Greeting cards are a popular method of correspondence throughout the year. Cards are purchased for birthdays, graduations and milestone events. One of the more popular times of the year to find cards purchased and sent in bulk is during the holiday season.

The Greeting Card Association claims 1.6 billion Christmas card units (including boxed cards) are purchased for Christmas. Many people consider sending cards essential to their holiday traditions.

Here are some statistics on greeting cards and ways to improve upon your Christmas card sending process.

• Women purchase an estimated 80 percent of all greeting cards and will spend more time choosing a card than men.

• The vast majority of individually purchased cards are between $2 and $4 in price. Christmas card economy is found by purchasing boxed cards in bulk.

• The visual design of a greeting card is the first to capture a person’s attention, but the saying within will have a greater impact. Consider purchasing cards that are blank inside so you can add your own personalized sentiments.

• For the perfect balance of imagery and verse, try a photo greeting card. This way you can customize both the image and the wording. They’re even effective for business correspondence. Simply use a picture of your office team or other workers in place of a family photo.

• Personalized cards need to be purchased early to allow for production. Try to get your orders in by early November to leave you time to address and mail them.

• Buy extra cards than you think you need. This way you can send reciprocal greetings to a person who has mailed you a card this year.

• If you want your card to stand out from the masses, consider sending it separately from the big holidays. Thanksgiving or New Year’s cards can be unique.

• Try your hand at creating your own greeting cards from papercrafting materials. You also can embellish ready-made greeting cards with stamps, glitter, stickers, and other customized effects.

• Keep a database of addresses saved on your computer. Then you can print address labels and save much time hand-addressing Christmas cards. Your address list can later be customized for other friend or family events.

• Check the postage of your card. Oddly shaped envelopes or even square cards may require extra postage because they could be processed by hand at postal facilities.

• The Greeting Card Association says that even though many people use digital means of communication, greeting card traditions are still popular and even are being adopted by today’s youth.

— Metro Creative

Many people send Thanksgiving or New Year cards instead of, or in addition to, traditional Christmas greetings.