The Great Postcard Debate: Cardstock or Official Paper?

[lkprescott]

Okay, so I went to Staples last night to get some cardstock to print out my postcards and noticed they had 'official' postcard paper which is perforated for easily going from full page to 4 postcards a page.

So I grabbed a pack and the cardstock and something else and had sticker shock at the register. When I got home, I started doing more thinking and started wondering what other folks do for postcards.

Do you buy the postcard paper? Or do you just print on cardstock and cut apart?

 

[whiteyteresa]

I use 4 x 6 Blank Index cards

You can get 100 for 92 cents

I use these cards for so much stuff - I love these cards

I more thing - when buying your index cards - look for white ones - Staples usually have off white, Wal-Mart has white only - I think white looks alot better

~

 

[lkprescott]

So do you print each one individually then? I'm looking to feed mine through an HP printer.

 

[whiteyteresa]

I put a stack in my Lexmark and let them go.

I don't know anything about how they print with other printers

~

 

[jcsmilez]

Generally I just print mine on thick card stock and then cut them - that gives me a little more flexibility in size as opposed to the perforated ones. So then printing with our discount card at Office max at $.39 a page it comes out to $.10 a card (when you bring your own card stock). Crazy thing to watch out for though, apparently our discount doesn't apply if we use their card stock! I'm still looking for good quality card stock that I can get in bulk - any suggestions anyone?PS I just learned that its only $.29 a page to print color at Office Depot. I wonder if our discount will apply to their card stock?

 

[finley1991]

I've done both - the cardstock and the index cards. I prefer the index cards because then I can just print what I need. I can't get them in the HP printer though without them being formatted funny so I use my canon printer.

 

[chefann]

I use letter-size cardstock and cut them apart after printing. Then I can use the bright stock and have colored postcards, like Nancy's Artworks used to have. And I can run them through the printer twice, once on each side, and print my name and address in the return address area.

 

[finley1991]

That's why I LOVE my Canon.. prints on both sides without doing it manually! (Yes, I am lazy!)

 

[lkprescott]

Thanks for the input guys! The postcards I got ended up being a package of 200 postcards for $20.66... I got enough cardstock to make 400 postcards for $9.32! Plus their colors I like vs plain ol' white. The math is a no-brainer but wasn't sure if there was any advantage to printing on the 'official' postcards vs the cardstock. I'm definitely taking these postcards back to the store for a refund.

 

[chefann]

That's why I LOVE my Canon.. prints on both sides without doing it manually! (Yes, I am lazy!)

I was too chea... er, frugal, to pay for the duplexer for my laser printer. And I so seldom actually print double-sided, it was probably a good decision. Although there is that occasional item... (which I usually end up printing at work. shhhh...)

 

[finley1991]

HAHA! Mine's not a laser printer... just an inkjet. So I'm chea.... too!