I’m pretty new so still learning, but I feel like I’ve had pretty good luck with Redbubble so far. I’ve made a couple different orders and have been very happy with the quality. But as someone mentioned earlier, perhaps there’s just high variability.
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For me I take the “no hand made” as in “I don’t want your personal photo you’ve taken and then printed at home”. Some of the postcard paper you can print on bleeds easy or if wet in transit will turn into almost newspaper paste so I can understand some not wanting those. That being said I have printed some stuff here of our pets etc and shipped those and haven’t had anyone upset. I am looking to get better paper in postcard sizing (or I can cut it) that way the image is glossy and protected but the back is able to be written nicely like paper. I try and send people cards I think they’ll like and so far haven’t found anyone I couldn’t find something for but at some point I may and they’ll end up w/ a card they aren’t too thrilled about (it happens). I do see quite a few people say “No animals/pets” and “No envelopes” which the no envelope one can be a pita given the envelopes protect the cards.
Are all those on-demand services in the U.S.? Would you recommend any similar that is in EU (true to artists copyright, credit etc)?
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When I look up Redbubble it does say they’re global vs just US side. If you search Redbubble UK they have alternatives too (based off peoples opinions/views).
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Hi everyone:hugs:
I love reading a long profile and coming up with something good matching the wishlist. I am just qurious why so many members have Zazzle on their NO list. I love all Zazzle cards! Have I missed something?
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Please check in here
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Very nice design 
The only specific no-Zazzle request I’ve noticed was someone who objected to its non-standard size.
You’re not missing anything, other than some people’s preferences & prejudices about directed printed cards.
There is a subset, mostly of collectors on Postcrossing who seem to think that any card that is not bought in a physical store, is not a real postcard which is foolish.
I’ve easily sent 700-800 cards (both official & Forum) in the last 2 years & 95% of them have been Zazzle cards & I’ve never had anything but compliments on them.
It does take some time & evolving skill to use Zazzle design properly, ie, so that I don’t make mistakes while designing that affect the quality - other than that I’ve had no problems.
As I’ve said in previous posts here, cost is a huge barrier for people participating in Postcrossing, especially now with inflation & services like Zazzle, MOO, Red Bubble etc make getting postcards much more affordable & interesting given a wide range of design possibilities.
I wouldn’t worry about it too much, but choose what you want for your own postcards & remember people can only state their preferences, not make demands. Have fun!
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What I don’t like is if someone gives my address to these sites so the card is sent through that side.
The cards itselves when they are sent by the person who sends the card, are fine with me.
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I for one don’t like them. Many of their designs are generic. I joined PostCrossing for unique store-bought cards not generic stuff. I accidentally won a lot of Zazzle cards on eBay (the seller did not mention Zazzle in the description);they probably did that for good reason. I made several attempts to resell these cards; NOBODY wanted them. I finally gave the whole lot to a friend. There are so many places to get good quality cards at reasonable cost making Zazzle unnecessary - again…in my opinion.
Interesting as these are cards I bought from Zazzle with several favorites each…
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It’s hard to see the quality from these small pictures.
I have received zazzle cards that are really nice, but also poor ones that are “pixelated”, or the image propotions are distorted. So I think the “surprise” quality can be a problem too. And some look like misscut, like 1 cm white on right side, 1,5 cm on the other, looks cheap and I don’t know the word, not something that someone would pay. Some even have some stripes, like they were printed with a vintage printer and not enough ink.
But then, some are really nice, with silky coating which makes for example water colour images look beautiful.
I never say if I don’t like the card.
I don’t know if I should (but I’m not going to), so people don’t buy more, because they think “everyone likes them” 
but I think they see the difference themselves and it’s not so important, and it’s fine by me too.
I once thought trying these myself, but haven’t yet.
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I believe people favorited them because they look like lantern press and other travel posters.
If you involve in wishlist tag, you may notice that people wish for “original Lantern Press, not the one printed on zazzle”.
Like Ron, I dont care for them…too generic. If people need to order cards from the internet I suggest using the forum posts suggesting places to buy cards.
They don’t just look like Lantern Press… They are Lantern Press designs, printed on Zazzle from Lantern Press’ official account. I have a few like these as well, featuring themes local to my area.
What’s funny to me is that I’ve purchased several Lantern Press cards from official gift shops in my area (e.g. Multnomah Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Tillamook Creamery), and their print quality isn’t that much better than Zazzle… The print is smooth and clear, but the cards themselves are much thinner material than the matte Zazzle cards. To each their own!
As with anything else, I guess it just comes down to a matter of individual interest. I’ve got preferences, sure, but at the end of the day as long as someone takes the time and care to pick, write, and send a card to me, I’m happy. Truly it’s the thought that counts.
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I’m asking you this because you also are in Canada – how do you rate Zazzle.ca’s semi-gloss finish vs. their matte? (since those are generally the only 2 choices for postcards)
I’m leaning towards semi-gloss since it yields brighter colours, but if the finish is slick on the address side, I’m wondering how easily it can be written on, if it requires certain types of pen (e.g. an XF Sharpie), etc.
No doubt I’m overthinking this…!
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I used to order semi-gloss because it seemed a bit brighter & it’s fine for writing on with a ballpoint pen, but I’ve now switched almost exclusively to the matte finish.
The colours aren’t really different & the card is a much heavier weight & thickness so I’m choosing this finish to give my cards a bit more chance of getting through those brutal sorting machines & with less damage.
I never had any real issues with the semi-gloss but the newer version of it now can get scratched easier (the previous semi-gloss version seemed to have a more plastic finish) but it’s a lot lighter weight & thinner than the matte, so that’s where I’m at after 2 1/2 years of sending postcards, lol
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That’s very helpful, thank you!
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I print my own designs with Zazzle. A lot of the quality issues people complain about aren’t the fault of the printer, but of the user who uploaded the image or design. A low quality or small resolution picture will never look good. I have had great results with both their matte (left) and semi-gloss (right) cards.
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