Etiquette Reinvented: Punkpost Brings Snail Mail to the Digital Age

Are you old enough to remember receiving a piece of mail that wasn't a bill or credit card offer? There was a time in the not-too-distant past when we expressed ourselves with beautifully printed cards and handwritten messages instead of texts and emojis. What's old is new again with the new Punkpost app, an online tool that allows you to send a beautiful, handwritten, letter-press card to anyone in the world, within 24 hours.

"I have always loved sending cards to people, and used to spend hours in card stores looking at them," said co-founder Alexis Monson. "My partner Santiago Prieto and I had been trying out a lot of new business ideas when we decided that we wanted letter-press business cards. So we bought an old machine from the 1920s to make them, and decided to make a few greeting cards, too."

The letter-press cards turned out so nice that Monson began musing about how excited and special someone would feel to receive such an old-fashioned greeting in the mail.

"Although snail mail is not as relevant as it used to be in this fast-paced digital world, it still feels great to be the recipient of it," said Monson. "So we began to wonder whether you could do this while riding the bus, or waiting for your coffee. That's how Punkpost came about."

For six dollars, you can now send a handwritten card with a personalized message from you to anyone, with just a few clicks of your smartphone. All you need is their address. For $1.50 more, add confetti or a photo.

Click and Send

The free app is easy to use: choose a card, write your message, then click "contacts" in the bottom menu bar of the app, hit "find friends," and "my contacts." Click "Add all," or pick the friends and family members you'd like to send cards to. Addresses from your phone will auto-populate.

The app also allows you to schedule a card delivery for the same time each year, perfect for birthdays and anniversaries. And unlike Facebook, it provides a week's notice to make sure you don't miss these important milestones. And, as Monson notes, while your birthday might garner 50 generic posts on Facebook, it's that one special handmade card that you'll remember.

Senders can expect a 24-hour turnaround time for posts with up to 10 recipients. Allow an extra day for each 10 recipients you add -- for example, if you want to send holiday greetings to 100 of your closest friends (yes, they can do that) budget about a week's time for execution.

"This new feature is a real game changer, according to our first beta-testers," said Punkpost co-founder Santiago Prieto. "We can't wait for all of the Punkposters to get their hands on the updated app version. More and more businesses and power users are sending multiple handwritten notes, and this feature will save them hours of time."

Users can send the cards anywhere in the world for an additional $1 overseas mailing fee; Monson said that they are currently sending as many international posts as domestic.

The Personal Touch

The goal of this San Francisco-based company is to keep handwritten correspondence alive in the digital age, and to help friends and family stay in touch. But unless the cards look great, the charm is lost.

Punkpost collaborates with a number of talented designers, like Risa Culbertson, Jess Levitz and Sara Combs, to create unique designs. Monson said that Combs' work first came to their attention when the artist launched an Instagram project, creating 100 days of San Francisco-based patterns.

"We approached her about working with us, and she was so willing to do it," said Monson. "I picked out 10 of her patterns, and came up with phrases for them. In the end, many of her designs became our best sellers, like her 'Go get 'em tiger' and 'This shit is bananas' designs."

Monson said that while she and Prieto initially wrote out the messages themselves, they now have a staff of calligraphers trained in the art of handwriting who work in the Bay Area office to ensure that your handwritten, heartfelt message comes through loud and clear.

"Punkpost helps people stay in touch in a more human way that we're all looking for and missing in our rush to digitalize everything," said Monson. "We all crave that human touch, and Punkpost will help you keep it."

And, if you're ready to pop the question -- whatever that question might be -- Punkpost offers a special "Will you...." card, that lets you type the message of your choice. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, there's never been an easier way to show your love!

For more information or to download the app, visit iTunes.