Fiber paper in the mail

[Fall]

I've had an idea that I could send a 4x5 fiber print as a postcard for my friends in Germany, France and Russia. Has anyone done this before? My idea was maybe to do some kind of wax coating or something, as you do with van dike prints, salts etc. do you all have any process recommendation to try and make it be a little more tough? Or maybe this is a stupid idea ?

 

[Fall]

П

I've had an idea that I could send a 4x5 fiber print as a postcard for my friends in Germany, France and Russia. Has anyone done this before? My idea was maybe to do some kind of wax coating or something, as you do with van dike prints, salts etc. do you all have any process recommendation to try and make it be a little more tough? Or maybe this is a stupid idea ?

Asking, as I've done some interesting scenic classic-cheesy photos of landmarks and want to share my Americana

 

[jim appleyard]

Not stupid at all. Ilford used to (still does?) make postcard paper. You printed your photo on the front and on the back it had the place for an address, stamp and your letter. I'm told that you can do this with any 4x6 print. Paper w/o writing on the back is best. Check with your Post Office to make sure.

 

[Roger Thoms]

Check out the postcard exchange here on Photrio, I think it’s up in the forties. People send all types of photo paper through the mail, yeah occasionally they get mauled a bit but most the time they come through just fine. Your fiber paper will be fine just flatten it good before your sent it.

Roger

 

[Fall]

Oh wow cool! I'll check that ilford paper out and I'll try to find this forum. Sounds really neat. So it's a bad idea to just write on the back of a print and put stamps on it?

 

[tedr1]

No it is not a bad idea at all, the mail services look for the presence of the stamp and the address, that's all, they are indifferent to whatever else is present on either side. Think of the junk mail you receive, it is covered in imagery on both sides often with just a small box for the address. Your prints will be fine. I wouldn't bother to add any special coating.

 

[hacked - sepiareverb]

DW fiber paper is fine in the mail, as would be most PE papers I would guess.

 

[mooseontheloose]

You'll be fine. I've been participating in the Postcard Exchange for 10 years now (!) and have received all kinds of prints that have been sent directly in the mail (not in an envelope, although some people do that too). The most common postcard is the RC postcard you can get from Ilford - it has the traditional lines on the back that most postcards have for addresses, plus it's of thicker stock so is pretty durable in the mail. I've been using Fujibro paper (RC) which is much thinner, but I write all my details on white labels which helps make it more secure, and I've never had anyone tell me it didn't get to them alright. Some people do send fibre prints, alternative process prints (also, usually on fibre), and even instant prints, small as they are. As long as your photo is within the dimensions for what the post office will accept for the postcard rate, you can pretty much send anything, as long as you've got the address and postage stamp on the back.

 

[jim appleyard]

The Ilford paper I was thinking of was a FB paper and it was graded; 3 IIRC. Now it seems that it's just made in RC, but that should do fine, although the grade FB was a nice paper.

Dead Link Removed

 

[Doremus Scudder]

I used to send a lot of 5x7 or slightly smaller prints through the mail. My approach was slightly different. I made cards by folding 1- or 2-ply cotton-rag paper and mounted the prints inside. Then found appropriately-sized envelopes. Worked great and I could sign below the print.

Best,

Doremus

 

[Molli]

If you want to thicken up your paper slightly and also give yourself an easy surface on which to write, feel free to print out my DIY postcard back. It's sized to be glued to a piece of 5x7 paper, but you can resize it to whatever size you need. Have fun!
File attached:

 

[MattKing]

I've been participating in the APUG (now Photrio) Postcard exchange for just about all of the last 30 rounds.
I've received all manner of postcards, and most seem to have withstood well the vagaries of the postal service.
Some people prefer to send their cards in envelopes, but I kind of like seeing the wear and other effects that travelling thousands of kilometres (in some cases) imparts.
The Ilford Postcard paper is on their extra weight Portfolio RC stock and it serves the purpose admirably.
I use regular weight RC stock and add adhesive labels for comments and addresses. Based on feedback received, that approach seems to stand up well. I have been sending a card to myself most times, and except for the time it didn't arrive, it seems to work well.
I certainly have received un-protected fibre based paper postcards, and they have generally survived well, but as best as I can recall they were usually on heavier, double-weight paper.
I think fibre based cards may be more prone to slight damage on the corners.