Cards app is available: Hallmark beware!

The app you've all been anxiously waiting for since the "Let's Talk iPhone" event on October 4th, Cards, is now available as a free download on the App Store.

Cards allows you to create a number of specialized greeting cards ranging from birthday cards to trip post cards. You can add your own photo and words, then buy the card and postage through an in-app purchase. Sending a card in the U.S. costs $2.99, while sending it internationally costs $4.99.

The cards are printed out using the old-fashioned letterpress method, in which the card is imprinted with a debossed design. There are six occasions and 21 designs, the occasions being Thank You, Holiday, New Baby, Birthday, Love, and Travel. In the U.S., your card's envelope includes special Apple-designed postage.

On the day your card is to be delivered, a notification arrives on your iPhone or iPod touch (that's right, it's not available for iPad). Cards should be perfect for those situations where you don't want to have to go to a card store and browse through hundreds of cards. There's no need to hand-scrawl something into the card, then search around for a stamp to send the card.

Check out the gallery below for some screenshots of the app in action.