The Real Win Is Making the Mailing Deadline and Delivering Your Feelings — Online-Print/Printer Routing Cashback Rides on Top

Deep dives Published：2026-06-02 Updated：2026-06-21 16 min read

Nengajo × Point-Earning: Making the Mailing Deadline Comes First — Early-Bird + Routing Cashback is the Bonus

Nengajo (New Year cards) is one of the rare categories where online-print early-bird discounts, point-site routing cashback, and payment rewards all stack together. Major online-print services — Shimauma Print, Otayori Honpo, Futaba, Nengakazoku, and others — each offer early-bird pricing in November, with significant discounts off standard rates during that window. Stacking the early-bird period with point-site routing and cashback payment lets you cut your total cost (including shipping) while building up rewards — that is the core of nengajo point-earning.

That said, the most important thing is making the mailing deadline so your cards arrive on New Year's Day and your feelings reach the recipient. Sacrificing the deadline for points, or printing more cards than you need because the early-bird looks too good, is putting the cart before the horse. Decide first who gets how many cards, then — during the early-bird window (typically mid-to-late November) — place your order through a point site. That order of operations is the premise. Photo nengajo, design choices, address printing, mourning cards, and knowing how many to send — nengajo-specific topics are covered below.

Mailing Deadlines and Early-Bird Schedule — November is the Key Window

Two timelines matter most for nengajo point-earning: "the order deadline, worked back from the mailing deadline" and "the early-bird cutoff." The mailing deadline for New Year's Day delivery is typically around December 25 (confirm with Japan Post's official guidance each year). Since online-print orders take several days to about a week from order to delivery, having cards in hand by mid-December is ideal.

Timing (guide)	What to do	Point-earning angle
Mid-to-late November	Place early-bird order with online-print service	Maximum triple-dip: early-bird + routing + payment cashback
Late Nov – early Dec	Finalize design and submit address data	Routing cashback still valid after early-bird
Mid-December	Receive and check finished cards	Time to handle any printing issues
Around Dec 25	Mailing deadline for New Year's Day delivery	Work all timelines backward from here

Early-bird timing and discount levels vary by service. Ordering in November often captures the largest discounts, and many services end or reduce early-bird pricing once December arrives. Point-site routing offers and early-bird deadlines change each year — check the latest on each service's website and on Pointnavi.

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The early-bird window is the only time "service discount," "point-site routing cashback," and "payment cashback" all overlap. November is the critical window. If you want time to think about the design, lock in your recipient count and approximate quantity first, then place a provisional order during the early-bird period — some services let you submit address data later (check each service's terms).

Choosing an Online-Print Service — Shimauma, Otayori Honpo, Futaba and their strengths

Each nengajo online-print service has different strengths. Unit price, number of design templates, print quality, address-printing availability, smartphone app usability, and early-bird timing and discount depth — match these to your own needs. The following gives a directional overview (actual prices and cashback rates change by season; always verify current figures).

Shimauma Print: The go-to for cost performance. When you want low prices on a larger print run, it's often the comparison benchmark. Supports early-bird pricing and smartphone-app ordering.
Otayori Honpo: Praised for free address printing and clean finish quality. Well-regarded for photo nengajo as well, with a wide selection of designs.
Futaba: Handles detailed customization like address printing services and greeting-text merge fields. Some tiers support small quantities.
Nengakazoku (Canon Marketing Japan): High photo-print quality for the finished cards — a strong choice when photo reproduction matters most.
Net Square, Pictorico, and others: Pro-grade quality, glossy paper, specialty paper options — for those wanting a premium finish.

When comparing services, check these four things together: "per-card unit price after early-bird," "address-printing cost and quantity limits," "production days," and "whether a point-site routing offer exists." You can compare routing offers and cashback rates side by side on Pointnavi. For printing services in general, see the Print Services guide.

Selection axis	How to approach it
Cost	Compare early-bird unit price × quantity (including shipping)
Photo quality	Choose a photo-nengajo service → Photo Print guide
Address printing	Check free vs. paid, quantity caps
Smartphone use	Confirm smartphone-app or mobile-web support
Point-earning effect	Compare routing offers and rates on Pointnavi

What's easy to overlook when comparing services is the "conditions that affect the total" beyond the base price. The order quantity line at which shipping becomes free, the extra charges for address printing or optional finishing, the minimum order quantity, fees by payment method—these can push up the total even when the per-card price looks cheap. Always compare totals against totals as "early-bird unit price × quantity + shipping + options," then layer on the points-site routing rate to see the real burden. How cheapness is presented differs by service, so don't decide on the displayed unit price alone—comparing the grand totals before confirming the order is the sure way. Confirm the latest fee structure and shipping conditions at each official source.

Photo Nengajo, Design, and Address Printing — Nengajo-specific choices

When ordering nengajo from an online-print service, decide these three things first: "with or without a photo," "pre-made template or fully custom design," and "use the address-printing service or write by hand." Settling these narrows down your service options quickly.

Photo nengajo: A classic format — family photos, kids' growth updates, pets, travel shots. Print quality varies noticeably by service, especially for color accuracy and detail in photos. If photo quality is the priority, choose a service with strong reputation for it. Some services offer preview samples of how your photo will look on a finished card. See also the Photo Print guide.
Design templates: Most online-print services offer hundreds to thousands of templates — zodiac motifs, traditional Japanese patterns, modern minimal styles, photo-frame layouts, and more. To avoid spending too much time choosing, start with three axes: "photo or no photo," "Japanese or Western style," "minimal or lively," and narrow from there.
Address printing: Saves handwriting effort when sending to multiple recipients. Services differ on cost (free vs. paid), quantity limits, and data-format requirements. Check whether you can import from Excel or nengajo software, and whether vertical or horizontal text is available.
Smartphone-app ordering: More services now offer apps that let you select a photo on your phone and order directly. Convenient, but design flexibility may be lower. For small quantities and simple designs, the smartphone app is the easiest route.
Front and back combinations: Some services let you choose separately how to handle the design side (back) and the address side (front). Decide whether to use the address-printing service, handle the stamp and address yourself, or print only the return address.

If you go with a photo New Year card, the photo prep before ordering greatly changes the result. Print shows finer detail than a phone screen, so choose a sharply focused, bright photo and don't force-stretch a low-resolution image. Checking the cropping position against the service's template (whether faces get cut off, the balance of margins) beforehand reduces post-submission fixes. Also, when using photos of family or children on a New Year card, keeping the perspective of "is the recipient someone you trust" brings peace of mind. When you take stock of your address list, separating who you send a photo card to from who you send a non-photo design to is one form of consideration. Since taking time to finalize the design makes you miss the early-bird window, preparing photo selection and cropping before the early-bird period starts lets ordering day go smoothly.

Step-by-step Nengajo Point-Earning — Early-bird × Routing × Payment Triple-dip

① Decide quantity, recipient list, and print methodStart by sorting out who gets how many cards. Decide on photo vs. simple design and whether you'll use address printing. Once quantity is set, home printing vs. online printing becomes easier to judge.
② Check online-print routing offers on PointnaviLook up the routing offer and cashback rate for your preferred service (Shimauma, Otayori Honpo, etc.) on Pointnavi. Also confirm the early-bird cutoff date.
③ Order during the November early-bird window via point siteIn November, when the early-bird is at its peak, route through a point site and place your order with the online-print service. Finalize your design and address data and complete the order.
④ Pay with a cashback payment methodPay for the online-print order with a Rakuten Card, PayPay Card, or other main-ecosystem card for stacked cashback. See the Tap-Payment guide.
⑤ Check the finished cards and mail with time to spareWhen cards arrive, verify content and addresses. Mail with time to spare before the New Year's Day delivery deadline (around December 25).
⑥ Consolidate earned points and prevent expiryConsolidate points earned from routing and payment into your main ecosystem and use them before they expire. See the Expiry Prevention guide.

Mourning Cards, Knowing How Many to Send, and Smartphone Apps — Nengajo-specific judgment calls

Nengajo point-earning involves nengajo-specific decisions: what to do if you are in mourning, how many cards to print, and whether to use a smartphone app.

Mochu hagaki (mourning notification cards): If you or a close family member has passed away in the past year, you send a mourning notification card (mochu hagaki) instead of a nengajo, informing recipients that you will not be sending New Year's greetings. Online-print services for mourning cards exist too, and some have point-site routing offers. Mourning cards typically need to reach recipients by mid-to-late November, so ordering in late October to early November is standard. Check Pointnavi to see which services have routing offers for mourning cards. If it is the recipient who is in mourning, some people opt not to send nengajo and instead send a kanchuumimai (midwinter greeting) after January 7.
Knowing how many to send: With rising digital communication, more people substitute LINE or social media for nengajo. Focusing on recipients where sending a physical card has real meaning — long-distance relationships maintained mainly through New Year's mail, for instance — helps keep costs and effort proportionate. Rather than defaulting to "same count as last year," revisiting your recipient list each year is worth doing.
Smartphone-app ordering: Services like Shimauma Print and Otayori Honpo offer apps that let you order nengajo directly from a photo on your phone. It's the most frictionless option for small quantities and simple designs. However, whether in-app ordering qualifies for point-site routing cashback depends on the service — in some cases you'll be directed to use the browser-based flow instead. Check the routing instructions before ordering.
Home printing vs. online printing: For 10 cards or fewer — or when you want to write a personal note in each card — home printing can make sense. If you go that route, buying the printer and ink through a point site earns routing cashback (see the Print Services guide and Photo Print guide). For 50 or more cards, online-print early-bird pricing is usually the more economical choice.

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The three biggest nengajo point-earning pitfalls are: "missing the early-bird and scrambling in December," "forgetting to route (same order with no routing = zero cashback)," and "printing too many cards (extras are waste)." Placing your early-bird order through a point site in November sidesteps all three at once. If you are in mourning, order your mourning notification cards through a point site too.

The etiquette around mourning varies by region and household thinking, so take it not as a fixed rule but as a general guide. When you yourself are in mourning, you refrain from New Year cards and notify first with a mourning card (a New Year's greeting-omission card); when you know the other person is in mourning, you don't send a New Year card and instead switch to a kanchuumimai (midwinter greeting) sent after the new year begins (a guide is from January 7). The range of recipients for a mourning card (whether to include everyone you exchange New Year cards with each year) and the timing to have it arrive are less likely to be rude if you decide them mindful of arriving before the other person starts preparing their New Year cards. Such bereavement-related cards may also be covered by points-site routing and early-bird offers at some print services, but the top priority is reaching the other person with the right timing and wording that doesn't lack courtesy. Think of points as a bonus that follows afterward. For the whole year-end/New-Year flow, see the Year-End/New Year guide too.

Mini Glossary — Key Terms for Nengajo Point-Earning

Knowing the early-bird and deadline vocabulary helps you capture the triple-dip without missing the New Year's Day delivery window. Early-bird timing and discount rates vary by service — always check the latest on each official site.

Term	Meaning	Watch out for
Early-bird discount	Reduced pricing for orders placed ahead of schedule (typically mid-to-late November)	Often ends or shrinks in December
Triple-dip	Stacking early-bird discount + point-site routing + cashback payment	Early-bird window is the prime opportunity
Mailing deadline	Last date to post cards for New Year's Day delivery (typically around December 25)	Work all planning backward from this date; confirm with Japan Post
Address printing	Service feature where recipient data is printed by the print service on your behalf	Check free vs. paid and quantity limits
Mourning card	A bereavement-notification card sent instead of a nengajo when in mourning	Generally arranged by mid-November
Photo nengajo	New Year cards featuring family, children, pets, or similar photos	Print quality varies significantly by service

Early-bird timing, discount rates, and routing offers change by service and year. Check the latest on each service and on Pointnavi. For printing in general, see the Print Services guide; for photos, see the Photo Print guide; for year-end/New Year tips, see the Year-End/New Year guide.

FAQ

When is the best time for nengajo point-earning?

Mid-to-late November during the early-bird window. It is the only time when the online-print service's early-bird discount, point-site routing cashback, and payment cashback all overlap. Once December arrives, early-bird pricing ends or shrinks at many services. Lock in your recipient list and quantity, complete your order by November — that is the single biggest lever for nengajo point-earning.

Shimauma Print or Otayori Honpo — which should I choose?

For large quantities with cost as the priority, Shimauma Print is often the comparison starting point. For print quality and free address printing, Otayori Honpo is frequently cited. That said, prices, early-bird terms, and point-site routing offers change each year — before ordering, compare both services' routing offers and cashback rates on Pointnavi and make your decision including shipping costs.

Can I earn points even if I am in mourning?

Yes — mourning notification card printing services exist, and some have point-site routing offers. Mourning cards typically need to reach recipients by mid-to-late November, so ordering in late October or early November is standard. Check Pointnavi to confirm which services have routing offers for mourning cards.

Does ordering through a smartphone app cancel out routing cashback?

It depends on the service. When you complete payment inside the app, the point-site routing cookie may not carry over. To be safe, use the smartphone browser to route through the point site, then complete the order on the service's website. Check the service's help page and the notes on Pointnavi before ordering.

How many days before the deadline should I order?

Online-print services typically take several days to about a week from order to delivery. Working backward from the New Year's Day delivery mailing deadline (roughly December 25 — confirm Japan Post's official guidance), having cards in hand by mid-December is ideal. Ordering in November gives you ample buffer, captures the early-bird discount, and leaves time to handle any problems.

Is it better to use address printing, or write addresses by hand?

If you are sending to many recipients or want to save handwriting effort, address printing is convenient. Many online-print services support it — some offer it free, others charge a fee or impose quantity limits. Check whether the service accepts data imported from Excel or nengajo software, and whether vertical or horizontal text layout is available. For a small number of cards or when you want to add a personal handwritten note, writing by hand works well. A practical split: use address printing for the bulk of your cards, then add a handwritten line for close recipients. Fees and conditions vary by service, so confirm before ordering.

How many cards should I print? Tips for not having leftovers?

The key is to review your recipient list fresh each year rather than defaulting to "same as last year." With LINE and SNS increasingly substituting for nengajo, focusing on recipients where a physical card carries real meaning — long-standing correspondences, relatives you only contact at New Year, and so on — naturally right-sizes your order. Keep spares to a handful to avoid waste. Printing more than you need because the early-bird seems like a deal is putting the cart before the horse — decide "who gets how many" first, then order that quantity through the early-bird routing window.

Home printer or online print service — which is better for point-earning?

It depends on quantity. For 10 cards or fewer, or when you want to write a personal message in each one, home printing can be the right call. You can still earn routing cashback by buying your printer, ink, and postcards through a point site. For 50 or more cards, online-print early-bird pricing is usually more economical, and the triple-dip of early-bird + routing + payment cashback applies. Finished quality — especially for photo nengajo — is also more consistent with online printing. Weigh the effort, quantity, and quality together. For print supplies, see the Print Services guide and Photo Print guide.

I routed properly, so why aren't the points credited—or reflected—for my New Year card order?

Several causes are possible. Common ones: settling inside an app after routing (routing cookies basically work via the browser), the cookie breaking because another site was inserted between routing and ordering, using an ineligible coupon or points after routing, or the early-bird or sale price being outside the routing-reward scope. To be sure of earning it, route through the points site in your phone's browser and complete the order on the service's website without detours. Approval can take time, so if it isn't reflected right away, wait a bit, and if it's still unclear, check the points site's notes and eligibility conditions.

I missed the early-bird and it's now December. Can I still do point activity?

You can. The early-bird itself has often ended or shrunk, but points-site routing rewards have offers valid outside the early-bird period too, and the payment-reward stacking still works the same. That said, December is when the mailing deadline for New Year's Day delivery (a guide is around December 25; confirm with the post office's official notice) draws near. At this stage, act with the deadline you can still make as the top priority, not maximizing rewards. Account for the days from order to arrival, choose a service that makes it in time, and route within the range you can—in that order. If you truly can't make it, switching to a kanchuumimai sent after the new year begins is also an option.

Compare nengajo online-print routing cashback → Read the year-end/New Year guide

This article was written from publicly available information on each point site as of 2026-06-21. Cashback rates, campaign terms, and redemption rules can change without notice — always check each site's official page for the latest. This site uses each point site's referral program, but going through a referral link never changes the rate you receive.