One place to start is with family, friends, and co-workers; ask around for recommendations. Look at the customized cards you've received, whether baby birth announcements, wedding announcements, photo engagement announcements, or christmas photo cards. The name of the company that printed the card will most likely appear in small print somewhere on the card – often on the backside. If you like the overall effect, inquire as to the customer's experience with the company. Was it a good experience overall? Were they pleased with the quality? How about timeliness?

The Internet is another great resource for researching birth announcements. First, consider the vendor's website. It should have a tasteful, professional appearance and be easy to navigate. Payment by major credit card is a must. In addition, the site should be secure, meaning that communications between your browser and the site's web server are private. In the case of photo birth announcements, the company's expertise dealing with photos is absolutely crucial to the final outcome. What's the background of the staff processing your images?

It's essential; too, that you receive an online proof BEFORE your birth announcement order is printed so you can be sure everything is exactly the way you want. Further, you should have the option to preorder envelopes so that you can address them before your baby's arrival. Other important considerations: How long has the company been in business? Does the company do its own printing of their birth announcements, or does it contract that part out? Companies with their own equipment have faster turnaround times, as well as complete control over quality.

Do the prices of their birth announcements fall within your budget? How about shipping options and costs? Compare quantity discounts and minimum orders. On a well-designed website, this information should be easy to find. Be sure to read the “About us” and “FAQ's” sections. Review the testimonials, as they can provide clues about how the company does business.

The most successful companies who sell custom birth announcements offer a variety of designs to appeal to different tastes. A quick review of a company's offerings will let you know whether they're right for you. Ask yourself several questions:

• Are there a lot of different designs to choose from?
• Or are there only a few basic designs – just sold in different colors?
• How unique are the designs? Are they attractive? Fresh and exciting? Or do they look like so many others you've seen?
• How pleasing are the colors?
• Are the fonts attractive and appropriate for the designs?
• Do the fonts complement the designs, rather than overpowering them?
• Is the overall effect of the designs well-balanced?
  

There's a great deal more to designing really terrific birth announcements than you might think. The background and proper training of the designer are of the utmost importance. Furthermore, many variables contribute to a truly outstanding custom photo birth announcements. For example, can fonts be resized to permit additional text? Do the graphic artists use the most sophisticated software tools? Do they spend the proper amount of time working with each of your photos? Constructing a great photo card is more than a simple matter of cropping the images, removing red eye and adding a few words!

PHOTO BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS: WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE PhotoAffections.com™!

You'll see in a heartbeat that our baby birth announcements are something special! You won't see our copyrighted designs anywhere else - and if you do... please tell us!. And, with our extensive collection of eye-catching styles and layouts, you're sure to find the perfect way to showcase your new baby. You'll see fresh pattern and color combinations in our exclusive designs. When you choose Photo Affections, you're making a statement: you want only the best for this important occasion!

Our pricing structure reflects what goes on behind the scenes. The cost per photo card depends on the number of images on the card: the more images, the higher the price. That's because there's a lot more work done on each individual photo than you would think! And we're photo experts, with more than 40 combined years' experience in custom photo labs. The most up-to-date digital technology is used to carefully create your baby photo announcements.

We do not outsource any printing to third parties and we calibrate our equipment daily for color accuracy. Every order is printed on professional-quality Fuji crystal archive photographic paper – not by an ink jet or a dye sublimation process. These traditional photographic prints will not fade; they will give you a lifetime of enjoyment! Having our own equipment also means faster turnaround times. We ship one to two days after you approve your online proof, and we often ship the same day!

In a matter of days, you'll receive your sleek, stylish baby birth announcements featuring that adorable new addition to your family. Thanks to our envelope pre-order service, all you have to do is slip them into your pre-addressed heavy-weight envelopes -- with no extra preparation time! And no extra postage! You'll be simply delighted – and so will the lucky recipients!

Ready to get started? Pre-Order your birth announcement envelopes today!

Not quite ready? Read about Birth Announcement Planning here!