Having Postcards Printed? Follow These Simple Tips
Having postcards printed is a great way to send a personalized message to friends, customers, and even family members. There are numerous printing services that can design and print the cards for you. Still, it's helpful to know a little about the process. Following these tips can lead to a better postcard experience.
1. Choose the thicker cardstock.
Most printing services will give you a choice between several different thicknesses of cardstock. You might be tempted to go with the thinnest because it is the cheapest, but this is not the smartest approach. A postcard made from overly thin cardstock is more likely to bend in the mail, and a bent postcard looks cheap and reflects poorly on you. It's worth paying a little more for the thicker cardstock. Your postcards will arrive in better condition, and they will feel more luxurious in your recipients' hands.
2. Opt for coating on one side only.
Many people have their postcards printed on glossy, coated cardstock because they think this creates a nicer appearance. It certainly does, but the coating is also difficult to write on. Certain pens won't write on it at all, and others smear. A better choice is cardstock that is only coated on one side. The side with the pictures will be coated, and the side you write on will be uncoated. This gives you the best of both worlds.
3. Don't spring for UV coating unless it is really needed.
You can pay to have your postcards coated with a special UV protection layer. Your printer may offer you this option for just a few cents per card, and you might figure, why not? But actually, this is an expense you can skip in most cases. Unless your postcards will be sitting in a storefront window, they probably won't be around long enough to get sun-bleached.
4. Go with square corners.
If you plan to mail your postcards, choose a design that has square corners. Rounded corners might look nice, but the machines that the postal service uses to sort them out are more likely to get jammed on items with rounded corners. Square postcards are preferred by the USPS for a good reason.
If you follow the tips above, you should have better luck designing a postcard that looks nice, makes it to your recipients in one piece, and does not cost more than necessary. Reach out to postcard printing services to learn more.
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