Market Research
Immerse yourself in the industry. Visit trade fairs, card and gift shops, look at Progressive Greetings magazine. The standard of the UK industry is very high, the market is very competitive. But it is also a friendly industry and people will generally be happy to talk to you.
It's a good idea to visit as many shops as possible with digitally printed card samples and a simple brochure. See if the shop is willing to buy your cards. If not ask their honest opinion of how commercial your designs are. Different shops will go for different styles, but you will be able to get an idea of which are the most popular and which to go ahead with in terms of a range.
While you are there, find out from whom they already buy their cards, if they use agents (who they are for future reference - good agents are hard to find) or if they order direct.
If they like the cards, find out which they would buy and how many. Not many shops will take the whole range. If they like the designs, retailers usually start off buying in sixes, but may consider buying in 12s when they are more comfortable with the range.
