How to Make Postcards
By Thor Rasmussen
13 Sep 2009
When I started taking pictures, I wanted a unique way to share them with my friends in a non-electric format. Sharing pictures through electronic means such as e-mail and websites is great, but having a tangible photo to hold, post on a wall or refrigerator, or leave as a surprise for a stranger, seems much less fleeting than a picture that's been broken down into electrons, sent through a wire, and reconstructed on the other end.
I also did not want to break the bank. My solution was to transform my printed photos into postcards. Although many sites will do this for users, there is a fee for the service higher than I was willing to pay. I decided to try a more cost effective method.
Supply List
+ Printed Photos-4x6
+ Rubber Cement
+ Blank 4x6 index cards
+ Stamp (optional)
Instructions
Step 1: Put rubber cement on both the blank 4x6 index card and back of photo.
You may be tempted to only put the glue on the index card or the photo, but to ensure they stick, I highly recommend putting glue on both.
Step 2: Put the index card and photo together.
The rubber cement will hold real well, but you want avoid a lot of shifting around of the picture and index card. Try to get the best alignment you can quickly.
Step 3: Let the glue dry.
The drying process does not take long. In a few minutes the glue will be dry enough to handle the postcard without the index card and photo coming undone.
Step 4: Write a message, put a stamp on the postcard, and post!
Ok. Really that was three steps, but I think you can handle it.
Step 5: Repeat
Of course if you like you can forgo step 4 and simply give your postcards away in person. I have a clothes line of pictures for people to pick from when they come to visit. Sometimes I will carry a handful of cards with me and give them to strangers who I take pictures of as a token of thanks. The possible uses and variations are endless. In each case people will be delighted to have a little souvenir and you will have the satisfaction of being able to share your artwork.
21 responses
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Jesse Decker gave props (13 Sep 2009):
Great idea, thanks.
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G Richard Anderson gave props (16 Sep 2009):
excellent, i like this!
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Karen Roberts gave props (16 Sep 2009):
Fantastic suggestions! Love your technique and will try it SOON! I vote to yes publish!!!!
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thomas roberts gave props (16 Sep 2009):
This is a great idea
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Ann Reece gave props (16 Sep 2009):
I love this idea, I have used it myself and the people who got the photo cards really enjoyed them. Voted!
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Catherine Hadler gave props (16 Sep 2009):
I just write straight on the back of the photo ;o)
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Sarah-Jane Sanders said (16 Sep 2009):
Love it! Do you use matte or glossy photos? I personally would use matte, but I thought I'd get your take.
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Sara Holt gave props (16 Sep 2009):
I voted YES, totally publish this story. It's very useful to me as I've always wanted to do this an wasn't quite sure about the postal procedure for sending snaps out as postcards....THANK YOU, Thor!!!!!
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Betheny Jimerson said (16 Sep 2009):
Great idea! Very simple will try this soon! Thanks and I voted
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Cristina N gave props (16 Sep 2009):
awesome idea! i've been wondering how to do this for some time now
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Sandie Bock said (16 Sep 2009):
Rubber Cement may not be great for the photo. There are pastes that are acid free and ok for the photo. Not sure how well they will totally stick to the index card.
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Christopher P Anderson said (16 Sep 2009):
Thanks Thor, I started doing this exact thing this past summer and the recipients of my postcards were extremely happy about them, much more so than with my normal storebought postcards. For increased durability, if the 4x6 index cards aren't very stiff, another option is to cut out 4x6 rectangles from thin cardboard (cereal boxes etc), though it's a bit tough to get perfectly straight edges and the cardboard doesn't have the lines that index cards have.
Sara-Jane: Though you're not asking me, I found matte works best if mailing, as glossy photos show scuff marks much more and the trip from postbox to letterbox will often leave a few slight marks. -
diana anderson gave props (16 Sep 2009):
wonderful ideas! thanks for sharing!!
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Robert Diaz said (16 Sep 2009):
Excellent little how-to/article. I really like the idea of walking around with a good mini-stack of prints that you can hand out to people who pose for you. Slap your business info on the back of the photos and you got yourself a slick marketing tactic that can help drive business up.
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alannah bowes gave props (18 Sep 2009):
Great how to article! I love the idea, and starting today :)
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StaceyJane gave props (19 Sep 2009):
great idea! this story should be published!
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Maura Wolfson-Foster gave props (21 Sep 2009):
Excellent info & photos. Thanks so much Thor...!!! :)
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Alya Al Dhaheri gave props (22 Sep 2009):
Very nice Idea :D I love your lighting, dof and comp here! Well done!
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Michael McNulty said (23 Sep 2009):
Very creative and original. Brilliant.
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Judi FitzPatrick gave props (23 Sep 2009):
Great idea!
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Cristina Wilson gave props (19 Oct 2009):
I like the idea of giving something you created to another. Great way to do it.
