[Elecraft] QSL Card recommendations?

[Wallace, Andy]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jack Brindle [mailto:jackbrindle@earthlink.net]
> 
> Now that I am back involved with, and fully enjoying, ham radio HF 
> operation with this wonderful K2, I need to do something I 
> haven't done for quite a while - get some QSL cards. 

Hi, Jack. Well I went to www.w4mpy.com  "The QSL Man" after just
doing a search on what printers are still around. I used the Elecraft
K1 picture from their website, and used MS-Paint to cobble up a quick
design with my callsign and info on it. I had intended to just print
them on my computer, or go to an office supply store and have 
a bunch run off -- four to a page kind of thing. 

I had W4MPY make 1000 up for me in two-color with my callsign in red.
They look fine. I even put www.elecraft.com on the card because I
love the K1 so much and want people to know about it.

Well along those lines I think it would be great if Elecraft had their
own card made up. National, Collins, and perhaps other manufacturers
used to do that -- it was a generic card with no callsign. You filled yours
in. 

I got a card from a Polish ham that was like that -- the area for the
callsign had an area which was fuzzed out to white so he could write in
his call on the front. 

Since the Elecraft rigs are so classy, an Elecraft card should be, also.
My idea for such a card would be a full-color, postcard quality card.
The front would have shots of the K1 and K2 together and operating,
with Elecraft's name and space for your callsign. The back would have all
the usual full-data QSL info, including checkboxes for what rig (K1 or K2)
you were using, and a box for power used. My thought for personal name
and address was to use self-stick address labels -- any Sunday newspaper
or magazine has ads for them at like 1000 for $4. There would be a space
on the back where you could stick one of those, rather than having to
fill that in. (Or a rubber stamp could be used.)

The photo for the front should be high quality and clearly show the rigs,
dials, and buttons.

The cards would be generic, so one rev would probably be all that is
ever needed (if the proper QSL info is settled upon for the back of
the card). 

Now, taking W4MPY's site as an example, full color postcard QSLs are
expensive, as you would expect. $255/1000. If you have the money to
sink into 10,000 of them, it's $725 -- which makes the price $72.50 per
1000 of that quantity, a great deal when you think about it. 

With these being GENERIC cards, Elecraft could order that many or more.
Now...here's the neat part. I'd GLADLY pay $100+shipping for 1000 of these. 
At that 10,000 price break above, Elecraft would make over $25 per
thousand, and it would cost me a dime a card. Similarly, they could 
price them at $10/100 for smaller quantities. Still a profit. 

And here's another thing to think about: every such card a ham sends out
is advertising for Elecraft. How many companies do you think would love
to have people paying for cards to send out, advertising their products?
It's a big win, in my mind, for Elecraft. If the cards are tastefully done,
I don't think anyone would object to seeing the website on the card
and promoting the rigs we already love. 

How many of you would buy such cards? I like QSLing -- always have -- and
have used up a few hundred of the W4MPY ones already.

I actually sent this idea to HQ, so DON'T bug them yet. If it floats, I
am sure they will consider it. 

Andy