luck card
9. Get well card
10. Flower card
11. Congratulations card
12. Engagement card
13. New baby card
14. I Love you card
15. Valentines day card
16. Christmas card
17. Dipavali card
18. Diwali card
19. Navratri card
20. Ugadi card (Hindu New Year card)
21. Gudhipadawa card (Hindu New Year card)
22. Sankranti card
23. Mothers day card
24. Fathers day card
25. Congratulation card and so on.

Hallmark Cards and American Greetings are the largest producers of greeting cards in the world. In the United Kingdom, it is estimated that one billion pounds are spent on greeting cards every year, with the average person sending 55 cards per year.

In the United States, many adults traditionally mail Christmas cards to their friends and relatives in December. Many service businesses also send cards to their customers in this season, usually with a universally acceptable non-religious message such as "happy holidays" or "seasons's greetings.

The Historians say the custom of sending greeting cards is started by to the ancient Chinese who exchanged messages of good will to celebrate the New Year. Egyptians in ancient times conveyed their greetings on papyrus scrolls. By the early 1400s, handmade paper greeting cards were being exchanged in Europe. The Germans are known to have printed New Year's greetings from woodcuts as early as 1400, and handmade paper Valentines were being exchanged in various parts of Europe in the early to mid-1400s.

By the 1850s, the greeting card had been transformed from a relatively expensive, handmade and hand-delivered gift to a popular and affordable means of personal communication. Thanks to new advances in printing and mechanization. This was followed by new trends like Christmas cards, the first of which appeared in published form in London in 1843 when Sir Henry Cole hired artist John Calcott Horsley to design a holiday card that he could send to his friends and acquaintances. In the 1860s, companies like Marcus Ward & Co, Goodall and Charles Bennett began the mass production of greeting cards. They employed well-known artists such as Kate Greenaway and Walter Crane as illustrators and card designers.

There are two major categories of greeting cards, one is mass produced ( printed on offset printing machines etc.) and other is handmade greeting cards. Hand painted greeting cards is also a separate category of greeting cards. These cards are also available but this type of cards can not be mass- produced as each card has to be individually painted. So every hand painted card is unique.

Please visit to [http://www.creativeartofgreetingscards.com] to have a look at the rich collection of hand painted greeting cards, handcrafted greeting cards for various occasions. These are made out of premium quality handmade paper from India.

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Greeting Card History

By Victoria Primicias

Every day, thousands of greeting cards are literally sent around the world. Yet a few of us stop to think about the history behind this worldwide tradition, or about the fact that it has been a popular custom for hundreds of years.

Exploring Ancient Times

According to experts, the tradition of sending greeting cards to friends and family dates as far back as the times of the ancient Chinese. During this period, sending card greetings to wish loved ones a happy and healthy New Year was customary. Similarly, the early Egyptians were known for sending greetings to each other on papyrus scrolls, and this custom was also common in Europe by the early 1400s -- though these greetings were made with handmade paper.

The oldest-known greeting card in existence dates back to the 1400s. This card, which is housed in the British Museum, was hand-delivered on Valentine's Day. During this period, Valentine's cards were the most popular form of greeting cards. Prior to the widespread use of the cards, lovers would sing or simply say their Valentine greetings.

Of course, making paper from scratch or creating greetings on papyrus was a time-consuming process. In addition, the materials for making these greeting cards were not readily available. The practice, therefore, of sending greeting cards was generally left to the wealthy upper class.

Greeting Cards Reach the Masses

By the mid-1800s, during which time innovative printing mechanisms were developed, sending greeting cards was far less time consuming. The first postage stamp was also introduced around this time, which made it easier to send out greetings all over the world. As a result, the popularity of the tradition grew immensely. In fact, it was during this time that the tradition of sending Christmas cards began to progress. This tradition was further spurred on by Sir Henry Cole of London, who hired an artist by the name of John Calcott Horsley in 1843 to design Christmas cards for him to send to his friends and family.

By the 1860s, card companies began to emerge. These companies also hired well-known artists and began to mass produce their cards. When color lithography was introduced in 1930, the popularity of greeting cards grew even more. Soon after, the purpose of these cards also began to change. Rather than being used solely for special holiday greetings, card manufacturers began developing humorous cards and "just because" greetings.

Technology Steps In

Today, greeting cards have evolved to take on a number of different forms. With the help of technology, consumers are able to explore alternative methods for creating and sending greetings. For example, e-greetings that are sent electronically through e-mail continue to grow in popularity. In addition, the increased availability of technology and high-quality printers have encouraged some to create their own professional-looking cards from home. Nonetheless, most agree that nothing can replace the warmth and sentiment created by sending a conventional store-bought card through the mail.

The tradition of sending greeting cards has a long and interesting history. The next time you place a stamp on an envelope or hit "send" on your e-greeting, remember that you are carrying on a tradition that has helped bring mankind closer for hundreds of years.

Victoria Primicias writes Boring Bedtime Stories featuring baby nursery bedding for Bella & Fella Children's Bedding. A guaranteed snooze for parents, these musings from the "bedding set queen" deftly weave childhood tales from a distant land, business startup challenges, and titillating tales in the wonderful world of crib bedding sets.

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