When you're writing a postcard and something goes wrong…

Ohhhh! That might explain some of the mystery postcards (there’s a thread somewhere) that arrive to India completely blank… and yet get delivered correctly.

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:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:


I oftern use this to correct my mistakes​:joy::joy:

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Threw it in the trash and started over. That was an extreme case, where the glossy surface would not take the fountain pen ink and even hours later the address and the message would just rub off into a smeary mess. I love my fountain pen, but I now do all cards with ball point.

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I make spelling mistakes all the time, particularly when I write in my non-native language: German (swapping i&e, adding a t before a z, not to mention word order!). I have a lot of empathy for folks doing :postcrossing: in their non-native language. And for those whose primary language is English. There are many neurodiversity conditions that make spelling difficult.
I used to be a real stickler about grammar and spelling, but now I find it a lot easier to accept folks how they are, mistakes and all. Those are what make the character of a person, and a postcard.

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well-placed stickers are the best kind of bandaids when i inevitably make mistakes while writing :joy:

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Hi Postcrossers,

I was wondering what you do when you accidentally make a mistake when writing on a postcard? Let’s say the mistake is not critical (it’s not the name or address) but maybe you spelled a word wrong or maybe the pen you used smudges.

Do you start fresh with another postcard (if you have one)? Do you cross it out? Do you try to cover it up with some art or a sticker? Do you send it out anyway?

Any thoughts are welcome!

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You will find lots of answers in this thread. :wink:

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One of my most-used Postcrossing supplies…

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I use correction tape.

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I never start fresh because I don’t have the resources to do that but I have a hierarchy of how I deal with it. First is to see if my white-out tape will work on it. This is usually the case and everything works out fine. But in rare cases I have postcards that don’t have a white background so using the white out would be just as messy to me so I will gauge how bad the mistake it. If it’s a tier 1 mistake (slight spelling mistake, minor smudge etc) I will leave it be. Mistakes happen. If it’s a tier 2 mistake (whole word misspelling) I will cross hatch it out. Tier 3 is for big mistakes and smudges… that’s when I go for the sticker or just use the white out and deal with the fact that it is mismatching.
As a type A, English major, making mistakes really gets under my skin. So I obsess over it way too much lol I hate when something I make looks sloppy. And yet, I have to constantly remind myself that when someone sends me something with mistakes I never judge them for that and it never bothers me. I have to find that same mentality for my own mistakes lol

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I use white out usually because I’ve already put the stamps on first!

I wouldn’t worry about spelling mistakes or minor smudges too much, we all make mistakes & remember the postcard is going to go through a lot of wear & tear before it arrives at it’s destination - all part of the experience eh?

I’ve occasionally put the wrong address on the wrong postcard when doing multiple cards at the same time and usually a white label will cover it up & so I can write the correct address on top of the label.

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I usually use correction tape when I misspell something, but I’ll also cross things out if I don’t have the tape with me or can’t find it. Using stickers to cover it up is a good idea, though I’ll probably only do that if the mistake is near the edge of the writing space!

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I cross out misspelled words and don’t worry about smudges. If I make a mistake with the address, I’ll write the correct address on a piece of paper and tape it on the card. The main thing is to connect with people and try to being joy into each other’s lives, so try not to worry about little mistakes. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I burn the whole house down with the postcard in it, move to a new country and assume a new identity. No one can ever know!

(Or I use white-out :wink:)

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LOL :joy:

Use nothing to correct the mistake …
It’s happen and it done.

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No, no… you’re on to something here…

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A important question:
I made a mistake when writing the post code in the address. The progress is like this:

Name (good!)
Street house number(well done!)
Town (it’s about to finish it!)
XXZ(ouch! I made a mistake!)

Then I crossed out and blackened the XXZ entirely and continued to write XXXXX down in the same line.

…Country (i hope it is correct…)

Will the crossed out wrong number make some troubles and confusion when going through the automatic sorting machine?

No. I did the same thing to a card to USA.
It arrived in 17 days.

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