• steve
• June 5, 2026
• No Comments

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When you care enough to send the very worst

If you go to Amazon and type “greeting cards”, chances are you’ll find collections like you see here. On the surface, they look fine. It’s nice to have a variety of cars to choose from, and the paper and printing seem “good enough”.

It’s when you peel off the layers of the onion that you realize how insidious these Amazon sellers are. They’re China-based factories that literally steal designs from sites like Etsy and Shutterstock, print them, and sell them. They get away with it because they mix stolen designs with their own generic designs and free designs so that individual copyright owners rarely even realize that their designs have been stolen.

And with AI now, they can churn out AI-generated junk. And clueless American consumers will snap them up, further enriching these people and the corrupt government they pay taxes to.

Here’s the problem. People who buy these for convenience don’t realize that the card they give is a reflection of them. If someone gets a generic, mass-produced card, they’ll come to the natural conclusion that the person who gave it to them is insincere, cheap, and doesn’t really care.

The problem with big brands

Papyrus is an example of a brand I used to use all the time for greeting cards. I used to go to their stores all the time and I didn’t mind that their cards were a little more expensive because their designs were incredibly creative. But their history is a tangled one. They started business in 1973 when they opened their first retail store. In 2009 the Schurman family sold their wholesale business and brand to American Greetings so they could focus on retail operations. But American Greetings quickly moved all of Papyrus’ production to China, which decimated the brand’s reputation. By 2020, the Papyrus retail channel declared bankruptcy—they chose retail expansion at a terrible time, but it didn’t help that they allowed American Greetings to cheapen their brand.

Hallmark and American Greetings still do make some products in the US, but it’s hit or miss. Cards that are simply printed have a better chance of being made in the US, but if it contains any kind of interactivity (pop-up, glitter, foil, musical, or highly embellished cards), there’s a good chance they moved production to China or another country that employs super-cheap labor.

Which brands to pick?

There are tons of options out there for great cards, but because companies like Amazon and CVS only deal with gargantuan companies, many of these smaller and more creative companies get lost in the mix or worse—fodder for China brands to come in and copy them.

I’ll highlight some of the best smaller and independent greeting card companies below. Support them, not just because they’re taking a stand to keep things from

The Best Greeting Card Brands Not Made in China

1. Rifle Paper Co.

Rifle Paper Co. is a modern stationery and lifestyle brand that’s based out of Florida. They were founded in 2009 and are known for lush florals, and painted illustrations that look less like mass-produced schlock and more like fine art.

Many Rifle Paper Co. products are listed as “imported”, and we can pretty much guess where they get those made. But their greeting card listings state Made in USA. Their cards tend to feel elevated without being too formal. They’re a good fit for birthdays, weddings, congratulations, thank-you notes, and seasonal occasions.

You can find a full selection of Rifle Paper Co. greeting cards at The Paper Source, as well as a decent selection of their best designs at Amazon.

2. Leanin’ Tree

Leanin’ Tree is a long-running American greeting-card company that was founded in 1949. Their very clear “Made in USA” message isn’t just glomming onto a fad; all of their cards have been created, produced, and shipped from the USA since their founding, and they’ve recently opened up a new facility in Mead, Colorado to make sure their mission continues.

The company has been known for decades for artwork-driven cards featuring nature, animals, Western themes, humor, faith, family, and traditional occasions.

While they do sell bundles of different designs, it’s reassuring to know that the artist will get compensated fairly, and that funny cards are genuinely funny, whereas the bundles from China were probably put together by people who didn’t even read English.

This is a good brand for shoppers who are okay with something more classic, warm, and traditional. It continues to be employee owned today and offers more than 3,000 unique greeting card designs across many themes, powered by over 200 full-time US-based employees.

You can buy from their official site or on their Amazon storefront.

3. Lovepop

Lovepop is a company that specializes in intricate 3D pop-up cards, bouquets, and paper sculptures that turn the card itself into the gift.

Yes, it’s not a new idea—the concept of pop-up cards was popularized by the company Up With Paper back in 1977. Here’s the difference: Up With Paper went all-in on China; their CEO testified in 2019 in front of Congress arguing against tariffs and whining to Congress about why his company should be exempt from China tariffs.

“A hundred percent it’s manufactured in China. It’s all hand-assembled. All of our cards have very complicated popup and paper engineering,” he said. “Our business really is facilitating human relationships...those cards all require hand assembly and, therefore, all have to be made overseas and almost all of those are made in China due to the hand-assembly training and expertise there.”

There are so many things wrong with this statement. So there is no one in the United States or any developing country who can fold a piece of paper 50 times? Or develop ways to automate the process? No, clearly this is a company who decided that there was one option: divert all their labor to the lowest bidder in Communist China and lay off every employee in the United States so that he could focus on “facilitating human relationships”. The problem, of course, is that you can bet that all of his designs will be stolen by factory workers in China, so that they can “facilitate human relationships” at a tenth of the price he’s charging.

Not coincidentally, as Up With Paper moved production to China its brand became tired and formulaic, two entrepreneurs decided they could do better. Their backgrounds were in naval architecture and marine engineering. On a Harvard Business School trip to Vietnam, they discovered cards made with kirigami, the Japanese art of cutting and folding paper. They used techniques inspired by ship design to create intricate 3D paper sculptures that were far superior to generic “pop-up” cards.

They appeared on Shark Tank in 2015 and attracted an investment from Kevin O’Leary. 11 years later they’re still going strong, with amazing new designs and licensing partnerships with iconic brands like Disney, Star Wars, Nickelodeon, and Harry Potter.

Lovepop says its cards are conceptualized, designed, and handcrafted in its Boston, Massachusetts and Vietnam facilities; the former because that’s where they went to school, the latter because that’s where they discovered this art.

I noticed another company called Popwow that’s also showing up on Amazon who also features intricate, laser-cut designs and is also made in Vietnam. While Lovepop clearly has superior product, a little competition is always good for keeping prices low and innovation high. It’s ironic how in a communist state like Vietnam, we’re seeing free market competition work the way it’s supposed to, and not with government’s finger on the scales.

4. Quilling Card

Quilling Card offers a different kind of handmade greeting card. Its designs are made using quilling, the art of rolling and shaping thin strips of paper into detailed, dimensional images. The result is part card, part paper artwork.

The company was founded by a Vietnamese native who was previously a marketing professional in Southeast Asia, but in 2011 decided to become an entrepreneur. Similar to Lovepop, they established 6 factories in Vietnam and their headquarters in Hollison, Massachusetts. The designs are done in the US and they are handcrafted by artisans in Vietnam. The company is a verified member of the Fair Trade Federation.

I notice on Amazon that there’s another Vietnam-based supplier that’s ranking for “Quilling Cards” as well. It’s hard for me to tell if this is the same company or a different one, but they also have some beautiful designs that are also made in Vietnam. It seems like a similar situation as Lovepop and Popwow.

5. Central 23

Central 23 is a fun, modern UK card brand with a bold, colorful style and a sense of humor. Its cards are Made in the UK and designed in London, and it has built a large following with playful, social-media-friendly designs.

This is a good choice for shoppers who want something more contemporary than traditional greeting cards. Central 23’s cards often feel bright, casual, and cheeky, making them especially strong for birthdays, friendship, anniversaries, and everyday humor (or humour).

6. Old English Co.

Old English Co. is another company out of the UK that prints all of its cards in the UK. They make simple, stylish greeting cards and stationery with a clean hand-lettered look. They make a point to say that their cards are designed in-house and printed in England.

This is a good brand if you prefer minimalist, tasteful cards rather than loud or novelty-heavy designs…the kind of card you used to be able to find all over the US but which you can’t anymore because card companies have either sold out to the big names or couldn’t compete. The cards have a modern “British stationery” feel and work well for birthdays, weddings, friendship, thank-you notes, and everyday occasions.

7. Twigs Paper

Twigs Paper is another company worth looking at. While China is busy stripping its forests and ruining its environment to churn out endless supplies of stolen and derivative designs on cheap paper, Twigs has been in business since 2017 creating beautifully designed cards printed on 100% recycled paper and non-toxic inks.

They have a lovely selection of cards featuring animals, Americana, religious themes, and classic National Park designs. The art is beautiful and original.

This is a brand that absolutely deserves to have a lot more attention for its simple, sustainable cards that are made in the USA.

8. Pumpernickel Press

There’s a pretty good chance that you’ve received a Pumpernickel Press card in the past. They’re famous for their embossed cards featuring wildlife, birds, pets, coastal scenes, Christmas scenes, and other nature-focused artwork, with both religious and non-religious themes. I remember these being among my favorite cards as a child, running my fingers over the intricate embossing.

Their boxed Christmas cards are favorites every years, but they also sell everyday cards. They’re a solid choice if you want a good old-fashioned traditional American greeting card that’s truly American—the artwork is original artwork, not lifted from Etsy, and their cards are produced, printed, and packed in the USA using recycled paper and agricultural-based ink.

They offer assortment packs that contain collections of their best cards. And unlike no-name China manufacturers, all of their cards are original.

9. Epic Greeting Cards

If you want to go full traditional, as in “It’ll nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives” traditional, Epic Greeting Cards is a good option. It features vintage artwork, classic illustrations, and themed boxed card sets. The brand offers cards featuring subjects such as Audubon birds, fairy art, Western cowboy imagery, Victorian Christmas scenes, and other public-domain or art-history-inspired designs.

Every listing I see on their Amazon storefront says “Printed on Heavy Fine Card Stock in Wisconsin”.

10. NobleWorks / The Best Card Company

NobleWorks is a company that’s been operating out of New Jersey since 1980. I believe that most of their business is wholesale, which is why you don’t really hear of them as much as other companies like Hallmark and American Greetings. You probably have seen their cards in retail stores, but now you can browse their huge collection of original, hilarious designs on their Amazon store, or buy bundles that contain multiple cards, including some of their best.

NobleWorks also has a sister brand called The Best Card Company that focuses more on art and design, but also has its share of humorous cards.

These are all printed in the USA or Canada, and are among the most original cards you’ll see anywhere.

Conclusion

There’s one question I know a lot of people are asking: what about Hallmark and American Greetings?

The answer is: it depends. To their credit, both companies still have a real U.S. manufacturing footprint. Hallmark still makes many of its cards in Lawrence, Kansas, and American Greetings still has U.S. facilities as well (although my impression of American Greetings has gone WAY down since hearing about how they acquired brands like Papyrus and ruined them).

So yes, if you’re standing in a store and the back of the card says Made in USA, go ahead and buy it. I’m not here to tell you that every card from a big brand is automatically bad.

The problem is that once you get into the big greeting-card brands, the origin gets harder to know unless you’re physically holding the card in your hand. A simple printed card is more likely to be made in the U.S. But once you add bells and whistles such as glitter, foil, pop-ups, sound, die-cuts, attachments, fancy boxed sets, and other hand-assembled features…those are exactly the kinds of products that tend to get outsourced, often to China.

And that’s really the larger point. Big brands may still make some things here, but over time the pressure is always there to chase cheaper production, outsource the complicated work, and eventually reduce the U.S.-based teams that made the brand what it was. So by all means, buy a Hallmark or American Greetings card when it clearly says Made in USA. But when you can, I’d rather support the smaller brands that have made domestic production part of their identity…the companies that could have sold out, but haven’t.

Do you know of other greeting cards not made in China worthy of mention here? Let us know in the comments!