Archive for June, 2009
Perfection can complicate matters…
by admin on Jun.09, 2009, under Uncategorized
I recently had my biggest sale yet on ETSY. One of the items bought was a set of 4 note cards. No problem.
Two of the cards the buyer wanted I didn’t have on hand. Also no problem. This is why I have a printer; my Lexmark 810 is up to the task of making cards, and I do say in my store description that special orders are welcome. Plus, the customer said that she was in no great rush to get the order, as long as it was to her by Father’s Day (easily done; she lives in town).
Then the fun starts. I print out the two cards I don’t have, and realize that the two from my supplier are 5″x7″, but my blank cardstock is 5.5″x8.5″. Cutting down the larger cards might have been the better choice, maybe, but I decided to print out the other two instead.
Then, after wrestling with positioning, etc, I get all four printed, dry them, inspect them and… They look like crap. It takes me a moment to figure out why; I printed my bright colorful photos on paper with a matte finish. This worked just fine for my Christmas cards, but my landscapes, especially my sunset, were drab.
Back to Office Depot. I grab their glossy (still 5.5×8.5) blank cards, and head home. Wrestle with the printer (there are -four- places I have to over ride the printer driver to create a decently printed card), and voila’, ’tis done.
I’m not making as much money on this order as I’d hope, but hopefully the experience (and customer good will) will help in the future.
I also need to find some 5×7 card stock (I’m looking on the internet between pararaphs). This 5.5×8.5 sort of screams “home made”, IMHO, and not necesarilly in a good way.
