December/January

Sending holiday cards this year? You could send electronic cards, but maybe not everyone you're wishing well has an e-mail address. Or maybe you just don't think it's heartwarming enough. Either way, the Internet comes through. Search the WWW and you'll find dozens of sites that will personalize, stamp and snail-mail paper greeting cards for you. But don't sort through every one. The editors of Citibank Net News scoured, surfed and shopped the Web to find three top picks. The criteria?

	Variety of paper cards including favorites such as The Far Side® and Anne Geddes™.
	Prices that meet or beat brick-and-mortar stores.
	Option to add a personal message.
	Fast and easy secure checkouts.
	Convenient extras: Add a gift to your card, upload your address book, track your purchases, etc.

	Sparks.com	Getacard.com	Snailgram.com
Bottom line.	Best selection.	Best price.	Best personalization.
Selection?	13,000 cards in a wide range of standard and specialty categories, such as multicultural and handmade cards.	The total number of cards is not listed on the site, but a search for "birthday" revealed 732 cards. Shop within the Holiday, Everyday, Business, Specialty and Blank categories.	More than 1,000 cards in a variety of popular categories, including nearly everything from new home to plantable novelty cards.
Charge for personalization?	$1	No extra charge.	No extra charge.
Choice of fonts?	Four fonts to choose from, or you may have your message handwritten at no additional charge.	No choice.	Four fonts to choose from, or you may have your message handwritten for $1.
Postage?	50¢ for first-class delivery.	For U.S. addresses, postage included in the price of the card.	Postage included in the price of the card.
Delivery time?	Ships within 24 hours of order.	Ships same day if order placed by 4 p.m. (PST).	Ships same day if order placed by 4 p.m. (PST).
Gifts available?	Add a gift certificate to your card from any of 50 retailers.	Choose a gift certificate from a list of 100 retailers or add one of 80 magazine subscriptions.	Add a gift certificate to your card from any of 100 retailers.
Address book?	Yes — save addresses you mail cards to, or upload addresses from your PC or handheld device.	Yes — save addresses you mail cards to (no ability to upload addresses at press time).	Yes — save addresses you mail cards to, or upload addresses from your PC or handheld device.
Reminder service?	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.
Order history?	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.
Choice of delivery dates?	Yes — up to a year in the future.	Yes — up to a year in the future.	Yes — up to many years in the future.
Cool extras?	Purchase and personalize cards in bulk (25 to 3,500) — perfect for holidays, party invitations and wedding or birth announcements.	The next best thing to signing it yourself! Fax or mail your signature to Getacard and they'll scan and print it on cards you purchase.	Add a personal photo or company logo to your cards.