8 ms·
Show HN: Felt – Personal, handwritten cards mailed from your iPad
- volandovengo 13y agoThis is genius - great job! Also props for having the discipline to code it up from a ski resort! For those of us who don't have ipads I would love the ability to custom send hand written cards from the web. I'd be fine with even somebody else writing them.
- zachgersh 13y agoCurrently taking a long time to respond for me. Might just go find the app in the appstore as your site is getting hammered :)
- mtgentry 13y agoI was skeptical of the idea until I watched the video. Great execution!
- talpert 13y agothank you!
- gwillen 13y agoOk, I was figuring the handwriting would be fake, or produced by some third party. The idea of capturing your own handwriting, and printing it on the card, is pretty ingenious.
- bgrohman 13y agoThis looks like something I could use! When does the Android version come out?
- talpert 13y agoWe'll know once we get a bit further down the road. Thanks for the shout out!
- togasystems 13y agoDoes it work internationally?
- talpert 13y agoNot yet, but definitely something we're planning on.
- ttruett 13y agoI tested this app back in December and was blown away at how realistic the "handwritten" cards looked. Selling a Felt subscription to businesses with the value-add that their sales team could quickly and easily write cards to their customers could prove very lucrative.
- sakai 13y agoQuick question: Are the cards at the bottom good examples of how your printer will render the handwriting (and were they made with or without a stylus)? If so, bravo -- they look great!
- sakai 13y agoFollow-up: And how are you sourcing your card designs? I know a few artists who I'm sure would love to talk to you.
- talpert 13y agoYes, all card images are photos of actual Felt cards written using the app. So, thanks! Some are written using a finger and some are written using a stylus. We found that it comes down to personal preference. A stylus is easier for most people, but some prefer to interact using their finger.
- kmfrk 13y agoI remember when I ordered my mom flowers for Mother's Day (only a diplomatic gesture, since I hate the whole commercial logic of it), and she was quite upset that I had done something so impersonal as to order flowers for her online to have them delivered on the day. I had still picked out the size and combination, mind, but something about it felt insincere to her. Personally, I don't see a problem, but just a word of warning that some feel differently about the concept. Perhaps a safe way to go about it is to send it to people under a certain age.
- darushimo 13y agoSeems like there's a difference here, though? You made your choice from a set of predetermined options. Handwriting (and not handwriting-like fonts) communicates more than just words, but attitude, character, and mood as well. That level of personalization might just translate through this digital -> analog experience.
- kmfrk 13y agoI think the best way to go about it is on a per-occasion and -person basis. A Mother's Day bouquet and card is different from a wedding RSVP. The best way to frame this product could perhaps be in terms of convenience and design rather than personalization. This scales really well for "batch" jobs, if you're sending thank-you letters or answering fan mail, for instance. In that case, there isn't really a problem with the quasi-analogue aspect of it, especially since people know that it's taken the person time and labour to craft the letter. The tricky aspect of it is that you are basically selling a product to two different demographics: the sender and the recipient. And getting the first one on board is, as you say, not that hard with such an interesting product. A good rule of thumb could be to use this in general, but be cautious of using it for annual events where it already feels like we are forced to extend cultural tokens of gestures towards each other?
- jessriedel 13y ago> Handwriting communicates more than just words, but attitude, character, and mood as well. Actually, I think signaling theory strongly suggests that the preference for handwritten notes is rooted in its difficult and time-consuming nature (i.e. a costly signal) rather than the emotional fidelity of the communication.
- b0z0 13y agoAwesome app. Small thing, though - on the homepage, kind of think that when I click play on the video, it should play. Right now, it just sends me to the video, and I have to click play on the bottom left again. Should be pretty easy to change the embed settings on the Vimeo. I had that on my website too.
- jkaunisv1 13y agoGreat idea and execution!
- JumpCrisscross 13y agoIs there a "send on [date]" feature? It would be nice to pre-write birthday greetings, etc.
- talpert 13y agoGoo idea! Not as of yet though, but it'll come for sure!
- kennystone 13y ago"deliver by" would be even better
- jamestanderson 13y agoI love the idea, and great execution too! Just one thing - the domain, feltapp.com, sorta sounds like "felt up." I think that's pretty funny.
- jameshsi 13y agowow, beautiful app! i had a similar idea with a different slant as a side project, centered around the idea of writing a letter to your future self. am currently testing whether or not people would pay to get letters printed and mailed to them. take a look here: http://www.tymdrop.com http://www.tymdrop.com
- ruswick 13y ago$9 seems quite excessive to mail a sheet of paper. I'm not sure whether or not people will be able to justify the inordinate price, and I'm of the opinion that it's simply too hight to be tenable. As an aside, the site crashed upon closing the "learn more" dialog.
- jjs 13y ago> $9 seems quite excessive to mail a sheet of paper. $9.83 is a Starbucks grande latte in Oslo... http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/02/the-starbucks-grande-latte-index.html http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/02/the-starbucks-g...
- jameshsi 13y agoah yes i agree $9 is not low, but i think we need to communicate more of what you'll receive in by mail. we won't send just a sheet of paper, but rather a neatly printed letter on high quality paper (diploma quality stock) with maybe letter pressed adornments. all in all, this a lean startup test of the idea. i'm not married to the price point, and thanks for the feedback!
- moeedm 13y agoGreat idea, but I think you should get a different domain name... "Felt a pp".
- mnicole 13y agoThe idea is great, but you should probably change that writing tool UI. http://www.fiftythree.com/assets/images/paper-header-bg.jpg http://www.fiftythree.com/assets/images/paper-header-bg.jpg vs. http://www.feltapp.com/assets/images/step2_ipad.jpg http://www.feltapp.com/assets/images/step2_ipad.jpg
- mentat 13y agoThey really don't look that similar. Is no one supposed to use toolbars of pens now?
- xkcdfanboy 13y agoI think he was implying that the functionality of Paper is far greater, not the visual similarity -- Freudian slip on your part I suppose ;)
- mnicole 13y agoNo, I was definitely implying that it looks unnecessarily similar.
- bitops 13y agoI really like this application and the idea. What I'd really love is if I could write the note using some kind of stylus on the iPad. Then it would truly handwritten. My "claw" is illegible enough for people to know whether or not I really wrote something by hand or generated it on a computer.
- callmeed 13y agoDid you watch the video? That's exactly what it does.
- r00fus 13y agoI'd say the major issue is that the iPad doesn't "quite" do stylus work well - if you watch the video, the woman doesn't rest her palms on the device when using the stylus. If that actually is supported, I'd be thrilled. I'm pretty good just signing and writing with my finger on a touch surface regardless - I'll have to try it out - I'd love to be able to send something through an app with such an authentic look.
- huntaub 13y agoPeople have always spoken about why 'palm rejection' is important, and I never understood why. I didn't rest my hand on my iPad when I wrote. Then, it came to me. Being left-handed, I could never rest my hand on a page as I would get ink/graphite all over it. Maybe those of us who were less fortunate in the 'handedness' area actually write better on electronic surfaces with styluses.
- oxtopus 13y agoFelt actually does have a pane that you can pull out to block input where you might rest your palm, and the quality using just a finger is surprisingly good.
- niico 13y agoI loved everything about this app.
- ruswick 13y agoThis is not true "handwriting," it is a printing of handwriting. This sort of practice is usually imperfect, and the fact that the note is not written at all is generally pretty conspicuous. Frankly, I think that most people would view this as disingenuous. The whole point of handwritten cards is that their supposed to be, uhhh, handwritten. A printout of something written seems sort of perfunctory, and isn't really better than simply sending a typed note. Indeed, the fact that one is attempting to forgo the work of writing a real card and instead using something like this will just dilute the sentiment of the gesture and appear lazy.
- shawnc 13y agoThere's a service a lot of... how do I say... wannabe entrepreneurs and MLM people use called SendOutCards. It is meant to appear handwritten (you can choose between a few different fonts), and they use it to send cards for birthdays, 'thanks for the meeting', and mass mailings. THEY think it makes them appear like they care, like they're amazing, and like they took the time to write you a handwritten card. You're not stupid, and after you've gotten a few of these, it's just pathetic and has the opposite effect. (Plus, SendOutCards is plastered all over the back of the card with a referral code so the person can sign you up - cause it's an MLM!) Felt isn't trying to attract that same type of user. And it's actually your handwriting. I think, when it's real people genuinely using this to be real - it WILL come across with the right sentiment. I like what they're doing.
- mikeg8 13y agocompletely agreed.
- xkcdfanboy 13y agoAs novel as this app is, I agree. The only market I can see this app appealing to is teeny boppers that have no sense of etiquette. What this app needs is a way to _design_ your own card, so there actually is a reason to have it digitally created. Think clipart + calligraphy with custom papers/stipling. Now you've got a real product.
- talpert 13y agoGreat point. Please consider this as well: when you receive a card in the mail do you think about the person going to the store and buying the card or do you think it's special because it's a handwritten card? At the end of the process a Felt card feels authentic. I'd love to write you one if you'd like. Just email me you address.
- alpb 13y agoLooks really cool and well developed. I'd use it but then I noticed I don't know home addresses of most people as an immigrant here. Most people I know are either my friends or colleagues whom I don't have home addresses of and thus I cannot use this.
- nnnnni 13y ago"MEH going to be expensive ... wait, $3.99? Nice."
- Corrado 13y agoI had the same reaction. I think the last time I purchased a card in the store it was about $4 before postage. So not only is this cheaper than the way I used to do it, it looks better (better envelope) and is more convenient. Now if the had an Android version I would be happy. :)
- taude 13y agoI saw an art show here in Boston at the MFA on post cards, which were a big deal from 1890s - about the 1920s (or whenever radio came in to play): http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/postcard-age http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/postcard-age It's inspired me to try sending hand-written, everyday postcards to friends. Not just post cards from vacation, but home made ones that would normally be photos shared to social networking. I still appreciate how great it feels to receive a handwritten piece of mail every now and then that isn't a bill. And not just reading someone's impersonal FB update.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- hashmymustache 13y agoCan multiple people sign the same card like a yearbook page from separate ipads? I think that would really add value since it replaces the need for everyone to be in the same room.
- quinndupont 13y agoAren't there already a million of these apps? I know that Postcard on the Run gives you the option to scribble in your own signature, and the results are as expected: crappy. I was hoping that this would be a service that provides real handwriting, as in, hire some professionals with beautiful handwriting and streamline the postal service. I'd use it all the time. Also, kudos for making it iPad only :[
- statictype 13y agoLooks pretty neat! Do you do international posting? Sine you haven't mentioned any separate pricing, I guess the answer is 'no' ? Would be nice if this was mentioned somewhere.
- talpert 13y agoWe don't right now. And, agreed! We're adding it to our FAQ.
- notJim 13y agoThis is a great idea, I really like it. I wish I had come up with it. Also, your page needs a <meta charset=utf-8>. You have mojibake here: http://www.feltapp.com/faq.php http://www.feltapp.com/faq.php
- kenferry 13y agoThe smoothing and variable stroke width look pretty good there, a lot like Paper. Care to share what you're doing?
- bmeckel 13y agoJust out of curiosity, how did you get around Apple forcing you to include their payment system in everything? It looks like you need to enter your CC info through the app itself, which Apple usually gets pretty pissy about (the whole in-app purchases.)
- Corrado 13y agoApple doesn't support physical goods in their payment system. Their focus is strictly on in-app tokens and DLC. My guess is that physical goods have too much potential for mistakes and require things like returns and shipping tracking.
- tricolon 13y agoNeat! I would use this if: 1. I didn't need an iPad. 2. you would mail them internationally. 3. you would seal them with a custom wax seal. (This would, of course, be a premium feature.)
- huhtenberg 13y agoWax seal won't survive the mail system.
- xinsight 13y agoNice idea and implementation. One tiny criticism (and an easy fix): The big red button that you tap to send your card looks _way_ too much like a cancel button.
- tempi35 13y agoCould you please elaborate on what technologies you've used to create the app? Very nice movie! Is this professionally made or just home made?
- frankdenbow 13y agoI built a postcard app a little while back but this definitely looks better :-) How are you doing the fulfillment of the cards?
- hrktb 13y agoIt would be great available from outside the US. Instead of going through the trouble of international shipping, one could use this service to send to US residents. At least that's what I use iCards for now.
- fosap 13y agoNice. What is your hardware setup? Is it some fancy automatic machine, or do you fold the card, seal the envelope and add the stamp per hand?
- marknutter 13y agoThere's nothing more irritating than receiving junk mail that has been printed to look as though it was written by hand. It's always immediately obvious and I always find it more offensive than normal junk mail because of the lame attempt to trick me into thinking someone took the time to write the letter by hand. So in that respect, I'm pretty sure I would be just as annoyed receiving a fake hand-written card from a friend. It's not the aesthetic of handwriting that people appreciate, it's the fact that it takes time to do.
- megablast 13y ago> There's nothing more irritating.... There are lots of things way more irritating than that.
- marknutter 13y agoYou're right; there's nothing more irritating than people taking figures of speech literally.
- megablast 13y agoThat is not a figure of speech, just something silly to say, which adds nothing.
- philsnow 13y ago"junk mail that has been printed to look as though it was written by hand" Have you ever copied some documents you've hand-signed in blue ballpoint pen on a high-quality copier (or scanner/printer)? Aside from the indentations in the paper, they look pretty damn near identical to me. I don't have an iPad but if I did I would be giving Felt a try.
- mistiaen 13y agoNice! Would also be cool to connect with Facebook for birthdays etc.
- peepoparino 13y agoGreat idea. Hope everyone uses FELT. Much much better than a non-personal email but almost as easy.
- peepoparino 13y agoNothing replaces a real handwritten thank you note but for a business person who has to write a lot of them... It looks like the next best alternative