a. Quality difference between greeting card and shop bought printing house manufactured postcard? Often yes, as the half of greeting card is usually empty (for me it’s quality to give credit to the artist and maybe see the copyright, the printing company (if I’d like to order there)). And often these are thinner as well, as they are meant to be the folded card, in an envelope.
b. I’d say here, common sense (used by one who is willing to use the language as the majority), should be enough. Of course, I would be happy to read for example a standard for postcard made by ISO, but it might be because I like standards in general.
As in word usage normally, it’s an agreement what word is used when we refer to a certain object. (Like postcard often is rectangular shaped piece of thin cardboard ment to send on it’s own. So, yes, postcard can be a piece of cardboard, but not all pieces of cardboard are postcards and postcards can be other than a rectangular piece of cardboard.)
In general people have the ability to recognize and categorize objects, so for most of us knowing this comes naturally out of life experience. They don’t have to intentionally start thinking every time, what is a postcard, or wonder, if they do this and that to some object, does it become a postcard.
Yes, size and thickness are important, in my opinion, just it’s not too easily lost or torn.
In handmade postcard the main thing is to make it so that it is expected to survive the mail. (I don’t count half a greeting card as handmade, because the one who cut it, didn’t make the card. So far no one has told the artist info either.)
Interesting question(for me) is: is it really hard for someone to tell what item is a postcard?
Or are people just trying to justify themselves, playing stupid, “not knowing”?
Still, my advise for anyone wondering is, send the whole greeting card, if it’s the perfect card for someone, and add a postcard with it, so you followed the rules (sent the postcard). But oh …I think, often the greeting card is used, so one must tear it, right and come up with explanation, it was so perfect topic… yes, I’m a little suspicious not towards anyone certain here now in this topic, but based on my experience.
Recently I got a “postcard” that to me looks clearly like cut out greeting card
I wonder should I always tell something, so they don’t think I liked it. That seems too rude, so I don’t do it, but when I don’t say anything, then they get the false impression of “no one noticing”.
Good thing, seems to me, most who join this postcard exchange, are prepared to look for postcards to send