Re: Damaged prints - US Postal Service - Prevention

["ketron" <aketron@nwoknet.net>]

An old trick we used for mailing dylux proofs was to pre-print on the
outside of the envelope for the post office to hand-stamp ... use something
along the lines of

"pressure sensitive material - please hand-cancel"

and the always important  -  'photographic material - do not bend'

This also makes people sit up and take notice when going through the mail -'
who is sending me something this important?'

HTH  -  Ann K

----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Gustafson" <gustafsl@ix.netcom.com>
To: <epson-inkjet@leben.com>
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2000 6:12 PM
Subject: Damaged prints - US Postal Service - Prevention


> This Christmas, delighting in the possibilities of my Epson 1200, I
decided
> to make my own Christmas cards.  I printed about 100 Christmas cards from
a
> drum-scanned 4x5 negative, using the Epson 1200 and Epson ink.  I printed
> on Red River scored card stock (58 lb Denali Matte-Coated) using a
standard
> Epson quadtone curve.  The images were stunning.
>
> A few weeks later  the postal service returned some of my cards because of
> out-of-date addresses.  I opened the envelopes with the idea or sending
the
> cards back out to correct addresses and saw, to my surprise, that the
> images were completely trashed.  They looked diseased with white blotches
> all over the image.  It was like a white algae had formed on them.  At
> first I thought the cards had gotten wet in the mail, but I had cards from
> different parts of the country with the same problem.
>
> On further investigation, it appeared that there was a pattern to the
> blotches.  I looked at the outside of the envelopes and could see the same
> pattern.  Where a dirty line had been formed on the outside of the
> envelope, through some pressure roller in a postal machine, I could see
the
> same line formed by blotches on the image.  When I put the card back into
> the envelope the marks on the envelope matched up with the blotches on the
> image.  Apparently, the postal machine that cancels the stamp or puts the
> little bar codes on the envelope applies so much pressure to the envelope
> it rubs off parts of the image inside.
>
> I'm going to do some experiments by mailing cards to myself to see if I
can
> stop this from happening in the future.  I would appreciate any comments
or
> suggestions.  Would a clear acrylic spray protect the image?  Would a
sheet
> of tissue paper over the image inside the envelope help?  Perhaps a card
> insert between the image and the envelope?  I  appreciate any suggestions.
> I'll let you know the results of my experiment.
>
> Larry Gustafson
> gustafsl@ix.netcom.com
>
>
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