postcard.co.uk

the manufacturers sites would normally 'feature' the ones that are most recent or contact the manufacturers and ask them

I just saw an item on a new printer from Casio in Japan

http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news-18 ... Japan.html

No word on it in North America (Canada) but perhaps some inquiries in the UK may lead to something.

Cheers!

greenmanyyz wrote:I just saw an item on a new printer from Casio in Japan

http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news-18 ... Japan.html

No word on it in North America (Canada) but perhaps some inquiries in the UK may lead to something.

Cheers!

That seems what I've been looking for after all this time, although it will be interesting to see what kind of card they recommend, or are they using photo paper which would defeat the object, as yet i have not found out what they recommend.
Thanks for pointing that out greenmanyz.

hi
on boots.com they do a thing where you can upload your pictures and they will send them too you in postcard format. its via there photo section. perhaps even the store?
barryl

davyj wrote:Thanks for your reply michael, basically i need paper/card that would make a postcard look good, i have tried some of these 6X4 photographic papers you get in small packets, but they are not thick enough, also went into jessops yesterday and asked the assistant what i was looking for ( i might as well of been an alien) she did not have a clue!
Michael when i say photo paper, i need to be able to print my own photo on the front glossy side, but also do my own postcard back.
I will see if i can find some ilford paper, but really i really need something i can print on the back.
Anyone else got any ideas ??
Does anyone else make their own postcards ??

Hi there, I have made my own postcards using my inkjet printer and the came out quite well. You will ideally need some 320gsm+ double sided paper (gloss one side, matt the other). Alas it is quite hard to find.

Photospeed Photo Duo is what I ended up using, it is a double sided photo paper, with a lustre finish on one side and matt on the other, meaning you can print good quality front and back. Plus a user can actually write easily on the back too, one issue I used to find with the Ilford 6x4 multigrade darkroom postcards, was it could be quite hard to write a message on the reverse using a brio. The only problem is it is only 280gsm so it is not card, it reminded me of postcards from the early 1900s, that sort of thin-ish feel.

I also tried Harman Gloss FB, which is a heavy Inkjet Baryta Photo Paper, at 320gsm, it had a great look, but the back wasn't so good as it wasn't designed for printing on. I would not recommend it, but was good fun to try.

I would stay clear of double sided matt inkjet paper, as matt surfaces tend to scuff too esilly.

One issue with making your own postcards using an pigment inkjet printer is cost, if you actually tot up the true cost then they can be more than many people think. My HP B9180 costs about 60-80p in ink for a full A4 sheet (on average) plus about £1.00-1.20 for a good quality sheet of paper, divide by four, and each card could cost up to 50p to make, plus time and effort (or fun depending on your view).

You may be able to find some think card designed for laser printers that is glossy on one side and matt on the other, as dye based inkejet printers usually work ok on this paper, but then longevity is an issue for dye based ink. Most inkjet dye will fade before 25 years is up, if you want your image to last longer than that, you need to use a printer with pigment ink.

Hope this helps.

Try the manufacturers support pages for the particular model.

eg. If you go to the Epson website and look up support for a random model the Stylus S20. If you check drivers & software you'll see a list driver downloads available... the earliest being June 2008.

Thanks for all your replies I still have not decided what to use yet, as soon as i decide i will post on here.
Keep your ideas coming in though.

davyj wrote:I have thought about making my own postcards of my local area, as they seem to be very scarce.
But i seem to be having trouble in getting the right photo paper/card for the job, i have tried ordinary 6X4 photo paper but it really is too flimsy, i have also bought some 6X4 card which is the ideal thickness but it does not go through my new epsom printer.
So the question i ask all of you...
Can anyone recommend any photo paper that would go through a inkjet printer, but would also be stiff enough for use as a postcard ?

Many Thanks In Advance.

hmm - could be a job getting right paper/card - then you need a printer that can take it - idea - print onto a sheet of sticky-back paper, then cut/stick your image onto an existing postcard! - job done! - how unique is that! - you can get loads of ready made 'Rack' Postcards everywhere for this purpose.

davyj wrote:Thanks for all your replies I still have not decided what to use yet, as soon as i decide i will post on here.
Keep your ideas coming in though.

Out of interest, did you decide on what to use in the end?

Unfortunately postcards could get wet in the post, make sure you use waterproof printer ink and moisture resistant cards

I tried to have a go at this myself this afternoon, using Word i managed to knock up an address/message panel on one side and a photo on the face, the cards i chose are 3.5 x 5.5 " but the card is too flimsy. May try the glossy 6x4 cards later.

Inkjet printers don't like doing borderless prints as the overspray can clog up the rollers and stain the cards, but the border doesn't look too intrusive.

[quote="stevlena"]How would you know when ( the year ) an inkjet printer was placed on the market ? There is so many printer models that are on display in computer stores and on manufacturer sites. I want to know when ( the year ) a particular inkjet model was placed on the market so that I can only select from the more recent models.
______________

If you can find the printer you are interested in for sale on Amazon, scroll down the page and you will find a "Date first available at Amazon" line.

This is a good guide to the age of the model, as they generally stock them fairly promptly.