About Avanti Press

We can’t wait to show you what’s next!
Original Greeting Cards

Avanti Press is known as the original Global Humor Brand™ thanks to its high-impact humorous greeting cards sold around the world and translated into over 12 languages. The brand has a unique style of humor that has universal appeal focused on character-driven humor. The Avanti brand promise is never diluted with humor that is too topical, political, or racy; it is the perfect family-friendly greeting card solution for a wide variety of shoppers. The brand has also expanded into multiple consumer goods categories with licensed products.

The AMERICA collection evokes the heart, humor and history of dreamers, artists, pioneers and everyday people over the last 100 years with archival photography and a unique history on the back of every card. A*Press was created for today’s adult card lovers who are confident about what they say and do—who have a sharp sense of humor, love adventure, and fun. The bold graphics and typography engage consumers to pick up each card to discover the clever, funny messages inside.

We also distribute the NIQUEA.D Brand from Dominique Schurman. A true original, NIQUEA.D was launched in 2020, but has roots in Dominique’s historic Papyrus brand, where it was the crème de la crème product in her stores. She has evolved NIQUEA.D into an extensive lifestyle brand by relying on her global rolodex of artists and knowledge of high-end materials and impeccable production techniques. The brand is a true original, with the vision to surprise and delight today’s shopper based on the lessons of the past. No other premium brand on the market today has NIQUEA.D’s pedigree and potential.

Visit Our Fulfillment Center (1 minute video)

Frequently Asked Questions

Avanti means “move forward!” in Italian. We thrive on innovation, always pushing the envelope to create something fresh and exciting to delight our customers.

We are based in downtown Detroit, Michigan with additional creative offices in New York, USA. Click here to contact us.

Avanti Press, Inc.
155 W. Congress, Suite 200
Detroit, MI  48226

Avanti Press Creative.
6 W. 18th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10011

Avanti Press Fulfillment
22701 Trolley Industrial Drive, Suite A
Taylor, MI 48180

You can buy Avanti cards in Canada (in French in Quebec), Ireland, the UK, Holland, Finland, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the Ukraine!

Avanti has cultivated local, regional, and national alliances with groups that support health and environmental causes, pet rescue and rehabilitation, as well as schools and other social organizations.

Avanti is a member of the GCA US, CGTA, NGA, APPMA and PIJAC.

We currently offer cards for 32 different everyday occasions, plus all major holidays. From our signature “Almost Funny” all-occasion card to pet-specific categories like Pet Get Well and Pet Sympathy, we’ve really got a card for every occasion!

Our cards never look so tantalizing as when you hold them in your hands. Don’t believe us? Find a store near you and we’ll prove it! If you really want to buy right now, you can browse our partner store and they’ll ship the cards to you pronto.

Our online partner can help you add your own message in any font or color below our verses, or write your own message choosing one of our blank designs.

That’s a no-no! Modern copyright law is very exact in how images may or may not be used. The images on our products are specifically copyrighted to be used by Avanti as greeting cards only. We do not have rights to turn them into something else, and cannot give permission to anyone else. Sorry!

As a company, Avanti seeks environmental choices whenever possible, from the recycled car tires used for floor tiles in our Detroit offices, to our support of local eco-initiatives and tree planting efforts by The Greening of Detroit and others.

A few facts: The mills we choose for our paper are FSC-certified and focused on continual reforestation. Our printer uses vegetable inks with linseed-oil dyes in the printing process, and is also FSC-certified. Our UV inks are VOC free. Our shipping cartons are 100% recycled. Our plastic bagging for wholesale units is the thinnest in the industry. In addition, all unsold or damaged cards that are returned to Avanti are responsibly recycled.

Sorry, but the Avanti product catalog can only be provided to established retail stores.

You’d be amazed at what a squirrel will do in exchange for a lifetime supply of nuts! In all honesty, we have a great team of art directors and a wide community of photographers – but it all starts with the concept. We treat animals as characters that anyone can relate to, which is why you end up feeling an amazing connection that is compelling to share.

Avanti is passionate about the humane treatment of all animals. We never distress any animal models with costumes they wouldn’t like to wear. Some of our animal character photos come to us directly from pet owners who have pets that seem to love being dressed in a variety of outfits and have their own Instagram accounts. We do not publish any images of primates held in captivity and only images that have been photographed in the wild or on wildlife preserves. But most frequently, we like to enhance our animal characters with accessories using our Avanti digital magic.

If you believe your photographs or verses would fit in with the Avanti, A*Press or America style, you can forward samples of your work to our creative team for review.

Click here for writing submission guidelines

Click here for photography/illustration submission guidelines.

HISTORY

Revolutionary… From the Start

It all began… in 1980, when young Rick Ruffner arrived at his first National Stationery Show in New York with a handful of samples. While everyone told him his concept would never work, his first four orders were placed that day, and it set the stage for a quickly growing phenomenon. Rick’s brand evolved rapidly into a humorous style of colorful, clever story-telling that became the Avanti brand.

The “Can Do” Kids… By 1983, Rick had assembled a seven person team and moved the operation into a small office in downtown Detroit. Everyone pitched in to get the job done. Creative and Customer Service were often the same people packing the orders. This “Can Do” spirit forged a family atmosphere that remains strong to this day.

Local And Global Appeal… As we grew, independent card shops were quick to recognize Avanti as a strong alternative to traditional cards. Specialty retailers were especially drawn to the line by its ability to attract educated consumers and impulse shoppers alike. Avanti was also popular internationally, with distributors from the UK to Australia and Japan championing the cards, proving what we already knew: humor is a universal language.

Real Success, At Last… In 1988, Avanti won its first LOUIE award from the Greeting Card Association. Since then, Avanti has earned over 40 more LOUIEs. Additionally, we’ve earned numerous print and production awards for our consistent product quality.

Fast Friends… Over the years, we have forged alliances with some of the best sales groups in the country, many of whom have continuously sold Avanti for 20 years or more. An enlarged Fulfillment Center near Detroit’s Metro Airport accelerated the company’s ability to ship orders quickly and efficiently. By emphasizing professional in store service and rapid order turn around, Avanti stays ahead of the constant demand created by shoppers across the country and the world.

In The End… Avanti is really just a small group of crazy card nuts who have managed to make a big splash doing what we do best: making people smile.

PRINTED IN USA

From our very beginning in 1980, Avanti brand greeting cards have been printed in the USA. To this day, we continue to domestically manufacture all Avanti, AMERICA and A*Press greeting cards. We’re proud to contribute our share of jobs to the American work force. The benefits from reducing fuel use due to overseas shipping plus quicker time to market and increased quality control reinforces our commitment to domestic production every single day. Other card brands distributed by Avanti Press may not be printed in the USA.

LIVE GREEN

Avanti Lives Green

But being green isn’t only about printing on paper with recycled content, which we did up until last year. Recycling paper often requires chlorine to wash away inks, chlorine that can cause harm downstream. We’ve recently moved to a virgin product that can be responsibly recycled and reused for additional paper products.

Our vision is to reinforce eco-friendly actions that extend beyond our office doors. In the past, we’ve spent staff hours volunteering with local gardening and reforestation organizations to create more green space in our local community.  All recyclable materials used during the course of business are responsibly recycled. All of our products are bagged with the thinnest plastic on the market. Any products returned to Avanti are also recycled.

We know there is more for us to do, and our goal is to live green, not just talk green!

Paper & Ink

Paper & Print FSC-Certified

We use the environmentally friendly inks that are 100% free of volatile organic compound emissions (no VOCs or HAPs). Avanti cards are easier to recycle because the ink is insoluble in water and therefore easy to remove. All cards are printed in USA.

  • UV Printing: (our printers are FSC certified)
  • UV inks do not release oils or solvents, the primary ingredient contributing to VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) and HAP (Hazardous Air Pollutant) emissions.
  • Inks are soy and vegetable based
  • All paper scraps are recycled back to the paper mill
  • Any non-saleable greeting cards returned are recycled at our Avanti Fulfillment Center
  • Made in USA
  • Zero overseas freight reduces carbon footprint

The FY21 Sustainability Report from our mill includes the following commitments:

  • By 2025, 100%of our products will be recyclable, compostable or reusable, driving the transition to a more circular economy through cutting edge innovation.
  • Investing in the future of sustainable forestry by supporting certification of 1.5 million acres of forestland to recognized forest management standards by 2030.
  • Actively enhancing the water management systems at all mills as part of a commitment to reduce our water intake by 15% by 2030 from a 2019 baseline.

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