Send a greeting cards by text message

Ink Cards. Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

You can also create a new card for any of the usual occasions (graduation, inspiration, and so on) and send cards to people who aren't Facebook friends. CleverCards charges $2.99 and up for printed, mailed cards, but also allows you to send unlimited digital versions free of charge.

This app offers a fairly mammoth selection of cards across a wide range of categories, but they're not greeting cards in the traditional sense. Rather, they're customized postcards, with a message and/or photo on the front side and optional secondary message (and mailing address, natch) on the back.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, and indeed Ink Cards is the cheapskate's choice at just $1.99 per printed, mailed card. (I suppose it's also the environmentalist's choice, as there's no envelope headed to a landfill.) Each one comes on heavy, glossy, 5x7-inch stock. And after you send your first card, your second one is free.

Here's an app for customizing actual greeting cards from the folks at American Greetings. Interestingly, the selection is somewhat seasonal: right now you can order Thanksgiving and Hanukkah cards, but there's nothing yet for Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc.

JustWink Greeting Cards. Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

JustWink also has traditional categories like Birthday, Thanks, and Congrats, along with some nontraditional ones: LGBT; Thnx, Soldier!; and Sh*t Got Real.

Whatever category you choose, browsing is admirably simple: Just tap a card, then swipe it open to read the inside. Once you've made your selection, you can add a photo, a personalized message, and even a handwritten signature - a great touch. Physical cards cost $2.99 to print and mail. You can also send digital cards via e-mail, Facebook, or even text message if you're really trying to get in under the wire.

Of course, you can always take a more creative approach to your mailed greetings. For example, I recently sent someone a batch of, with a birthday greeting portioned out across the caption area of each picture. The total cost was about the same as a card, and the photos are better suited to refrigerator mounting and other more permanent homes.