Some speculate that ancient Egyptians may have recorded greetings upon papyrus and sent them via messenger to the intended parties, and it seems plausible that the ancient Greeks recorded sentimental verse on scrolls, as well.
By the late Middle Ages, letters and messages of love, including romantic verses sent near St. Valentine's Day, were exchanged throughout Europe. Personal messages of greeting and sentiment were individually crafted until the mid-nineteenth century.
The first commercially-produced greeting card was a Christmas card invented in 1846 by British businessman Henry Cole who asked a printer to produce a printed Christmas greeting he could quickly send to friends. The idea caught on and mass-produced Christmas cards were popular by the 1860s. Louis Prang, an American printer who invented a multi-color printing[printing?:printing cutting finishing solution] process called chromolithography, fashioned beautifully colored cards by the 1870s.
Cards for Easter, birthdays, baby arrivals, etc. soon followed. The larger American card companies were founded in the early years of the twentieth century and a number exist today and remain leaders in card sales. Innovations in card production have primarily revolved around developing efficient printing methods, diversifying the product offering by nurturing a large creative talent pool, and devising more effective point-of-sale displays so consumers can easily see the products in an attractive display.
