[Dx-qsl] [DX-QSL] Postcard / Envelope Game (was Preference for C6 envelopes)

[lwloen at myclearwave.net]

I have long used a little bit of a cheat for overseas DX return envelopes
that has worked well for me.  It is both cheaper and more convenient, too.

I use "US Invitation Envelopes".  These are sometimes called "A2" (but not
really European A2).  But, usually they are just called "invitation
envelopes" on the package.

The size on these is 4 3/8 inches by 5 3/4 inches.

The 5 3/4 inches is just a little smaller than the true A6 post card size
(which is about 5.8 inches, 148mm), but it actually works well.  It does
not seem to affect my historical return rate, which is in the high 90s of
per cents (about as good as anyone else's).

I just measured a couple and it seems that Walmart, where I get them,
cheats me a bit as well.  The width is 5 11/16 inches, which is 1/16 inch
shorter than the 5 3/4 I expected.  The actual size is thus 110mm by
144mm.  A bit of a surprise after all this while, but regardless, it has
worked.

The reason they work better than one might expect seems relatively simple:

1.  Many DX cards fit the "US standard" 3.5 by 5.5 inches (about 90 mm by
140 mm, actually).  Most professionally made QSL cards seem to use these
dimensions, perhaps recognizing the hassles with envelopes world-wide
(since the US envelopes are the "smallest" it's size apparently "wins"). 
In this case, a C6 or even my "invitation" envelope is just fine if not
actual overkill.

2.  Many more that aren't "US" size are still small enough to fit in my
envelope just fine.  Perhaps some "A6" is actually a bit smaller than it
is supposed to be or perhaps there's some other cause (e.g. A5 that is cut
and some stock is lost??).  Some are indeed a tight fit in the width
direction, but they don't get mangled or the envelope curved.

3.  A few kind souls simply replace my envelope with theirs, but this is
not at all common.  For whatever reason, true full sized A6 cards are
surprisingly rare.  True A6s exist, but far less frequently than I
expected.  A random site I googled up gives an "alternate" size of
142mmx96mm, which would probably squeeze into my envelope.  So, there's
lots of ways to get "under" A6 and these do seem common enough.

I did a survey of my incoming cards (from my DXpeditions -- so this isn't
dominated by organized DXpeditions and the like that might pay more
attention to this issue) and I found most fit "naturally" into the
invitation style envelope.  True "A6" cards and larger sizes are actually
fairly rare.

Many sizes are, however, a bit bigger than 3 1/2 inches in the height
direction, so the top dimension works very well compared to the standard
US envelopes.

These "invitation" style cards are quite cheap at Walmart and, unlike true
"European" sizes, widely available.



Larry  Wo0Z