Holiday Card Planner - Supplies and Mailing Cost Worksheet

Sep 24, 2026

Holiday Card Planner provides a practical worksheet for planning handmade greeting cards from design choices through shipping logistics. It explains how to estimate card thickness for first-class postage, account for cardstock layers and decorative embellishments that may cause damage, and calculate mailing costs based on card size. The template also includes a checklist of supplies, key quantities to determine, and a sample shopping calculation covering bases, layers, die cuts, embellishments, ribbon, and envelopes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages1

AccessFree to download

Design Considerations

Calculate Supplies

Mailing Costs

First Class Postage

Supplies Checklist and Quantities

Determine Cards, Layers, Embellishments

Skin Care (Cardstock Layering)

Go Shopping (Sample Calculation)

HOLIDAY CARD PLANNER Date to be mailed: Date to be completed: Crafting Session Dates: Supplies Needed By: DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS CALCULATE SUPPLIES For standard greeting cards (5 1/2" X 4 1/4" X 1/4"thick with a weight limit of 3 .5 oz.) postage is one first class stamp. Consider your choice of cardstock and number of layers. If you can pass your card PLUS envelope through the blade slot on a Fiskars trimmer you should be OK for thickness! Another thing to consider is decorative embellishments-anything that creates a "catch point" on a card such as a gem , a button , a wooden element-can cause your cards to be destroyed in mailing. Be sure to add a cardstock insert or some other protective layer in the envelope if you choose this feature. This is also true for shaker cards! MAILING COSTS As of this writing , postage for a standard sized greeting card is $0 .55 each. If your card is larger or thicker than the measurements above , you will need to check here to get your postage costs. (Scroll down to " First Class") DON ' T FORGET! -Envelopes! -Adhesive-all kinds! -Embossing Powder! - Ink Refills! -Replacement Cutting Blades! Determine the following: -How many cards are you sending? -How many layers per card- include die cuts and punched items as "layers" and note the rough fraction of a sheet of cardstock each one needs. -What embellishments will you be using-how many per card? -Will you be adding texture or heat embossing? -Are you using ribbon or trim? -How much do you need per card? SKIN CARE Assuming you are using a standard card base , you will need ONE sheet of cardstock for every TWO cards you are making. Add up how many layers and partial layers you will need and add up how many sheets of each color cardstock you will need. Don't forget envelopes! (See sample calculation below.) ** Download the free template to get five card panels out of one sheet of cardstock!** Add up how many embellishments you will need and how many inches/feet of trim you will need. GO SHOPPING! Sample calculation: One standard card with one layer plus one die cut layer plus two die cut words plus three jingle bells plus one bow. Sending 100 cards. Bases-50 sheets Background Layer-20 sheets (5 per sheet) Die Cut Layer-20 sheets (5 per sheet) Word Die Cuts-13 sheets (1/8 sheet for both) Jingle Bells-300 Ribbon-4" per card , 400" , 33.5 feet , 11.5 yards Envelopes-100

FAQs

How do you estimate supplies for standard greeting cards?

Use the card size and thickness guidance, including cardstock choice and number of layers. Also account for any decorative embellishments that create a “catch point,” and add protective layers in the envelope if needed.

What postage guidance does the planner provide?

It states that standard sized greeting cards typically mail with first-class postage at a listed per-card cost, and advises checking for different costs if cards are larger or thicker than the given measurements.

What information should you determine before shopping?

You should calculate how many cards you’re sending, layers per card (including die cuts and punched items), embellishments per card, whether you will add texture or heat embossing, and how much ribbon or trim is needed per card.

Sep 24, 2026

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