So how do you do this? Send the postcard in an envelope ahead of time and ask them to put the stamp and postmark on it and send back?
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There is a period after the issuing (I think 15 or 30 days) that you can get the cancellation by mailing it to a certain address.
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Official maxicards are a bit hard to get, you can’t get them one by one but have to subscribe to them, then you’ll get one or two every three months. You should mail to Kundenservice-Weiden@deutschepost.de and ask for the subscription “E:B-Maximumkarten” with the number D055. I don’t know if they accept inquiries in English, let me know if you need help translating!
FDOI postmarks can be get exactly the same way as the normal “special” cancellation! But you can only get them with the new stamp, other stamps can’t be cancelled with it. To get it, you have to write “Ersttagsstempel [Name of the stamp] [Berlin/Bonn]” on the envelope. Berlin or Bonn, as there are usually two different FDOI postmarks for every new stamps, one from the Berlin and one from the Bonn center.
Hope I could help!
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Thank SO much.
Danke das du geschrieben hast wie es klappt. Kannst du mir sagen wie lange du auf eine Antwort gewartet hast und was sie geschrieben haben
They took 2 days to answer and gave me some information, to which I replied with “okay, I’d like to subscribe please”. That’s all it took. 
For the Germans, there’s more Info on the German subforum:
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This section of the forum is English only.
Please use English in future here.
Vicki
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I usually purchase the stamps first once they’re issued so I can place them on the postcard how I like, but yes, I send them in to stamp fulfillment services with a self addressed return envelope with postage.
They give you a few months after the stamp is issued to get the FDOI postmark, dates are shown here for example:
https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2021/pb22575/html/info_012.htm
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Erfurt Phiately division of the Main Post office used to have German Maximum cards in Stock too and there was always also a maximum card designed for Erfurt Christmas market. Only not last year… there I also learned about them and then also ordered the Abo. And mostly they are quite nice made in my opinion.
I also from time to time make my own… but the new blue ink makes it even more difficult. Didn’t tryed since thst to make Maximum cards. Missed the Hamster.
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You can tell them where they shall stamp it. I always make a little drawing to show… always works quite well… only sometimes they stamp the wrong postmark…
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Thank you! I usually think that it’s clear that I want them to stamp it on the lighter background, but oh well. Maybe they didn’t want to destroy the silhouette. If it’s unclear next time, I’ll do that too!
Btw I love your selfmade maxicards, they’re awesome!
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G’day / Yuuma -
Wow- far as I knew the maxicards we get are whatever the Australia Post Overlords come up with. So most of the time they’re a domestic stamp release but the only way to send them overseas is on a maxicard.
The Stamp Bulletin put out a few times a year tells collectors what’s available but that is so broad it’s hilarious for a non collector. (Coins? Isn’t that what the Mint is for?? And yes the post and mint collaborate…)
I’ve sent a postcard to the head of the section responsible (guy that signs the foreword to the bulletin) asking for more maxicards and also advising how many countries are putting out postcrossing stamps. No clue how that will be received 
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I made maxicards for our new thunderstorm stamp too:
Edit: The other motives of this series:
More motives are on the way!
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Wow 
I’m jealous of your collection!
How much postage is required for a regular Maxi card? (is it 5x7 instead of 4x6?) Are your maxi cards non-standard-shaped as well?
I’ve never sent one out, so was wondering…
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Hi @helent I had wondered about this. I have stamps that match some postcards but I have no way of making the cancellation match as well. So, is it still a maxicard if the postcard and stamps just match?
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You need the postmark to match or it’s not a maxicard, but that said, it’s not like I have ever examined the postmark to determine how relevant it is!
I’ve never actually made a maxicard. I found out from our post office that they will only use the special pictorial postmarks on the matching stamp issues they relate to. That took the wind out of my sails.
Leaving aside special postmarks, you can look for a post office that has a relevance to the subject of your card (birthplace of the person, place an event happened), or has a representative name (Botany in NSW for anything with a flower or plant, Cork in Ireland for wine!).
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Hey yesterday I got my first card from the German post. But today I got some too. I got these Beethoven cards 8times but I only need to pay one. Is that normal at the beginning?
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No, it’s not, I guess they made a mistake. And it’s Beethoven. 
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