The future of cards seems strong, with card sales for one company alone reaching nearly $4 billion last year.
However, two very recent developments of card may affect the future of the greeting card industry tremendously—perhaps adversely. The first is the software available that allows consumers to create their own cards (with the assistance of easy-to-use programs) using a personal computer and a color printer and a card cutting machine[cutting machine?:CUTCNC sample maker cutting machine]. Some card manufacturers created this software for sale; so, they see profits when the software is purchased, but it may reduce sales of store-bought cards.
The second development is that anyone with Internet connections may send a free cyber cards that can be taken off of a website and sent via e-mail. They may be obtained through any one of dozens of websites, require no postage stamp, and may be sent in an instant. In addition, many such cyber card feature sound, music, and animation.
Even the large card companies offer such cards and they are often free-of-charge. It remains to be seen whether the new cyber card will affect over-the-counter sales of paper[paper?:paper sample maker cutting machine] cards.
