Christmas Card Size Guide: 5x7, A6, Square, Bleed and Pixels

In short: The standard US Christmas card is 5 x 7 inches. Design it at 5.25 x 7.25 inches (1/8 inch bleed on every side), which is 1575 x 2175 pixels at 300 DPI. In the UK and Europe the standard is A6, 105 x 148 mm; design it at 111 x 154 mm (3 mm bleed), or 1311 x 1819 pixels.

Standard Christmas card sizes

What is bleed, and how much do you need?

Print shops print cards on bigger sheets and cut them to size. The cut is never perfectly on the line, so a design that stops exactly at the edge can end up with a thin white strip. Bleed is extra picture beyond the finished edge that gets cut off.

• US printers: 1/8 inch (0.125 in) on every side. A 5 x 7 card becomes a 5.25 x 7.25 inch file.
• UK and EU printers: 3 mm on every side. An A6 card becomes a 111 x 154 mm file.
• Printers differ. One UK lab asks for 3 mm bleed and text 4 mm inside the trim; another sells A6 with a 151 x 108 mm file, which is about 1.5 mm of bleed. Some ask for 1/4 inch or 5 mm. Their template wins; check before you upload.

What is the safe area?

The safe area is the inside of the card, at least 1/8 inch (or 3 mm) in from the finished edge. Keep text, names and faces inside it. Anything between the safe line and the edge may be cut if the trim drifts, and anything past the edge (the bleed) is cut for sure.

Christmas card sizes in pixels at 300 DPI

Print labs ask for 300 DPI. These are the pixel sizes for the finished card and for the file with bleed.

For landscape cards, swap the two numbers. A photo from any recent phone (12 megapixels or more) covers every size here at 300 DPI.

Flat or folded?

• Flat photo cards are one sheet, often printed on both sides. The sizes above are the sheet.
• Folded cards are printed on a sheet twice the size and folded. A 5 x 7 folded card is printed at 10 x 7 inches (side fold) or 5 x 14 inches (top fold), plus bleed, and the front is the right-hand half.

Postage notes

• US: USPS counts a card as a letter up to 11-1/2 x 6-1/8 inches, 1/4 inch thick and 3.5 ounces. A letter is non-machinable, and pays a surcharge, if its length divided by its height is under 1.3 or over 2.5, or if it is too rigid. A 5 x 7 card in an A7 envelope has a ratio of about 1.4, so it passes; a square envelope does not. Weight over 1 ounce costs more, so weigh a heavy card.
• UK: Royal Mail's Letter band is up to 240 x 165 mm, 5 mm thick and 100 g. A6 in C6, DL and C5 envelopes fit; anything thicker or larger is priced as a Large Letter.
• Timing: USPS recommends mailing First-Class cards by Thursday 17 December 2026 for delivery before Christmas in the lower 48 states, and says delivery times vary. Royal Mail publishes its own last recommended posting dates each year; check them before you print.

Sources

Checked on 22 October 2026.

• USPS Domestic Mail Manual 101, Physical Standards for Letters: letter size, thickness, 3.5 ounce limit and the 1.3 to 2.5 aspect ratio rule.
• USPS 2026 holiday shipping deadlines: First-Class Mail send-by date.
• University of Bristol, size guidelines: the Royal Mail Letter limits (240 x 165 x 5 mm, 100 g).
• 4over4, file setup for a 5 x 7 greeting card: 1/8 inch bleed and a 1/8 inch safe zone.
• Helloprint UK, folded greeting cards: 3 mm bleed and 300 DPI for A6.
• Vistaprint help centre, card sizes: its A6 file is 151 x 108 mm with bleed.

How to make a print-ready Christmas card from your photo

1. Choose the size your printer sells (5 x 7 in the US, A6 in the UK and EU).
2. Start from the size with bleed (for example 1575 x 2175 pixels) and let the photo run all the way to the outer edge.
3. Keep faces and text inside the safe area, 1/8 inch or 3 mm in from the finished edge.
4. Save as a JPG or PDF at 300 DPI and upload it, or print it at home on card stock and trim.

The free Christmas Card Maker does steps 2 to 4 in your browser: drop in a photo, type your greeting and download a 300 DPI JPG with bleed for any of the main sizes. For AI Christmas portraits of your family and a finished card pack, see the Christmas Card Agent below.