Postcard Printing: Outsource, or Do It Yourself?

When you print, or have postcards printed, you have a number of options and choices. 

To start, postcard preparation can be divided into fixed printing and variable printing. Fixed printing refers to the content that stays the same on every card, regardless of recipient. This would include the 'picture' face of the card, and the non-address half of the other side.

Variable printing refers to the name and address on the right half, which obviously, will change for every postcard (hence the term ‘variable'). Other parts of the card could be variable, as well, but let's think of them as fixed (unless we plan a really sophisticated printing process).

We shouldn't forget the stamp, either, while considering the right half. In some countries, you can purchase stamps electronically (these look like they were printed with a postage meter). Others, though, don't offer this service, so you have to use a postage meter, or starting sticking on the stamps yourself. Some experts in this field say affixing a real stamp brings in better results. You, of course, should test that for yourself.

Many marketers outsource the fixed printing, to a company that specializes in postcard printing, and do the variable printing themselves. Beyoind a certain point, say a few thousand or more, it makes sense to completely outsource the printing. Similarly, you would only take on the traditional stamping process if the numbers were modest.

If the names and addresses come from your own list, and there aren't a huge number of them, then you'll probably do that part of the printing yourself. You put the data from your list into a mail merge program or the mail merge function of your word processor, and start running the cards through your desktop printer.

Once again, your decisions will reflect the number of cards you plan to print. For a thousand or less, outsource the fixed printing and do the variable printing yourself. When considering postcard printing, or any other type of printing for that matter, keep in mind the set-costs incurred by the printers. Setting up for mail merge can be expensive.

In any case, check out the options to find out what works out best, considering the amount of time and money available to you. A good starting point would be to consult with a postcard printing, such as PsPrint to identify your outsourced costs.