When it comes to greeting cards, Valentine's Day is one of the most important holidays of the year.
Whether you're expressing the depth of your feelings to your spouse or significant other, or you're viewing the date as an opportunity to play "secret admirer" to someone you've had your eye on, no other day of the year is quite as ripe with romantic possibility.
Of course, there's more to "V-Day" than romance! Over the years, Valentine's Day has evolved into a celebration of love and affection in all of its many forms.
Children, for instance, look forward to exchanging Valentines with all of their friends and classmates on February 14th, and the practice of sending Valentines to friends and relatives is gaining in popularity among adults as well.
If you own a business, you can even let clients and customers know that they're in your thoughts by sending them an appropriate Valentine's Day greeting card along with a special coupon or limited time offer.
No matter what your intentions may be this year, make sure you give your friends and loved ones the best Valentine's Day possible by forgoing the generic cards that are currently cluttering the aisles of stores all over the country, and create personalized greeting cards instead.
Custom printed Valentine's Day cards offer an excellent way to lend your most heartfelt sentiments even more sincerity, and your recipients are sure to feel incredibly flattered by the extra effort.
If you're planning to make your own Valentine's Day cards this year, you have two main options: To create them yourself at home, or to outsource the project to a professional printing company.
If you're going to go the "DIY" route and do it yourself, forget about red construction paper, pink glitter and glue sticks! You can design and print sophisticated, elegant cards for your Valentine without resorting to the tactics you learned in your elementary school art class.
Begin by choosing a high quality paper or card stock on which to print your cards.
Next, choose an image for the outside of the card.
If you're making a Valentine for your wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend, you'll probably want to select a picture of the two of you together; if you're making something for a friend or relative, you could choose a less romantic (but still adorable) picture, like two puppies sleeping side by side.
If you have publishing software on your computer, you should have access to a greeting card template that you can tailor to your specific needs.
Add a sentimental message or a happy memory to give the card added emotional impact.
After that, all you'll have to do is insert your paper into your printer and print out your card.
This method works best if you're only creating a handful of cards.
When you need to make several cards, however - whether for your child's classmates, your extended family, a large group of friends or your loyal customers - you'll probably want to turn the job over to a professional printer.
They'll have the equipment, experience and resources necessary to get the job done quickly, and without the inevitable errors and mishaps that often befall people who create their own cards at home.
Once you've chosen a reliable printing company, you can send them your own design, or you can work with one of their many Valentine-themed templates.
You can even upload images and photographs, and if you encounter any problems along the way, one of their service representatives should be able to help.
Remember, the greater the number of cards you order, the lower your costs will be, so turning to a professional is recommended when you need at least 25 to 50 cards, if not more.
Remember, just because exchanging cards on Valentine's Day is a time-honored tradition doesn't mean it has to be cliched or boring! Make your own cards this year and leave those generic greetings in the dust.