Postcard Exchange - Round 5

[Nige]

Round 5 of the postcard exchange is calling for participants. Since I was early last round, I thought I'd get go back to being late. Good thing this isn't something with a tight deadline! I'll also attempt to correct some spelling mistakes I keep cutting'n'pasting in this messages.

Current (and new participants who've already sent their info) members will been emailed so no need to reply here. Anyone else with an interest, read on...

We now have 'rounds' of postcards where everyone on the list sends everyone else a postcard during the 'print and post' month which occurs each 3mths (4 times a year). There are currently approximately 20 members. The postcards are predominately B&W prints but there have been alternative processes, but anythings welcome.

The upcoming schedule is :

Round 5
November :Sign On
December : Print and Post
January : R&R (from Xmas!)

Round 6
February :Sign On
March : Print and Post
April : R&R


If you're interested, email ( nigel@apug.org ) or PM, your full name, address, APUG name and email I can contact you at (I send out the mailing list)

Cheers!

Edited to remove Xmas in April reference! doh!

 

[BWKate]

Hi Nige,

I've signed up for this round. When can I expect an email with the list? No hurry, just wondering. I'm making the postcards now and I was also wondering what people write on the postcards?
Thanks
Kate

 

[Dave Miller]

Hi Nige,

I've signed up for this round. When can I expect an email with the list? No hurry, just wondering. I'm making the postcards now and I was also wondering what people write on the postcards?
Thanks
Kate

Some write nothing; others their life history, it's up to you.

 

[Nige]

Kate, did you get my email? The final list with addresses gets sent at the end of this month.

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

Some write nothing; others their life history, it's up to you.

Dave writes a very detailed summary of where the picture was taken and how it was processed and printed. Most write at least the camera and film type used. I usually write the location, camera and film details.

 

[Nige]

I usually say "G'Day"

One day I'll include what my kids have been up to, how the dogs are behaving, etc ...

 

[BWGirl]

Hi Nige,

I've signed up for this round. When can I expect an email with the list? No hurry, just wondering. I'm making the postcards now and I was also wondering what people write on the postcards?
Thanks
Kate

Well, hello, BWKate! Glad to see another BW-female here! haha

I generally write what the thing is, the film I used & the developer and any interesting (or at least normal) printing facts.

 

[BWKate]

Hi back to the other BW female on the site. I always enjoy reading your posts.
Thanks to everyone for the comments. It gives me some ideas on what to write on the cards. I'm excited to see what this whole adventure will produce. Now if I can just decide which image to print.

BWKate

 

[gr82bart]

I think I'll try this out for one round. PM sent Nige.

Art.

 

[BWKate]

After a very long and productive night in the darkroom I have finished printing my postcards. Hope 20 is enough. I've made a couple extras because I'm not sure if the list is still at 20. This will be interesting because no one has seen any of my photos. I don't have any photo editing software on my computer so I can't change the image size of any photos I have scanned so have not posted anything yet. I'm not the administrator on our computer so cannot download any free software. Trying to convince partner to buy "Elements" and he's close to caving in.


BWKate

 

[Ole]

BWKate,

Get Irfanview. Free from http://www.irfanview.com , small, fast, does everything you need to resize pictures and adjust the tones for posting pictures. If you can't download it, I can email it to you (it's less than 1 Mb).

Cheap at half the price

BTW, I'm sitting out this round (too). I'll have to see if I can get some printed before I sign up for another round!

 

[BWKate]

Thanks for the link Ole,

I have an Emac G4 Mac computer and I didn't see anything there for Mac OS X systems. Appreciate the thought, though. I'll get there, yet. We have photoshop at the nonprofit artist center I belong to. When I changed the size of the photo it was really small on the screen and very pixelated when I tried viewing it larger? All the photos I see in the gallery look fine when they are larger. I'm afraid mine will look awful when made bigger on the screen. I'll ask our web guy at Xchanges and maybe he can enlighten me.


BWKate

 

[Rlibersky]

I back in this time.

 

[jimgalli]

Being somewhat dense, I need to understand this. You actually put a stamp on the verso of a 4X6 photo and mail it off unprotected? Do they get mushed and bent and tattered? Any other "rules"?

 

[Aggie]

That is part of the charm Jim, the way it is treated in the mail. Ilford postcard stock is RC paper so it holds up better. I found the pearl coat further protects it. The glossy tends to get scratched in the mail. Besides it is so much fun getting all the postcards. I usually send out more than I receive.

I might be persuaded to part with a couple of my precious boxes of postcard stock for a good deal on a future lens?

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

Most of them arrive relatively unscathed, but a few get the odd scratch, especially the glossies as Aggie said.
Also, depending on where you are, you're not necessarily limited to 4 x 6 for a postcard. I think here we can go nearly but not quite up to 5 x 7.

 

[jimgalli]

I might be persuaded to part with a couple of my precious boxes of postcard stock for a good deal on a future lens?

LOL since I've still got all of your previous lenses.....how could I go wrong?? Actually I'm thinking the J&C museum weight cut to size might have the look and feel of 1919 AZO RPPC's.

 

[matt miller]

I usually send out more than I receive.

That's no kidding. The last round is at 65% right now. It was still very much worth it though.

By the way, I sent 3x4 azo contacts mounted to 4x5 2-ply mat board. As far as I know they all survived ok. At least until the recipients threw them in the trash.

 

[Nige]

...At least until the recipients threw them in the trash.

haha! as if! yes it survived fine! In fact I think I've seen more different fine and alternative printing techniques through the postcard exchange than normal sized prints! Some exqusite skills have been shown.

As to the size of postcards, a new member for this round had the same question, and went off and found this document ( http://www.usps.com/customersguide/_pdf/DMM100.pdf ) which shows in the U.S. the sizes are quite defined, although maybe they don't enforce them as strictly as they could as we've had some larger postcards at times. I haven't looked for an Aussie equivalent document.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Usually when there have been larger postcards, they have first class letter postage in the US. I'm not sure if that means they get the letter rate internationally or the postcard rate, but it might depend on the country of destination.

You can send a larger postcard, in other words, but you most likely have to give it the same amount of postage as a letter.

 

[Bob F.]

In the UK postcards are officially between 90mm x 140mm and 120mm x 235mm. However... as they long ago abolished the special postal rate for postcards and they now go at the same price as normal letters, I assume we can send them up to letter size which is 900mm maximum length+width+depth. So theoretically, could send a 16"x19" postcard...

Cheers, Bob.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I So theoretically, could send a 16"x19" postcard...

...which my mail carrier will smoosh into my 4x6" mailbox.

 

[Flotsam]

would dry mounting the print to oaktag, (or something of similar weight that is acid-free) work for post card creation?
How many cards do you have to send?
When is the next round?

 

[BWGirl]

would dry mounting the print to oaktag, (or something of similar weight that is acid-free) work for post card creation?
How many cards do you have to send?
When is the next round?

I have received quite a few postcards that have been mounted on one substance or another. I'm sure this is acceptable. Just check www.usps.gov to see if there are other requirements (like the line down the back between the address area & the note area).

I'm sure that Nigel will respond about the quantity... I've found it's generally between 18 and 25 postcards.

Right now is the next round! Check the very top of this post to see Nigel's schedule. You are just in time to get in on this round!
I, for one, hope you do!

 

[reellis67]

In retrospect, I think you guys are right on about the postage. The size requirement for postcards is most likely just for the lower postal rate. I seem to remember sending a panoramic postcard about 10 years ago that required the standard stamp rate, which was much less then than it is now...

Also, thanks for the tip about RC holding up better. It is much more rigid and seems like it would last well. I have a small part of a 25 pack of Ilford Satin finish that I may try to use to avoid the more obvious handling damage that glossy finish apparently suffers.

Does anyone mount flush to the edges on cardstock and stamp the backs of their cards? I was considering mounting the prints to archival cardstock to stiffen them up a bit and to allow me to make a postcard-type design for the back.

- Randy