GreetQ Card Company pushes the envelope of greeting-card ingenuity

OK, fess up. How many birthdays or special occasions have you missed because you:

a) didn't have time to go to the store to buy a card
b) didn't have a stamp handy to send the card
c) let the card sit on your desk for a week and never sent it
d) shamefully forgot the birthday altogether
e) all of the above

I am personally guilty of "a" through "e." Then I discovered GreetQ Card Company. Not only will the service help you save time, but face as well.

It's as easy as 1-2-3. First, visit the Web site and shop for cards by occasion or brand. You'll find cards that are endearing (Flaunt) and sarcastically endearing (Offensive + Delightful), as well as beautiful letterpress cards (Hello!Lucky and Elum Designs). The site also has a handful of cards available for Father's Day.

Second, personalize your cards with your own message. GreetQ will either print them or handwrite them for you. Third, choose the date you want GreetQ to send the card. The best part? You can put all your cards in a queue and not have to worry (or remember) anything for the rest of the year. You're free to go in and edit them at any time. Broke up with your boyfriend? He's off the list!

GreetQ is the brainchild of ex-Microsoftie Jennifer Taylor, who says there were many a day when she wished she could order a quick thank-you note from the computer at her fingertips. Last summer, she launched the site that has been compared to the Netflix of greeting cards.

Sure, the service is convenient, but it's also a bargain. Here's a quick cost comparison:

Buying a card the old fashioned way:
Cost of card: $2.50 to $7
Cost of one hour of your time to go to the store and select a card: $8.07 on up, depending on your salary
Cost of gas: $4 or more per gallon to get to the store and search for parking
Cost of stamp: 42 cents
Cost of frustration waiting in a long line: inestimable
Multiply by the number of times you repeat this action throughout the year: many
Total: More than $20 per card, not including emotional anguish

Buying a card the GreetQ way:
Cost of registration for the service: free
Cost of card: $1.50 to $7
Cost of personalization: $1.99 (The first three cards are personalized free for new clients.)
The cost of sitting at your desk and ordering a card on the company's clock: priceless (You can also buy cards and have them sent to you -- no more running to the store dozens of times a year.)
Total: Less than $10 per card

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