Can 4x6 RC paper be used as postcards?

[david b]

I am just curious. Can 4x6 RC paper be used as postcards?

 

[John Koehrer]

I'm a thinkin' it may be a bit too flexible for the PO to handle on their sorting machines & may shred during sorting. Just the speed at which those things run is enough to cause the print to flex enough to jam. There were some post card size peel & stick thingy's that wold go on the back of an RC print though.

 

[Troy]

I've used it with success. I did, however, put a 3x4 sticky mailing label on the back for some stiffness and a non-coated place to write.

 

[reellis67]

I used 5x7 fiber paper once, and it seemed to hold up well enough. At least no one emailed and said their card was toast. How much heavier is postcard paper than regular RC paper anyway? (it's been while since I held a piece of RC other than postcard paper)

- Randy

 

[Bob F.]

Standard MGIV-RC has a 190g/m² base and the Portfolio base used for Ilford Postcard paper has a 250g/m² base. Sticking a label on standard RC paper looks the best way to go if you want to use standard RC.

Cheers, Bob.

 

[Dave Miller]

I've used standard 7x5 with a lable on the back.

 

[kb244]

My co-worker said "or you could buy a Canon dye-sub printer with the post card marks on the back"

I basically told him, "they would hate you for saying that"

I wonder if theres an easy way to get thicker backs on RC paper... sounds like a cool idea.

 

[gchpaco]

I know Ilford has extra-thick RC paper--their RC portfolio series, if memory serves. It has the 250g/m2 paper base that the postcard paper has, and you can get it in 5x7. You'll have to deal with the printing on the back on your own, but I was seriously considering this when the 4x6s looked like they were gone and not coming back.

 

[JHannon]

I see some very thin stuff running (like the reader return cards in magazines). Keep to postcard specs and make sure there is room for the barcode on the bottom front and it should be OK. Keep in mind that an orange ID tag will also be printed on the back (bottom left) right over the photo. You can also stiffen the card as was suggested, it may help.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

The Ilford postcard stock is on Portfolio weight paper.

Some people have used postcard labels to stiffen up postcards on thin paper. I think B&H or maybe Porter's sells the labels. If you're really ambitious, you could drymount to 2-ply.

 

[removed account4]

i used to send rc paper in the mail all the time.
writing on the back is a pain.

sometimes it arrives kind of shredded, but don't we all

john

 

[nk.]

I’ve made postcards from fiber paper prints a couple of times. I've found that attaching them to a piece of cardstock using wheat paste (made from wheat starch, not flour) is best as the wheat paste adds a bit of stiffness. They tend to hold up really well. Only thing that is kind of annoying is that the print can be marred by the postal system if there is an area of pure white.

 

[nworth]

It probably depends on where you live. Each country has its own rules about postcard size, shape, and material. Although I'm not certain about the US postal regulations in this matter, I note that many of the return postcards used by businesses like book clubs in the US are about the same weight as medium weight photographic paper, but they are often made from less substantial material.