August and Everything Postcard

Above is the image I used for my August postcard; I send it out to family, friends, coworkers, clergy, etc. If you would like to use the image above for your own postcard, feel free to do so.

How do you make a postcard out of the image? Easy!

Right-click the image and save it to your computer (I recommend the desktop)
Go to vistaprint.com and click on “Print, Advertising, and Office” and select “Postcard” from the drop-down
From there, simply follow the prompts.

You can put something on the back to make it look more like a postcard. I think they have templates for that sort of thing. If not, here’s a generic one I created just now:

You can use that if you like. Canva has a bunch of images that are far prettier than the one above. I recommend going there.

Because I have a lot of people I send these out to, I create a spreadsheet in Google Sheets and export it as labels. I use Avery 8160 labels. I adjust the margins every so slightly because they don’t print out exactly as I like. I’ll print the labels on a regular piece of copy paper and hold them behind a page of the Avery labels against a light to see if everything lines up properly.

For my return address, I use a stamp I also got from Vistaprint. It was relatively cheap considering I now print nothing on the back side of the postcards to reduce the printing cost. If you’re going to print the backing, you can add your return address in Vistaprint’s designer software.

For postage, I get postcard stamps from the post office. They’re a lot cheaper than Forever stamps. Unfortunately, the post office doesn’t stock postcard stamps too often so I get them from USPS.com and have them shipped to my house. It costs for shipping, but it’s still cheaper than getting Forever stamps, assuming I get a roll of 100 or more.

Don’t be discouraged if your recipients don’t acknowledge your sentiment. People are busy. In some cases, they may not even want a postcard. If they tell you so, discontinue. Until then, keep sending. You never know who you’ll impact in a positive way! For instance, this particular design is a favorite with one of my nieces. She loves the image and carries the card around with her. On top of that, many of my recipients give me positive feedback. But that’s not why I do it. I do it to stay in touch and let people know I care about them and I want to brighten their day. A little bit of good energy goes a long way.