Carlton Cards
Carlton Cards is a Canadian greeting card and celebration products company, subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation, selling physical and digital cards, stationery, gift packaging, party supplies, plush, and stickers through major Canadian retailers and digital channels to individual consumers across Canada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1920
- HeadquartersMississauga, Canada
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Carlton Cards does
Carlton Cards Limited (Cartes Carlton Limitée) is a Canadian greeting card and celebration products company, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, and operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation. The company markets itself as Canada's #1 greeting card company and sells physical and digital celebration products spanning greeting cards (including the Papyrus premium line, Magic Moments 3D pop-up cards, and licensed character cards), stationery, gift packaging, party supplies, stickers and decals, and plush. The company also offers digital greetings — ecards, SmashUps personalized video cards, Creatacard digital cards, and mobile apps — extending the brand into digital-first consumer behavior.
The business model is predominantly a one-time physical goods sale through wholesale and marketplace channels, complemented by recurring digital subscription elements (digital greetings). Go-to-market is channel-led: products are distributed through major Canadian retailers (Shoppers Drug Mart, Indigo, Voila) and the Amazon marketplace, plus a store locator for physical retail points. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Carlton Cards also distributes inclusive and culturally specific collections (LGBTQ2S+, Lunar New Year, Our Voices, L'Chayim) and operates bilingual (English/French) storefronts, consistent with serving the Canadian market broadly.
Underlying operations draw on American Greetings Corporation's vertically integrated global infrastructure, including North American manufacturing and distribution facilities (Osceola, Forest City, Greeneville, Ripley), a Plus Mark manufacturing brand, an IT/Global Supply office, and regional offices in the UK (Dewsbury, Farnham), Australia (Mulgrave), Romania (Bucharest), China (Shenzhen), and Hong Kong (Kowloon). The company's brand portfolio — Carlton Cards, Cartes Carlton, Papyrus, Recycled Paper Greetings, SmashUps, Magic Moments, and Creatacard — sits within this parent-owned network, providing scale advantages in licensing, manufacturing, and retail relationships.
Carlton Cards firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carlton Cards
- Legal name
- Cartes Carlton Limitée
- Website
- https://carltoncards.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1920
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Carlton Cards is a Canadian greeting card and celebration products company, subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation, selling physical and digital cards, stationery, gift packaging, party supplies, plush, and stickers through major Canadian retailers and digital channels to individual consumers across Canada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carlton Cards industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Greeting Cards and Celebration Products
- NAICS
- Greeting Card Publishers (513191), Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942)
- SIC
- Greeting Cards (2771), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail (CRALAJAE)
Keywords
Where Carlton Cards is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mississauga
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices18 records
Markets served
Carlton Cards business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Greeting Cards: Physical greeting cards sold through retail channels and directly to consumers, including Birthday, Everyday, Seasonal (Christmas, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day), Papyrus premium cards, and licensed character cards. Available at range of price points from value to premium.
- Digital Greetings: Ecards, SmashUps personalized video cards, Creatacard digital greeting cards, and mobile apps for digital celebration and connection.
- Gift Packaging: Gift bags, wrapping paper, tissue paper, and package décor products sold through retail channels for various occasions and holidays.
- Party Supplies: Seasonal and everyday tableware, décor items, specialty party products, and party favors including plates, cups, napkins, banners, candles, confetti, and balloons.
- Plush Products: Plush toys and characters for gift-giving occasions, including everyday plush, seasonal plush, Zippie plush with zipper pockets for small gifts, and backpack clips.
- Licensed Products: Licensed greeting cards and products featuring memorable movies, iconic characters, and top brands including special pop-up cards under the Magic Moments brand.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Carlton Cards product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carlton Cards designs, manufactures and distributes greeting cards and celebration products across Canada through retail and online channels. Its portfolio spans physical greeting cards, premium Papyrus cards, Magic Moments 3D pop-up cards, SmashUps personalized video greetings, plus complementary categories including gift packaging, party supplies, stationery, stickers and decals, and plush toys. The company also offers digital greetings (ecards, Creatacard, SmashUps videos, mobile apps) under the American Greetings digital platform.
Product overview
Carlton Cards is a greeting card company offering a portfolio of celebration products organized into two main categories: traditional physical products (Greeting Cards, Stationery, Plush, Gift Packaging, Party Supplies, Stickers & Decols) and digital products (Digital Greetings including ecards, SmashUps videos, and Creatacard). Key sub-brands include premium Papyrus cards, Magic Moments pop-up cards, and SmashUps personalized videos. The company operates as a subsidiary of American Greetings and distributes through major Canadian retailers including Amazon, Shoppers Drug Mart, Indigo, and Voila.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Papyrus: Premium greeting cards offering stylish and expertly crafted designs for friends and family who deserve a little extra
- Recycled Paper Greetings
- SmashUps™
- Magic Moments™
- Creatacard™
- Plus Mark
- John Sands
- UK Greetings
Products and services
- Greeting Cards Fresh, trend-forward physical greeting cards sold through Canadian retailers (Shoppers Drug Mart, Indigo, Voila, Amazon) covering birthday, everyday, seasonal, premium Papyrus, licensed character, and inclusive collection occasions for individual consumers celebrating life's important moments.
- Digital Greetings Electronic greeting cards and digital celebration tools including ecards, SmashUps personalized video greetings, Creatacard personalized digital cards, and mobile apps for consumers celebrating occasions online.
- Gift Packaging Gift wrapping and presentation products including gift bags, wrapping paper, tissue paper, and package décor (bows, ribbons, enclosures) sold through Canadian retailers for various occasions and holidays.
- Party Supplies Party planning products including tableware, décor items, specialty party products, and party favors such as plates, cups, napkins, banners, candles, confetti, and balloons for celebration occasions.
- Stickers & Decals Personalization products including sticker sheets, vinyl decals, puffy stickers, and licensing stickers for customizing cards, gifts, notebooks, water bottles, phones, and laptops.
- Stationery Blank note cards and stationery sets for personal correspondence, including boxed cards, multi-packs, invitations, and blank cards for individual consumer and gift-giving use.
- Plush Plush toys and stuffed animals including everyday plush for gifts, seasonal plush, Zippie plush (6-inch with zipper pocket for treats/cards), and backpack clips sold for gift-giving occasions.
- Papyrus Greeting Cards Premium greeting card sub-brand featuring expertly crafted, handmade designs for friends and family who deserve a special touch, sold through Canadian retailers.
Companies that use Carlton Cards
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Carlton Cards technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Carlton Cards partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- John SandsminorJohn Sands is an Australian company under the Carlton Cards/American Greetings corporate umbrella, operating from Mulgrave, VIC, Australia as part of the global office network.
- UK GreetingsminorUK Greetings is a UK-based company operating from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, UK as part of the Carlton Cards/American Greetings corporate network with International Head Office, Bretton Park Plant, and Cannon Way Plant facilities.
- Card ConnectionminorCard Connection is a UK-based card distribution partner operating from Farnham, Surrey, included in the UK regional network.
- American Greetings CorporationcoreAmerican Greetings Corporation is the parent company of Carlton Cards. Carlton Cards LTD is identified as a subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation. American Greetings operates global headquarters in Cleveland, OH and owns brands including Carlton Cards, Papyrus, and Recycled Paper Greetings.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights6 records
Carlton Cards competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Papyrus: Papyrus is a premium greeting card sub-brand owned by American Greetings/Carlton Cards. It is a comparable premium-positioned greeting card brand targeting gifting occasions similar to Carlton's own premium range.
- Recycled Paper Greetings: Recycled Paper Greetings is an eco-credentialed greeting card brand within Carlton's own parent portfolio. It is included as a sub-brand peer because it competes in the same greeting card category from a sustainability positioning angle.
Direct peers
- 123Greetings: 123Greetings is one of the largest free ecard platforms globally, offering digital greeting cards across occasions. It competes directly with Carlton's ecard and SmashUps digital greetings offerings in the same online/digital channel.
- Moonpig Group: Moonpig is a UK-based online greeting card and gifting platform specializing in personalized physical and digital cards. It is highly comparable because it offers many of the same digital greeting categories (personalized video, ecards) as Carlton's SmashUps and Creatacard products.
- Card Factory: Card Factory is the UK's largest specialist greeting card retailer operating a high-street store network. It mirrors Carlton's specialty-retail model — predominantly physical cards, gift packaging, and party goods — with similar product breadth and value-to-premium price tiers.
- Funky Pigeon: Funky Pigeon, owned by WH Smith, is a UK personalized greeting card and gift retailer competing in the same digital-first, customizable card segment as Carlton's Creatacard and SmashUps. It is comparable on product, target occasion, and digital go-to-market motion.
- DaySpring: DaySpring, a Hallmark subsidiary, designs and distributes greeting cards with a faith-based and inspirational focus across North America. It is directly comparable because it sells greeting cards for the same celebration occasions through mass and Christian retail channels.
- Hallmark Canada: Hallmark Canada distributes Hallmark's greeting cards, gift wrap, and party products through Canadian retailers. It is a like-for-like competitor to Carlton in the same Canadian market, sharing the same retail partners (Shoppers Drug Mart, etc.) and consumer occasions.
- Hallmark Cards: Hallmark is the largest North American greeting card company and Carlton's most direct competitor. Both sell physical and digital greeting cards, gift packaging, and party supplies through mass retail and dedicated store networks, serving the same occasions and consumer segments.
Broad incumbents
- American Greetings Corporation: American Greetings is Carlton Cards' parent company and the second-largest US greeting card publisher, producing and distributing greeting cards, gift packaging, and digital greetings globally. As the parent, it operates the same core business but at greater scale and broader geographic reach, including brands like Papyrus, Recycled Paper Greetings, and SmashUps.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Carlton Cards social profiles
Digital presenceCarlton Cards financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carlton Cards leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Carlton Cards funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carlton Cards M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Carlton Cards
What does Carlton Cards do?
Carlton Cards designs, manufactures and distributes greeting cards and celebration products across Canada through retail and online channels. Its portfolio spans physical greeting cards, premium Papyrus cards, Magic Moments 3D pop-up cards, SmashUps personalized video greetings, plus complementary categories including gift packaging, party supplies, stationery, stickers and decals, and plush toys. The company also offers digital greetings (ecards, Creatacard, SmashUps videos, mobile apps) under the American Greetings digital platform.
Is Carlton Cards a public or private company?
Carlton Cards is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Carlton Cards founded?
Carlton Cards was founded in 1920. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Carlton Cards based?
Carlton Cards is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Carlton Cards make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Greeting Cards are the primary driver. The others are digital Greetings, gift Packaging, party Supplies, plush Products and licensed Products.
Who are Carlton Cards's main competitors?
Others on record are Papyrus and Recycled Paper Greetings. Direct peers are 123Greetings, Moonpig Group, Card Factory, Funky Pigeon, DaySpring, Hallmark Canada and Hallmark Cards. American Greetings Corporation is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Carlton Cards have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carlton Cards.
What industry is Carlton Cards in?
Carlton Cards's product category is Greeting Cards and Celebration Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAJAE, Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail. Its NAICS code is 513191 and its SIC code is 2771.