The Battle is On E-postcards Or Print Postcards?

The battle is on. Which of the two do you prefer? E-postcards or print postcards?

The internet has revolutionized the way we do usual business. We now do everything online - we order flowers online, we buy books online, and we even send greeting cards online. Everything from buying to selling is being transacted online, nowadays.

However, why not pause for a while and think whether doing it online is better than doing it in person. What do you think? Will it be more convenient? Definitely.

Gone were the days when you would do everything all by yourself. Gone were the days when you would personally need to go to the bookshop for the purpose of browsing through their collections. Gone were the days when you have to smell and touch the flowers before making a purchase. Right now, everything has become a little bit impersonal.

Take for example postcards, would you prefer to get an E-postcard or a printed one? Well, let us see what has more advantages (or disadvantages).

First, print postcards does carry more weight – literally and figuratively. This just means that with these cards, your thoughts and sentiments get more personal because you wrote it yourself. Thus, it has more weight or value to the recipient. E-postcards just do not achieve this kind of desired effect. It is only something that makes you smile but does not actually touch your heart.

In the literal sense, a print postcard has 'weight' because it is something that is tangible or something that is real and solid. You could actually see and feel its texture. Hence, it can be kept for a long time unlike an e-postcard, which is just a screen image. It can also serve another purpose like a wall frame. Not like the E-version, which goes directly to your online trash or recycle bin.

Second, print postcards are designed to be more personal. They were designed and printed with you in mind. It does not get more personal than that. Add to that the efforts of the company to design and negotiate with a postcard printing company.

Third, print postcards are easily accessible. It goes directly to the hands of your intended recipients. Meanwhile, for an e-postcard to be accessed, one need to go into such a circuitous route, first. For your intended recipient to be able to view the E-postcard you sent, they need to have access to a personal computer first or PDA phone first. Moreover, mind you, we are not talking about internet connection yet. Assuming that they have an access, they also need to go into the website which is hosting the postcard before they even get to see it.

So what do you think is the verdict? Postcard printing is definitely still worth keeping and definitely worth all the trouble that goes with it. There is no denying that the convenience offered by an E-postcard is too much to ignore. On the other hand, the hassles of going through the motion of designing and reproducing your postcard printing make it more worthwhile for your target recipients.

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in print postcards or postcard printing industry.