What should you look for in the best DIY Valentine’s Day card sites? Ease of use is important, as well as value. You can spend a lot of time creating the right card, but this should always be because you’re adding extra little touches and things that the recipient will love, and not because you’re fighting the website. And while prices for cards don’t vary too much, some providers are definitely more expensive than others. Photo gifts are hugely popular, so check out our list of do-it-yourself sites below, then consider something like a photo book (opens in new tab) as a gift. If you don’t think your significant other would appreciate that, we do have a guide to the best flower delivery online (opens in new tab), for a more traditional gift.
1. Shutterfly: Best DIY Valentine’s Day cards overall
Shutterfly’s lack of discounts on bulk orders meant that we marked it down in the main review. However, if you’re ordering just one Valentine’s Day card for that someone special this won’t matter: we were impressed by the great selection offered on the Shutterfly site and, even though it was expensive, the option of guaranteed shipping can be reassuring if you’re late ordering your card and need the reassurance of having it by February 14. Shutterfly has regular promotions on its cards and you can even pay extra for adorable touches such as Valentine’s-themed envelope linings. Not all sites give you the option of mailing your card for you but Shutterfly will address and send your cards for a reasonable fee which can shave time off your order if you intend on sending a card to someone you won’t be seeing on Valentine’s Day.
2. Mixbook: Great print quality cards
When reviewing the top photo cards out there, Mixbook was one of our favorite picks for high quality printing. They offer this for low prices and customer service you can rely on. Mixbook has a great selection of customizable Valentine’s Day cards for as little as $1, and we love the options to add as many text boxes as needed. Mixbook regularly runs great discounts and coupon codes to help you make someone’s day at an affordable price, and there’s budget shipping which is fairly inexpensive. Just be aware that you’ll need to order in advance to make the most of this option, or you could end up forking out a bit more for express shipping to make sure your card arrives on time.
3. Snapfish: Cheapest shipping
Snapfish didn’t do so well in general testing, but it’s a whole different kettle of fish (forgive the pun) for providing some of the best Valentine’s Day cards we’ve seen. This is because it had a great selection of custom cards, and made editing and adding personal touches easy. We found shipping times slow when we tested Snapfish, but they do suggest ordering eight business days in advance when ordering their low cost shipping. Compared to some of the other sites we’ve reviewed, rush shipping still didn’t break the bank if you’re in a hurry and need your cards within four business days.
4. Meijer: Great if you live near a store
If you live in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota or Ohio, there’s a good chance you’ve been to your nearest Meijer store. Unlike other Valentine’s Day card sites, Meijer Photo lets you print out your design and pick it up in-store within the hour. These are affordable, speedy and save you on shipping fees whilst still letting you make a really special gesture to the one you love. There’s only a handful of templates available on the Meijer Photo site, but you can easily edit these (or another template, by simply adding in Valentine’s Day text) for a great last-minute custom Valentine’s Day card.
5. Zazzle: Fantastic customization options
Zazzle doesn’t deliver the cheapest Valentine’s Day cards, but it has a great selection of adorable designs, from pre-prepared witty cards to templates you can build from scratch, if you’re looking to add an extra-personal touch. There’s also some of the best Valentine’s Day classroom cards we’ve seen if your kid wants to put a smile on their classmates’ faces. The downside is, Zazzle’s shipping for individual units is pretty expensive. This can vary depending on where you live, but if you like buying custom cards, invitations or announcements through the year you can buy Zazzle Black, which gets you unlimited standard shipping on most products for under $10 and makes your Valentine’s Day card order much better value-for-money.
How we tested
It can be overwhelming to pick between the best Valentine’s Day card DIY sites, so we’ve done the research for you. In our testing we considered pricing, shipping and ease of editing for all photo card sites. In this buying guide we’ve taken into account that some of the things we tested on, such as bulk orders and holiday coverage, are less relevant for the best Valentine’s Day cards. If you see a difference in ranking between our main reviews and what you see here, that’s why. In this guide we also took care to only include sites which let you order single cards. Many of the best photo card sites make you order in bulk, but for Valentine’s Day most people are only looking for one card. That being said, there’s also the option on a lot of these sites to bulk order cards for friends or classmates, so you always have the option of spreading the love.
How to pick your card
Many sites had gorgeous design options, but keep in mind that even if there isn’t a design you like you can always edit a design for another photo card to say ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ (or anything else you fancy). What makes custom Valentine’s Day card sites so great is the ability to add personal touches to show someone you care. You can use pet names or sentimental photos to really go the extra mile.
When should I order my Valentine’s Day card?
When ordering a DIY Valentine’s Day card, we suggest ordering as early as possible to allow time for printing and postage. You should aim to order by the end of January, or the beginning of February. However, if you’re late to the game Mixbook offers express delivery which will get your Valentine’s card sent out ASAP so you don’t have to turn up to your date empty handed. Meijer Photo is our pick for last-minute purchases as you can collect in store. However, you’ll only be able to use this service if you live in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota or Ohio. For last-minute shipping, Shutterfly has some somewhat affordable, tracked options to save you rooting through the leftover cards at your local convenience store.
More gifting ideas
Best photo books (opens in new tab)Best digital photo frames (opens in new tab)Best gift baskets (opens in new tab)
