Free greeting-card sites offer an amazing variet y

Site-seeing with Jan Perry

Time was when free greeting-card sites were not that numerous and not that good. Have times changed! These cards may not say Hallmark on the back, but they don't say $2.25 either.

http://www.postcards.org/postcards As you'll discover when you log on, this site offers 1001 full-color postcards. Many of them are animated, most can be enhanced with music or sound effects and all of them are free. A great search tool makes finding exactly what you're looking for a breeze.

http://www.homearts.com/postcard/00postf1.htm . This is a small card site with a big sense of humor. This is one of a few places you can find cards to send people who work at home (listed under office humor).

http://www.bluemountain.com. One of the first and still one of the best.

http://greetings.xoom. com/xigo . . The animation and humor here are wonderful, and this site has a whole section of sign-language cards. You can still add music for other folks who might see it. (You have to ''join'' xoom to send a card, but joining takes one click and is free.)

http://www.audiocard.com. Not a quick stop. There are 22 pages of cards to choose from and hundreds of songs, quotes and sound effects to add to them. You can add Tigger's song to a Pooh card or send a trivia question accompanied by the ''Jeopardy!'' time-clock theme.

http://rats2u.com. Not only does this site link you to 50,000 cards on line, it also offers to translate your message into any of 19 different languages.

http://music-city-cardshop.net/index.html . Some interesting specialty cards are available at this site, including some you won't find at most of the free sites on the Web. Really spectacular is a collection for the military.

http://bignetwork.com/ms/pc/main_.shtml . If you remember the '50s fondly, you should give this one a look. You'll recognize this generic advertising art. Personalize it and send someone a touch of the past.

http://postcards.wired2000.net. This one has lots of great photos, art and cartoons, some clip art and animation.

http://www.regards.com. The card selection here is not as large as at some sites, but don't let that stop you. Not only does this site have one of the largest music collections, it allows you to customize type and background colors, background patterns, framing and sending date - up to a year in advance.

Jan Perry is a freelance columnist for The Post. Write to her at SiteSeer2K@aol.com ..