KENYA · GUIDE 0875 · EDITION 4.7
Handmade greeting cards in Kenya: Startup Budget and Quotation Checklist
Editorial update: 28 October 2026 · Business planning reference · Review scope
Define what must be funded before the first order
Build a startup quotation schedule for Card bases, Inserts and envelopes, Decoration and assembly; separate setup, operating inputs and working cash.
This is a planning reference for handmade greeting cards. The order below is an invented teaching case. It is not a completed customer job, an operating approval or a prediction of demand or earnings.
The example offer and its boundary
Fictional stationery order: make twenty adult greeting cards with an original botanical paper collage and a buyer-approved short message. Finished closed size is A6, approximately 105 × 148 mm. Cut each base from A5 stock, approximately 148 × 210 mm, and score at 105 mm along the 210 mm dimension; match with twenty C6 envelopes, nominally 114 × 162 mm. Include one printed insert per card if the thick base cannot be printed by the chosen machine. No copyrighted illustration or customer contact list is reused without permission.
A quotation checklist for this business
| Resource | Exact request to price | Check before accepting the quote |
|---|---|---|
| Card bases | Twelve A4 sheets of approved 250–300 gsm stock: ten sheets can yield twenty A5 bases, with two sheets for trials/reserve. | Confirm exact sheet size, grain and pack quantity; test scoring before buying a large bundle. |
| Inserts and envelopes | Twenty inserts cut to about 95 × 138 mm and twenty C6 envelopes with actual fit checked. | Check paper/ink compatibility and that collage thickness still allows easy insertion and closure. |
| Decoration and assembly | Counted original paper motifs, documented adhesive, scoring tool and twenty sleeves. | Check artwork rights and adhesive for staining or curl; do not claim acid-free materials without supplier documentation. |
Keep the budget categories separate
- Card bases: Twelve A4 sheets of approved 250–300 gsm stock: ten sheets can yield twenty A5 bases, with two sheets for trials/reserve. Confirm the quantity, landed quote and confirm exact sheet size, grain and pack quantity; test scoring before buying a large bundle.
- Inserts and envelopes: Twenty inserts cut to about 95 × 138 mm and twenty C6 envelopes with actual fit checked. Confirm the quantity, landed quote and check paper/ink compatibility and that collage thickness still allows easy insertion and closure.
- Decoration and assembly: Counted original paper motifs, documented adhesive, scoring tool and twenty sleeves. Confirm the quantity, landed quote and check artwork rights and adhesive for staining or curl; do not claim acid-free materials without supplier documentation.
- Record equipment acquisition OR an appropriate use allocation, plus the full stock/minimum-order cash requirement; do not count both as the same per-job expense.
- Obtain actual labour, premises, transport, energy/water, rework, payment and ongoing overhead amounts relevant to this activity. Identify deposits, receivables and payment dates separately.
- Resolve the guide-specific evidence gaps listed in section 10. Any activity-specific permission, testing or specialist costs require actual scope and quotations, not an invented allowance.
What the selected teaching bill includes
| Selected line | Example quantity | Assumed rate | Selected cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 base-card sheets including reserve | 12 | KSh 60.00 | KSh 720.00 |
| A4 supported insert-paper sheets | 6 | KSh 15.00 | KSh 90.00 |
| Insert printing per accepted card | 20 | KSh 20.00 | KSh 400.00 |
| C6 envelopes | 20 | KSh 25.00 | KSh 500.00 |
| Original collage component sets | 20 | KSh 35.00 | KSh 700.00 |
| Protective sleeves | 20 | KSh 15.00 | KSh 300.00 |
| Design, cutting and assembly hours | 8 | KSh 350.00 | KSh 2,800.00 |
These selected lines total KSh 5,510.00. They are a fictional operating example, not the full cash needed to start handmade greeting cards. Batch cost = KSh 5510; allocated cost per sale unit = KSh 275.50; assumed revenue = 20 × KSh 400 = KSh 8000; pre-tax scenario surplus = KSh 2490. Twenty accepted card/envelope pairs are sale units. Six A4 insert sheets are a provisional cutting/print allowance; prove the layout and printer margins. Rates are fictional, not an Artmall quote. Adhesive consumption, cutter ownership, personalised-message extra time, delivery and tax require separate costing before final quotation.
Close the budget before spending
For each actual quotation, record the delivered quantity, specification, cash due date, hire/purchase option and quote expiry. Keep an unknown cost blank. Reusable equipment purchase, an appropriate use allocation and refundable deposits are different records; do not count the same item twice.
- Actual stock, printer compatibility, adhesive quantity and envelope fit are untested.
- No Kenyan price for a fully specified card pack or archival material claim is verified.
- Kenyan Artmall paper listing was found but its detail page returned a verification wall; pack-specific price could not be verified, so priceEvidence remains empty.
References and their limits
Cricut: Pearl Paper Cutting Instructions
Manufacturer stock-specific cutting reference; settings are not universal for other cardstock. Reference check recorded 2026-10-26.
CPSC: Art and Craft Safety Guide
Art-material hazard overview; not Kenyan product certification or proof that a selected material is suitable. Reference check recorded 2026-10-26.
Recorded references support only the scope stated beside them. They do not prove current supplier stock, a local quotation, actual buyer demand, operator competence or the feasibility of this particular business. Later editorial changes do not refresh earlier source-check dates.
Prepared by Business Starter Guides using AI-assisted drafting and desk editorial checks. Independent operator trials and specialist certification are not claimed. See the editorial method for the review scope.
Editorial method and evidence limits