First Batch of Handmade Postcards

After several design attempts I finally came up with a postcard layout I’m happy with. USPS optical scanning machines seem to get confused by the shiny, iridescent film. I refused to give up because I think it looks cool. I rearranged the shiny stuff so the machines wouldn’t mistake it as a postage stamp! Hopefully you received this “artwork” that I put my heart and soul into! Ha.

This was my first experience using toner reactive foil. Each word or shape of shiny stuff was manually placed on the cards before I printed the rest of the information in a second and third pass. It was quite an elaborate assembly undertaking. Probably no one has ever spent so much time making postcards by hand unless they paint or draw them individually! Most “normal people” wouldn’t bother with such an involved process, but I find it somewhat relaxing and satisfying. It had a similar vibe to working on crafting projects, something I also do occasionally in my spare time as a hobby.

To give the postcards a personal, old world feel, I designed the back address side to look like the kind of postcards you find in gift shops. Does anyone still buy those to send back to family and friends while traveling? I hand wrote a short note on each card with my dip pen, nib and Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay India Ink. I have written in journals since I was a kid, so none of this is foreign to me.

My nerdy technical side came up with an entire digital hair tangling app just so I could add the fiery-colored lines near the edges. It was perhaps a silly and completely unnecessary detail to focus on. I figured you groomers and veterinarians might appreciate the intricate detail, since you work around hair all day long! I manually traced the equipment vectors, pulling from my decades of graphic design experience. Web design and development is a career I left behind over a decade ago, but every once in a blue moon I’m able to energize my brain to tinker in that domain again.

Hopefully the idea comes across that I indeed give similar attention and care to my sharpening work. The postcards are more for fun than anything else, and I hope they visually grabbed your attention if you received one in the mail. More importantly, I inspect each piece of your equipment individually, sharpening and adjusting them with the expertise passed on from training with my Dad. Sharpening is an art form similar to design work in that it takes some finesse and ingenuity. The trade requires a steady hand with attention to detail and a soft, delicate touch. I have always been focused on meticulous details rather than a guy who lumbers and fumbles around. Your equipment is in good hands if you send it my way.

I look forward to doing business with each of you, starting today and for years to come!