greeting card design software

Designing greeting cards has never been more fun, accessible, or customizable than it is today. With digital creativity tools at our fingertips, anyone—whether a teacher, parent, business owner, or hobbyist—can craft beautiful cards in minutes. This is especially useful during the holiday season, when families look for fresh and engaging christmas greeting cards for kids that feel joyful, colorful, and meaningful.

Whether you’re creating a personalized ecard to share instantly or preparing a printable card for a school project, having the right design software makes the entire experience smoother. Below is a detailed look at the best software options available today, including online platforms like LovingEcards, which offers charming Christmas card collections built especially for children.

Why Custom Greeting Card Software Matters Today

The world has shifted significantly toward digital communication over the past decade. But even in this digital era, greeting cards—printed or digital—carry emotional weight. They make celebrations personal, thoughtful, and memorable. During occasions like Christmas, cards for kids do more than share wishes—they spark imagination.

Good design software empowers you to:

  • Create cards that reflect your own style and creativity
  • Use pre-designed templates to save time
  • Add photos, drawings, stickers, and fun clip art
  • Design age-appropriate content for kids
  • Print cards instantly or share digitally
  • Personalize messages, fonts, and color palettes

This is why choosing the right platform matters. Let’s explore the top tools that make designing christmas greeting cards for kids a delightful and stress-free experience.

1. Canva: The Most User-Friendly Card Design Platform

Canva has become one of the most popular graphic design tools in the world—and for good reason. Its drag-and-drop editor is ideal for beginners and professionals alike. When creating greeting cards, especially for children, Canva offers a rich library of:

  • Christmas-themed templates
  • Fun illustrations and animated elements
  • Kid-friendly backgrounds
  • Cute stickers and cartoons

Why It’s Great for Christmas Cards for Kids

  • Vibrant colors and playful fonts
  • Easy text customization
  • Access to adorable clip art like Santa hats, snowmen, reindeer, elves, and holiday treats
  • Ability to add your child’s photo for extra personalization

You can save your design as a PDF for printing or send it digitally as an image or link.

2. Adobe Express: Professional Quality for Everyday Users

Formerly known as Adobe Spark, Adobe Express takes the complexity out of professional-grade design. It offers stunning templates and simple controls, making it perfect for crafting high-quality children’s Christmas cards.

Key Features

  • Highly polished templates
  • Advanced color tools
  • Free shape and illustration libraries
  • Quick resizing for print or digital sharing

Why It Works for Kids’ Cards

Adobe Express cards tend to look more polished. If you’re designing for a school event, holiday performance, or family mailing, this program is excellent for creating elegant yet child-friendly Christmas greetings.

3. LovingEcards: The Sweet Spot for Ready-Made Kids’ Christmas Cards

For those wanting effortless creativity, LovingEcards is a standout platform offering ready-made, animated, and beautifully illustrated card designs. Their christmas greeting cards for kids collection is especially popular, featuring:

  • Whimsical characters
  • Bright holiday colors
  • Simple messages children can understand
  • Easy sharing options through email or link
  • No complicated setup—just choose a card and send

This makes LovingEcards perfect for parents, teachers, or even offices preparing kids’ holiday greetings for staff families.

Why Kids Love It

Unlike traditional paper cards, digital ecards often include animations—sparkling lights, waving snowmen, blinking Christmas trees, and sliding penguins—which captivate children instantly. The experience feels magical and interactive.

4. Microsoft Publisher: A Classic Option for Printable Cards

For those who prefer downloadable software over browser-based tools, Microsoft Publisher remains a reliable choice. Many families still use it to design printable cards at home.

Benefits

  • Simple layout editing
  • Print-friendly measurements
  • Easy image insertion
  • Customizable holiday borders
  • Foldable card templates

Families who enjoy crafting Christmas cards by hand often use Publisher to print card outlines and then let kids color or decorate them with glitter, crayons, stickers, or paper cutouts.

5. Procreate: The Best Drawing App for Artistic Kids and Parents

If you or your child loves drawing, sketching, or hand-lettering, Procreate is the best digital art app for creating fully unique greeting cards.

Perfect For:

  • Artistic holiday scenes
  • Hand-drawn Santa or snowman characters
  • Watercolor-style Christmas illustrations
  • Custom lettering
  • Personalized messages written in stylus handwriting

Once the artwork is complete, you can export the design as an image and turn it into a card using Canva, Publisher, or even a simple printing template.

Procreate is especially useful for designing christmas greeting cards for kids that feel handcrafted and personal.

6. Greetings Island: A Fast Way to Print Cute Cards

Greetings Island is another beginner-friendly platform that focuses specifically on greeting cards. Their holiday selection includes dozens of playful, bright, and cartoon-based Christmas themes.

Why Families Love It

  • Cards are easy to customize
  • No technical skills needed
  • Instant printing
  • Free and premium versions available
  • Templates designed specifically for children

Whether you need a quick classroom card or a custom note for your child’s gift bag, Greetings Island is fast and effective.

7. Hallmark Card Studio: The Traditional Favorite Meets Digital Ease

Hallmark—the most recognized name in greeting cards—offers a software package called Hallmark Card Studio. It brings the charm of classic greeting card design into the digital space.

What You Get

  • Thousands of Hallmark-quality templates
  • Exclusive illustrations
  • Decorative borders and patterns
  • Easy photo-card options
  • Built-in messages you can personalize

For Christmas cards geared toward younger audiences, Hallmark provides sweet characters, classic holiday imagery, and sentimental messages that feel warm and traditional.

8. CorelDRAW: Ideal for Designers Wanting Full Control

CorelDRAW is one of the most powerful illustration tools available. It’s not for beginners, but for experienced designers or art teachers, it offers advanced control over:

  • Vector drawings
  • Typography
  • Color blending
  • Print layouts

You can create highly detailed, professional-looking christmas greeting cards for kids—perfect for organizations, schools, or events that require polished artwork.

What Makes a Great Christmas Greeting Card for Kids?

Regardless of which software you choose, great kids’ Christmas cards usually have the same qualities:

1. Bright, Cheerful Colors

Children love vivid imagery—reds, greens, golds, and icy blues make cards feel festive.

2. Friendly Holiday Characters

Snowmen, candy canes, reindeer, elves, gingerbread friends, Santa, or penguins always delight children.

3. Playful Fonts

Soft, rounded, bubble-like fonts make cards feel joyful and easy to read.

4. Simple Messages

Kids respond best to clear and cheerful greetings, such as:

  • “Merry Christmas, Little Star!”
  • “Warm Wishes and Cozy Hugs!”
  • “Let the Holiday Magic Begin!”

5. Optional Learning Elements

Some parents and teachers include:

  • Fun facts about Christmas
  • Mini puzzles
  • Color-within-the-lines borders
  • Holiday riddles

This transforms the card into an engaging holiday activity.

How to Choose the Best Software for Your Needs

With so many options available, here’s a quick guide to help you choose:

Choose Canva If:

You want something quick, free, and easy with lots of kid-friendly templates.

Choose Adobe Express If:

You prefer professional-looking designs without complex editing.

Choose LovingEcards If:

You want ready-made cards you can send instantly—animated, colorful, and perfect for kids.

Choose Publisher If:

You want printable cards kids can decorate at home or school.

Choose Procreate If:

You or your child wants to hand-draw Christmas art digitally.

Choose Greetings Island If:

You need a fast, no-fuss printable card.

Choose Hallmark Card Studio If:

You like traditional holiday card aesthetics.

Choose CorelDRAW If:

You’re a designer needing full creative control.

Final Thoughts

Creating christmas greeting cards for kids is not just about design—it’s about sharing joy, imagination, and festive warmth. Today’s software tools give everyone the ability to design magical cards, whether you’re sending them digitally or printing them for stockings, classrooms, or holiday gift bags.

From intuitive online editors like Canva and LovingEcards to professional-grade tools like CorelDRAW and Procreate, there is something for every skill level and style. No matter which platform you choose, what truly matters is the love and creativity you put into the card.