Video Card vs Paper Card: An Honest Comparison (Paper Wins Sometimes)

This page is written by a company that makes video cards, so you have every right to expect it to say "video wins, obviously". It does not. Paper cards have things a video will never have, and there are times when sending a video would be the wrong call. Here is the honest version, so you can pick the right one for each person on your list.

Is a video card better than a paper card?

Neither is better everywhere. A paper card wins when it should be kept, held, displayed or read by someone who does not use a smartphone. A video card wins when you are far away, late, sending to many people, or when a voice, music and movement say more than handwriting can. Many people send both.

Video card vs paper card: the side-by-side

When is a paper card the better choice?

Choose paper when the card itself is part of the gift, when it should be kept, or when the person does not live on their phone. There is no shame in it. Some moments want an envelope.

• Sympathy and loss. A handwritten note to someone grieving is kinder than a video in a busy chat. It can be read when they are ready, and read again. (For a film made to honor someone at a memorial, that is a different thing; see a film for a memorial.)
• People who do not use smartphones. If Great-Aunt Joan has a landline and a very nice pen, send her paper.
• The keepsake moments. A wedding, a new baby, a child's first birthday card from Grandpa. These go in boxes and get read again in 30 years.
• When you want it displayed. Holiday cards on a string across the living room are a whole tradition. A video cannot hang there.
• Very formal business. Some clients expect a printed card on good paper, and that expectation is part of the relationship.
• When your handwriting is the message. A love note, an apology, a thank-you to a teacher. Your handwriting says "I sat down for this".

If it belongs in a shoebox in thirty years, send paper.

When is a video card the better choice?

Choose video when speed, distance, sound or a long list matters, or when the thing you want to say is funny, moving or musical. A video carries a voice, and a voice carries a lot.

• Family far away. International post in December is slow and unpredictable. A video arrives in time, every time.
• Last-minute. Forgot the birthday? A video can be made and sent the same day.
• A big list. Forty holiday greetings from one business or a big extended family. One film, sent to everyone.
• Kids' voices. A grandchild saying "Happy birthday, Nana" is something paper simply cannot hold.
• Something funny. Jokes need timing. A pause, a drawn dog looking guilty, a sound effect. Paper can only stand there.
• Sharing in a group. A video in the family group chat gets reactions from everyone. A paper card is seen by the people in one kitchen.

Can you send both a video and a paper card?

Yes, and for the people who matter most, it is often the best of both. The video arrives on the day with your voice and a laugh; the paper arrives later and goes on the shelf. A trick many families use: send one video to the whole list, and handwrite paper cards only for the six or seven people who will treasure them.

How to decide for each person on your list

Go through your list once with these steps. It takes ten minutes and saves the "did we send one to Uncle Pete?" panic on December 23rd.

1. Step 1

   Mark who has no smartphone. They get paper. Done.

2. Step 2

   Mark the keepsake people. Grandparents, your closest friend, anyone who keeps cards. They get paper, and maybe a video too.

3. Step 3

   Mark who is far away. They get the video, so it arrives in time.

4. Step 4

   Everyone else gets the video. One film, one warm line of text, sent in an evening.

Making a video card in Nine

If some of your list is getting a video, Nine can make it: a short drawn film with a voice, music and sound effects. Start from a template with a name and one line, write a short script where each paragraph becomes a scene, or upload a voice recording so the card carries a real voice. You watch it being made, change things in plain words, and get a video file in tall, square and wide to send yourself.

The Film plan is $29 a month for films up to 20 seconds, and every film shows its price before it starts, so you can decide whether it is worth it compared with a stack of stamps. See pricing. For the practical sending bits, read how to send a video card by text, and for holiday ideas, the animated Christmas card for family guide.