Tengku Izaham Tengku Kamarulzaman, who owns a stationery and printing shop in Jalan Haji Abdul Rahman here, said he sold ready-made greeting cards in the past, but the demand had dwindled especially among the young.

To overcome the problem, the 40-year-old father of three had decided to introduce customised greeting cards where his customers could choose from a variety of colourful designs, or use their own designs.

Running the business with his wife, Rosediana Nordin, 31, he said the move paid off as many customers wanted to have personal pictures and colourful layouts on their cards.

"Most customers prefer to print their family pictures on the card, while private companies will put a picture of their staff," he said, adding that such an approach had made the Raya cards more meaningful.

Tengku Izaham said it would usually take one to three days to complete a customised card, depending on the design and volume.

He said most shops, including those in shopping malls, preferred to sell ready- made greeting cards as they did not require much work compared with the customised version.

"But customers nowadays want greeting cards with their pictures on them as these can be kept by the recipients.

"The thrill is also different from receiving electronic cards and text messages," he said at his shop yesterday.

Tengku Izaham, who has a bachelor's degree in marketing and management, said most people chose the electronic card as it was cheaper and hassle-free.

"I hope to revive the tradition of sending greeting cards, but with a better approach.

"Raya cards will make a recipient happy and to appreciate the sender more," said Tengku Izaham, who got the idea after watching the growing demand for customised birthday cards.

"Even my 9-year-old son is now keen to send Raya cards when I customised them for him."

Tengku Izaham sells his customised cards between RM2 and RM5.