Topic: postcards

[formica]

i'm thinking about having some postcards done of some of my images. has anyone done this before? did you print them yourself or did you go to a print shop and have them do them for you? if you did print them yourself what kind of paper did you use and what kind of printer?

                william

[dave miller]

If we are talking proper pictures then Ilford market a postcard paper that, whilst a bit pricey is excellent. I have used ordinary RC paper with self-adhesive labels as backing that survive the postal system. If however you are thinking of digital daubings then I cannot help other; than to offer my commiserations.

[Francois]

Do you plan on making many of the same model?
Do you plan on selling them or just sending them to friends?

These could be worth asking first.

For small batches, printing on thin card stock would be the easiest and cheapest.
You may be able to find a place with a digital press that will do short runs.
You can also find a place with a large format printer that will print a large mosaic of images that you just cut-up to the correct size (though you will need a computer with a lot more memory)

[db]

I've done both extremes. I did an offset press run to use as a promotional mailer to commercial clients. $$$ but high quality results. The only problem was I changed address before I finished using them all.. ahh well- it was a tax deduction I suppose.

Now when I simply want a few to give to friends, or DIY a christmas card, I do them on 240gsm matt paper with an Epson printer. The reverse side of the paper is good enough to print text or a simple design and the image is on the front. You can probably get good double sided papers too. It looks pretty good for home made.

PS so if anyone would like me to post them a toy-camera image postcard,  email me your addy. I have just a few boxes in the cellar! Just ignore the business address on the back 

[formica]

thanks for the replies everyone. i am looking at selling them. i'd like to do several different cards. but cost will depend on how many of each i do/don't do initially.

         william

[Skorj]

I love postcards. I did a set myself, for personal use, but used the stickers for the rear...

If you're going to sell, I would get them professionally printed. I've seen some really nicely self printed ones, but although they had the photographic depth, they lacked that `postcard` feel. Regardless, look forward to the results! Skj.

[cpierce]

What size of a run are you looking at doing, there are some very good rates on post cards if you want a good quanity, see links.

www.copycraft.com  very good quality
www.smv-color.com
www.5000cards.com
www.4over.com  very good quality printing

[formica]

thanks for the input skorj. i've seen some really nice postcards for sale here at various diy markets. but i'm not sure if they are doing them themselves or having them printed somewhere.

chris, thanks for those links. i'm really just looking at wanting to do a small run to see how things go. i was thinking of maybe putting some up on etsy and seeing if they sell at all. and there's always the possibility that if i get p.r.(permanent residence) i'd venture into selling stuff at some of the diy markets here.

             william

[Janet_P]

Hey Formica, have you tried vistaprint.com? I've used them before and at the moment they're doing 100 postcards for FREE (not really free, you pay postage and a fee to upload an image, probably ends up at about £10). I could recommend you so that you get the same deal if you want. I've always been very impressed with their quality of print.

Let me know

Janet

[Susan B.]

http://www.modernpostcard.com/

[Francois]

I've once seen a factory tour of the Modern Postcard factory on PBS... Very interesting.

The owner was a photographer before becoming a printer. They do pretty good work with state of the art machines.

Only thing is that they do adjust the pictures by hand so their printers will give the best results.

But their services and quality are top notch.

[formica]

thanks for the suggestions susan and janet. janet i think i'll pass on vista print as i usually try to avoid supporting companies that consider taiwan a province of china. but thanks for the suggestion anyway.

                    william