A Touchnote postcard of Pacific Grove BB Editor-in-Chief Annaliese Griffin sent me from her recent trip to California. Photo: Jordan Galloway
Between the backyard barbecues, World-Cup watching parties, weddings, and whatever else you’ve been up to since Memorial Day Weekend, we hazard to guess that you’ve probably racked up a fair amount of snapshots from your summer. Recently we’ve come across a bespoke way to share some of these memories with far-flung friends and family that’s cooler than social media, and a much better way to say “wish you were here” than a coffee mug or refrigerator magnet. It’s called Touchnote, and it’s an app that lets you turn your own personal pics into real postcards or greeting cards with customized messages.
Since 2008, Touchnote, which is based in London, has sent millions of customized cards around the globe (200 countries and counting), in just about any language, for less than the cost of a standard card-stock salutation—$1.99 for postcards or $3.98 for greeting cards (including printing and postage). Cards come on glossy stock with a few different layout options, and you can either upload images directly from your computer to their website or download Touchnote’s mobile app for Apple or Android phones or tablets. Buy a pack of credits (you can send 20 postcards for $30, basically), and then use your photo library and contacts to send custom postcards and greetings in less time than it takes to write an email, and without searching for a postcard stamp.
Even though they’re coming from England, Touchnote’s postcards only take 3-5 business days to arrive in mailboxes here stateside (greeting cards can take up to three weeks). While the greeting cards are comparable to the cost of quality cards these days, the price of the postcards is a little steep compared to what you’d find in a souvenir shop, if you’re buying a la carte. If you need a reason to rationalize the added expense, consider this: Being able to snap and send one with your own images is an added touch the postcard’s intended recipient is sure to appreciate every time they see it tacked up on their fridge, and it costs about as much as printing and sending your own pictures would without the hassle of having to go to Walgreens or buying photo paper for your printer. Also, how nice is it to see one of your photos actually printed out for once?
