If you are looking for greeting card companies accepting art submissions, the best place to start is with publishers that clearly say they review digital artwork from independent artists. I would not send originals, huge files, or a giant portfolio dump. I would send a small, focused group of card-friendly images, make the work easy to review, and check each company’s current guidelines before submitting.
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Greeting card companies accepting art submissions worth checking first
When I look at greeting card submissions as an artist, I’m not just asking, “Will they look at my work?” I’m asking, “Does my work fit the kind of cards they already publish?” That matters more than blasting the same email to every company.
Here are several greeting card publishers with public submission pages or artist guidelines:
- Madison Park Greetings accepts artwork submissions year-round and asks artists to email up to 10 JPG images or provide a website link.
- Artists to Watch accepts digital art submissions and asks for 5–10 low-resolution images pasted into the body of an email.
- Biely & Shoaf accepts digital submissions by email and asks for low-resolution JPGs or a PDF.
- Oatmeal Studios looks for humorous, clever, original greeting card ideas and asks for submissions by email.
- Leanin’ Tree accepts digital art submissions and asks for organized PDF or JPG files.
- Design House Greetings accepts digital submissions and gives useful notes about what makes a card work visually on a retail rack.
- Northern Cards accepts artist submissions and gives specific production notes for 5” x 7” cards.
- Tree-Free Greetings says it reviews submissions from artists and artist-writers.
- LANG accepts artwork for multiple product lines, including stationery and Christmas cards.
I would treat this list as a starting point, not a one-and-done shortcut. Submission pages change, emails change, and companies sometimes pause reviews. Before sending anything, I would click through and follow the current instructions exactly.
What greeting card companies usually want from artists
Most greeting card companies are not looking for a random folder of beautiful art. They are looking for work that can become a card someone would actually pick up, understand quickly, and send to another person.
That means the art needs to work emotionally and commercially. A great sketchbook drawing may be strong as art, but it still has to survive the card format. It needs a readable focal point, enough contrast, and a clear feeling.
The categories I would think about first are:
- Birthday
- Friendship
- Thank you
- Sympathy
- Encouragement
- Wedding and anniversary
- New baby
- Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
- Christmas and seasonal holidays
- Blank note cards
If I were submitting wildlife or nature art, I would not just send “animal drawings.” I would think about how each piece might fit a card occasion. A quiet owl drawing could work as a sympathy card, a thank-you card, or a blank note card. A funny animal expression might work better for birthday or friendship.
How I would choose which companies to submit to
I would start by looking at each company’s existing cards. Not to copy them, but to understand their taste.
Some companies lean funny. Some lean sweet and sentimental. Some like bold graphic lettering. Some want painterly landscapes, animals, flowers, or traditional holiday art. Some are clearly built around hand-drawn illustration.
This is where artists waste a lot of effort. They submit good work to the wrong publisher, then assume the work is not good enough. Sometimes it is just not the right fit.
If your work is humorous, I would look closely at Oatmeal Studios and Design House Greetings. If your work is more nature, wildlife, inspirational, or traditional, I would look harder at Leanin’ Tree, Madison Park Greetings, LANG, and similar publishers. If your work has a strong indie illustration feel, Artists to Watch may be a better match.
For a broader view of licensing beyond cards, I would also read my guide to art licensing because greeting cards are often one slice of a larger licensing strategy.
What to send in a greeting card submission
I would keep the submission small and clean. Five to ten strong pieces are usually better than thirty mixed pieces. The goal is not to prove that I can make everything. The goal is to make it easy for an art director to understand where my work fits.
For most greeting card submissions, I would prepare:
- 5–10 low-resolution JPGs or a single organized PDF, depending on the company’s guidelines
- My name, email, phone number, and website on the submission
- A short note explaining the type of work I make
- Clear file names with my name included
- A link to a focused portfolio, not a messy social feed
- No original artwork sent through the mail
I would not send giant attachments unless the company specifically asks for them. I would not send layered production files in the first email. I would also avoid long personal stories. A warm, short email is enough.
If you are still building the right presentation, my article on an art licensing portfolio is a useful next step because greeting card submissions depend heavily on how clearly your work is organized.
Should you send finished card designs or just artwork?
This depends on the company. Some publishers want finished card concepts. Some are open to artwork they can adapt. Some want art and verse together. Some do the writing in-house.
As an artist, I would prepare both kinds of work if possible:
A few finished card mockups can show that I understand the product. A few clean art-only samples can show the range of my style without forcing the publisher into one use.
For example, if I had a woodland animal drawing, I might show one version as a finished “thinking of you” card and keep another version as a standalone artwork sample. That gives the company room to imagine the piece inside its own line.
Things I would avoid when submitting art to greeting card companies
The biggest mistake is sending too much work with no point of view. A company should be able to understand your style quickly.
I would avoid:
- Sending original artwork
- Sending huge files in the first email
- Ignoring the company’s requested format
- Submitting AI-generated work when the company prohibits it
- Sending the same generic pitch to every publisher
- Using copyrighted characters, brands, quotes, or song lyrics
- Sending work that does not match any obvious card occasion
- Following up too aggressively
I would also be careful with art that relies only on a pretty image. Greeting cards need emotional usefulness. They help someone say something. Even blank cards still need a mood that makes sense for sending.
Licensing, payment, and rights questions to ask
If a company is interested, the important part starts after the submission. That is when I would slow down and read the terms carefully.
The main things I would want to understand are usage, exclusivity, payment, territory, and duration. Is the company buying the artwork outright? Is it licensing the image for greeting cards only? Can I license the same artwork for fabric, prints, calendars, or stationery later? Is the deal exclusive or non-exclusive?
If those terms feel confusing, I would read more about usage rights in art licensing and the difference between exclusive and non-exclusive art licensing before agreeing to anything.
I would also want the payment terms in writing. Some greeting card deals are flat fees. Some are royalties. Some companies negotiate based on the complexity of the work or the intended use. If you are new to this, my article on how to price for art licensing can help you think through the money side without guessing.
Protect your artwork before you submit
I do not think artists should be paranoid, but I do think we should be organized. Before submitting, I would keep dated files, save copies of emails, and make sure I know which images went to which company.
Near the end of the process, it is also worth understanding the basics of copyright. The U.S. Copyright Office has a helpful page on what visual and graphic artists should know about copyright, including how copyright applies to original visual artwork and why registration can matter.
That does not mean every sketch has to be registered before you email anyone. It does mean you should treat your work like intellectual property, not just decoration.
Start with a focused submission list and send better work
I would not submit to twenty greeting card companies in one afternoon. I would pick three to five companies that actually fit my work, study their current line, and make a cleaner submission for each one.
For artists and illustrators, greeting cards can be a practical doorway into licensing because the format is small, emotional, and product-based. The best move is to send work that already feels useful as a card, follow the submission guidelines exactly, and keep a simple record of where everything went.