When to send a postcard, greeting card or letter

Sending items through the mail is always a thoughtful gesture. However, determining which stationery item you should use can turn into quite a dilemma. How do you determine whether you should send a greeting card, a postcard or personalized stationery? Every material has its place in the snail mail world, so make sure you know when it’s best to use each one.

Greeting cards
Special occasions provide the perfect opportunities to send someone a greeting card. The messages these items contain are a great way to show friends and family that you care and are thinking about them on that notable day.

Stay prepared for common events by finding a fun message assortment pack. These usually contain a range of cards, from birthdays and thank yous to congratulations cards. Having these notes on hand will make sending your card a lot easier because you won’t have to run to the store last minute.

Postcards
Most businesses or attractions will have a variety of postcards you can purchase. Postcards can be used for an assortment of projects. For instance, if you want to remember a mountain you climbed or a ride you went on, find a postcard with that photo. You can save this image and place it in a scrapbook later.

However, if you want to send a message to someone, postcards are the perfect way to show a loved one or friend what you’ve been experiencing. The photos printed on the back of these items are usually quite picturesque and, unless you’re a professional photographer, are hard to replicate. The postcard is a great way to send someone a photo with a brief note – perfect if you’re in a hurry or unable to print off your own pictures.

Letters
Personalized stationery should be reserved for frequent correspondences and longer messages. Postcards don’t provide much room for writing and while greeting cards have a little more room, it’s not always enough to fully convey a story. Plain and embellished stationery is the perfect opportunity to cover the front and back of the paper with writing.

Composing letters on your own paper also gives you the chance to decorate the envelope or stationery yourself. For example, if your paper is blank on both sides, add an interesting design to a corner or jot a favorite saying across the top of the page.

Longer messages also allow you to be a little more personal and descriptive than postcards. If you have a story to tell or are having an in depth conversation with someone, go with a letter.

Other things to consider
Who you’re sending the message to is another thing to keep in mind when determining your stationery type. Are you contacting a friend you haven’t talked to in a while or an overseas pen pal? If you’re trying to reach out to an old correspondent, use a greeting card. Something that says a friendly “hi” or “thinking of you” is a nice way to start a conversation with someone that will elicit a smile. On the other hand, if you’re sending something to a pen pal, a postcard might be better because one side contains a cool photo that shows off a piece of your culture.

Next time you plan to write someone a message, make sure you determine what the purpose is so you can be sure to choose the best stationery option available.