Sometimes, we at Whats New On The Net come across applications that are a mix of the virtual & the real worlds. Today, we write about one such smartphone app called PostCardPlus.

Now, this iOS app is a blend of old school & new. For, using it, you can actually design & print a real world postcard, & then post it, all without having to leave your holiday spot. It may sound rather quaint to send postcards in today’s world of smartphones & insta-messaging, but the guys behind this one, IDIPAP Solutions, a company that specialises in digital image printing & production, say their app is a clever use of the traditional & the new.

The app developer Christian Aberger, who was helped in his effort by Monika Novy, told Whats New On The Net that as of now, PostCardPlus was available only as an iOS app but they were working on an Android version, too. The app is available for free.

The app was launched in May 2012. The way it works is really child’s play. Aimed primarily at the holiday-goer, the user has to choose a template from those available, decide on a photo or click a new image, paste the image on the template, write out a few lines of greetings, put his/her signature, & viola, it’s done. You then need to pay for the postal handling charges (credit card or by PayPal) & the app owners will then print your card & send it off by mail to the designated address. Just like that. You will be notified on your phone when that’s done.

We were curious. In today’s day & age of everything electronic, the last mile reliance on a brick-n-mortar postal system intrigued us. After all, world-over, post offices are facing some trying times because of emails, etc.

“Not at all,” said Christian, in a written reply to our question. “The opposite is true. Real images touch emotions of people in a more intensivly than electronic content. You can hold it in your hands.Two decades ago the same fear was in the paper industry. They were afraid that nobody will write letters any more due to email and that theire sales will go down. The opposite was true. A lot more paper is used in printers than before. The same will hold for physical postcards and Photo – prints. People just love it.”

IDIPAP will soon offer scanning of QR-Codes & download of additional postcard themes soon. So, for example, a hotel can offer its current postcards on mobile phones just by placing a QR-Code to its electronic contents in the reception. When such a guest in a hotel or adventure park sends a postcard with this theme, the hotel pays for the postage. The receiver of the postcard gets a personal created card. Something she will keep on the door of her refridgerator for years.

Image Credit: PostCardPlus

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