9 ms·
Show HN: Simple Postcard – Send a photo postcard from a text message
- kenrick95 10y agoOT: Who is Jeff from New York that is being quoted three times in the website?
- jastr 10y agoJust a friend and beta tester with lots of good ideas!
- bornon5 10y agoGiven the tone of the site, I assume it's the creator's friend, or maybe the creator. Personally I think it's a hilarious change from the fake-looking testimonials you usually see on startup sites. Edit: yup. :)
- d0lph 10y agoAlso a Social Network quote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEgk2v6KntY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEgk2v6KntY
- speps 10y agoWhy do you need pay after you sent the text? A lot of TV shows make you pay for the amount as part of the charge for the text for example.
- nathancahill 10y agoTV shows are integrated with carriers.
- jastr 10y agoExactly! I looked for a way/API to integrate with carriers but couldn't find one.
- penagwin 10y agoWell you could use a service to do it I believe. However the service fee would be large compared to it's price.
- nathancahill 10y agoI believe Twilio supports this starting around $1M.
- rm_-rf_slash 10y agoI have noticed a mild resurgence in postcards now that we are all officially sick and tired of text and email, and it's far more personal than asking someone to look at your Facebook photo album. But... Why do we send postcards? Is it for the pretty image? Is it for the message? Yes, but ultimately it's because you want to share an experience with someone that matters to you, and you want them to know that you are thinking of them as more than just a fleeting thought. Otherwise, a text message with an image or video suffices. Bottom line: Simple Postcard would be a lot more interesting if we could physically write in them before they are sent. Just don't take this as a suggestion to use AI to put pen to paper and mimic our handwriting from samples, because that's plain creepy.
- hellbanner 10y agoToo late: http://feltapp.com/ http://feltapp.com/ turns your touchscreen handwriting into movements by a robot with a felt pen.
- rm_-rf_slash 10y agoStill, it's not quite the same. I want to press my pen to the paper. I want to screw up and scratch it out and remind whomever I'm sending my postcard to that I am a real human being that dares take an extra five minutes out of the day because I care about them. But maybe if you're sending the same postcard to a lot of people, I could understand why this would be useful. Then again, I would probably just buy multiple postcards and write something different for each person.
- imajes 10y agoTotally agree, which is why we're looking to solve this problem a different way. http://www.facebook.com/greetpoint http://www.facebook.com/greetpoint - join our #handwrittenrevolution! :)
- hellbanner 10y agoHi, I clicked your facebook, then your home page, then "learn more" and I still didn't know what you did! I'm not going to sign up for an email just from a slogan.. I suggest you explain your product right on your FB & Homepage so visitors can understand.
- 27182818284 10y agoThere was a similar thing years ago on HN that was like $4 for a postcard with the image you uploaded. It went defunct, though. I really liked the idea and did try to use it, but it was already in the process of being shut down by its creator.
- gricardo99 10y agoyep. Maybe this one's a bit more simplified, but various iterations of this concept over the years (just search any app store for postcard apps): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8154009 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8154009 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2437819 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2437819 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10726897 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10726897 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9003880 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9003880
- bryan11 10y agoExcellent idea for parents and grandparents that may not be into computers and the internet. Even for those that are, having a physical photo and note show up in the mailbox would be a great thing to brighten their day.
- jastr 10y agoI've received really nice feedback from mothers and girlfriends!
- m_t 10y ago> Only in the US. We'll support international postcards soon. I can't wait!
- nxzero 10y agoAlways wondered why postal services don't offer something like this for letters that a sender requires be sent by mail, but giving it to the carrier digitally is okay. If it was in major cities, literally be possible to send a letter same day.
- IanCal 10y agoIs there anything that falls into this category which couldn't be done with a fax?
- nxzero 10y ago- Signed receipt - Proof of receipt - Proof of ID - Time of receipt - Proof of address - Etc
- IanCal 10y agoDoes anyone requiring these accept a printed out version but not a fax?
- jacalata 10y agoA lot of these are requirements around the delivery metadata, not the item being delivered.
- IanCal 10y agoOh I see, sorry I'd entirely misunderstood. I was thinking of it on the side of sending things to (say) a bank, rather than the bank sending things to you. Interesting, thanks.
- jacalata 10y agoNo, I was thinking of me sending things to a bank as well. Like supporting documentation for a loan application which must be received by close of business on this date or the loan will fall through - it may not need to be an original document, but it is in my interest to have third party confirmation that it was received before the deadline.
- stevecalifornia 10y agoI just came back from a 10 day solo vacation to Europe. Rather than post updates on Facebook I sent postcards to close friends and family each day. It was a lot of fun taking time out of every day to go find a few nice postcards and send a handwritten note. I think the recipients really enjoyed it as well. I'm surprised postcards are around still-- but maybe they'll make a resurgence as people seek to rebuild stronger connections than social media facilitates.
- Swizec 10y agoI did this on an 8000km roadtrip around Europe. Every couple if days, I sent out 20 to 30 postcards. Two years later, I still see them on people's walls. The instagrams lay forgotten only dredged up by facebooks memory algorithms. Sometimes. Maybe. Even then only for me. Postcards >>> social media.
- stevecalifornia 10y agoMy daughter hung her postcards over her bed. I caught her in the middle of the night looking at them with a flashlight. ;)
- mxuribe 10y agoThat is absolutely awesome! I think I might do this same for my daughter (and wife)!
- solotronics 10y agomust. resist. joke opportunity.
- foobarrio 10y agoI make my own post cards by printing out a photo that I took on the trip. This lets me practice my local language skills trying to find a printshop and getting a photo printed and mailed. It is definitely loads of fun.
- jkmcf 10y agoCan I send a GIF? We don't have the technology to print GIFs yet. We have some interns working on it. Hilarious!
- DanBC 10y agoExcept there are a bunch of services that print gifs to lenticular prints for an animated effect. Here's one, but there are others: http://gifpop.io/products/patakk-six http://gifpop.io/products/patakk-six
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- Tloewald 10y agoFunny how this is a faux question with a faux answer from people who don't realize GIFs were first and foremost _still_ images.
- 20andup 10y agoWow. I really love this idea. Simple and impactful to the receiver. Really makes people reminisce the days before technology took over our lives.
- JustSomeNobody 10y agoNeat idea. I wonder if the scaling/cropping algorithm is smart enough to handle 4:3 images without chopping people's heads.
- jastr 10y agoIt's pretty basic. We scale and crop the minimum amount to fit the card. It would be pretty cool to try something more advanced like facial rec or seam carving [0]! [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NcIJXTlugc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NcIJXTlugc
- Sir_Cmpwn 10y agohttps://github.com/jwagner/smartcrop.js/ https://github.com/jwagner/smartcrop.js/
- JustSomeNobody 10y agoIs there a preview before paying? (Sorry, if I missed that in the FAQ).
- jastr 10y agoNo, not at this time, but please let me know if a card doesn't come out to your liking.
- mxuribe 10y agoI don't know what it is, but there's something about this that i like. Maybe its the "do one thing, and do it right" aspect. (Though it remains to be seen if they do it right.) But I for one wish these guys good luck!
- vonklaus 10y agoWhat kind of progress are the interns making?
- ben_pr 10y agoWhat Payment Gateway are you using? If I'm not mistaken this qualifies as a micro payment (< $5) and the transactions fees can be rather high on a $2 purchase.
- jastr 10y agoStripe
- chakalakasp 10y agoI hope you have some human doing image QC or I envision a long conversation with Postal Inspectors regarding all the dick pic postcards that you're sending. BTW, that said, this reminds me a little bit of rather elegant app developed by Bill Atikinson, "Photo Card", which aims to convert photos in iOS to postcards on demand.
- chipperyman573 10y ago>Postal Inspectors Those exist? I thought that nobody (including the government) was supposed to look at, touch, or investigate mail (except from prisons IIRC)
- tgokh 10y agoThey're federal agents within the Postal Service. Legally, you can't mail any "obscene, lewd, lascivious, indecent, filthy or vile article, matter, thing, device, or substance"
- chipperyman573 10y agoInteresting. How do porn magazines, fleshlights, etc ship?
- dflock 10y agoInside a brown paper package or envelope, unlike a postcard.
- chipperyman573 10y agoSo the inspectors can only look at the packaging, not touch them?
- grahamburger 10y agoI'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that 'Jeff' is at least glancing at each photo before sending it out. (In between complaining about the name and the lack of an app, at least.) Or maybe they're having the interns do it. EDIT: That or they're using an algorithm. Lol love the dry copy.
- lsb 10y agoI really enjoy the US Postal Service's $0.39 stamped postcards. There's a blank front, which makes it convenient to sketch what I'm seeing when I'm writing the message. (A few parks, like Yosemite, will frank the stamp from "Yosemite National Park", which is an even more special treat for the recipient.) They are quite a good value for the money if you are ever in the USA and wish to correspond with friends and are artistic. :)
- lmcnish14 10y agoI love this idea. My cousin and I have been sending each other postcards frequently for years. She's always good about sending them often while I'm only good at purchasing neat postcards with the intent to send them.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- ikawe 10y agoI just sent a picture postcard to a friend for $2. This was a really nice speedy flow. For some reason I expect the sms interface to be more human and cheeky. I guess it's the weird AI chat bot trend.
- yaiu 10y agoThere aren't any example shots of the post cards.. How do these things look? I've stayed away from similar products because they have logos and unwanted crap on them.
- jastr 10y agoGood idea, I'll add some samples in a bit. There's nothing on them except what you add.
- ndespres 10y agoI've been using Postagram (https://sincerely.com/postagram https://sincerely.com/postagram) for a few years to send a card to my grandmother regularly from my smartphone. The cards look great, cost $1, and have the image in a perforated square which can be punched out of the card, with the description on the back. They have a solid app with tracking and history. Hard to beat that, but maybe the feature that Simple Postcard has is fitting the image to a 4x6 area (full front of the card) rather than the smaller square (3x3", I think) on the Postagrams.
- bdcravens 10y agoI assume it's built using Twilio + Lob API? https://lob.com/services/postcards/pricing https://lob.com/services/postcards/pricing
- jastr 10y agoYes :) and Stripe. All held together by Django.
- elif 10y agoIt occurred after sending the MMS, that this page could simply be an elaborate attempt to flood some guy with random pics. I would recommend buying a 5 digit MMS number, to add some more obvious legitimacy to the service.
- jastr 10y agoI'll look into that! Thanks. Edit: Short codes cost $500 on Twilio :O https://www.twilio.com/help/faq/short-codes/can-i-send-or-receive-mms-with-my-short-code https://www.twilio.com/help/faq/short-codes/can-i-send-or-re...
- YeGoblynQueenne 10y ago"How do you fit my photo to a 4x6 card? We use an algorithm to scale and crop your image to fit the card. Can I send a GIF? We don't have the technology to print GIFs yet. We have some interns working on it." This is a prank, right?
- misframer 10y agoI'd probably take it more seriously if they had a terms of service and privacy policy.
- kittxkat 10y agoThe swiss post does allow you to send any picture as a postcard, even for free: https://postcardcreator.post.ch https://postcardcreator.post.ch
- rocky1138 10y agoFor GIF postcards, they should print as lenticular images! The GIF would actually play as you angle the postcard.
- markbao 10y agoVery fun – I've already sent 5. The cost is very impulse-purchase friendly, and it's a lot easier than the effort of going to the store to get cards printed out and putting stamps on and such, though less personal because of lack of handwriting. Is the current price introductory pricing or do you think it would be sustainable long-term? Seems low to me for on-demand printing, but I haven't seen the quality of the cards.
- thesimon 10y agoLob charges $0.70 per card, seems sustainable. Edit: Stripe charges a hefty 2.8% + 30ct, so 35ct fees for that. 1ct for Twilio. $1.06 in costs, so a $0.94 margin. Seems ok for a (probably small maintenance side project)
- tawayhn 10y agoI remember seeing something similar being pitched on one of the Shark Tank episodes, excep t that I think it was a phone app where you had to install it on your phone