Changes

Greeting cards did not evolve a lot more during the late 19th century and early 20th century. The wellknown company Hallmark Cards Inc. was founded in 1910 in Kansas City. The company initially started out by selling postcards but by 1912 began to focus on writing letters and cards. In 1917, the company even developed what would become gift wrapping paper. In the US, Hallmark soon began to dominate the market by the 1920s. With the introduction of better color printing and color lithography in the 1930s, greeting cards experienced a renewal of even greater interest by the public. This renewal of interest led to more experimentation with how to use cards, such as the development of humorous cards that went beyond simply wishing someone well or giving affection to someone. The development of humorous and different types of non-edifying cards developed as a reaction to Hallmark and other major manufacturers dominating the market. Many of the cards of the larger companies were seen as static or impersonal. Humorous cards became of greater interest as a way to seem more personal and to find a niche market within the wider greeting cards market. More recently, this has extended to areas such as recyclable cards or cards made of recycled materials as a way to increase interest by more environmentally-conscious customers. More recently, e-cards, including animated cards, are an extension of this and represent the next level of development companies and entrepreneurs have developed in the greeting card industry.<ref>For more on the development of the American greeting card industry, see: Shank, B. (2004). <i>A token of my affection: greeting cards and American business culture</i>. New York: Columbia University Press.</ref>