[Johnson] Settlement Printer QSL Cards Update

[Brian Carling]

FYI guys - these cards that Gary WD4NKA makes are all
hand-made and very labor intensive. Done on a kewl old
hand press. They are nothing like the plastic cookie-cutter 
cards you get from most modern QSL printers.

Bear with him if he takes a while to get your order done -
but it's worth the wait!

If you think I do strange things with crystals - the latest was
retro-fitting half a dozen 160m and 80m phone band crystals 
into old FT-171B holders for a guy's BC-610 - 
THAT is KEWL too!

73s - Bry, AF4K

On 1 Jul 2004 at 13:08, Wd4nka at aol.com wrote:
 
> Hi, folks: 
> 
> ( Bry, could you forward this to FlaBoatanchors?) 
> 
> Just an update. 
> 
> The Settlement Printshop is waiting for a font of Cooper 
> 36pt to show up so i can finish my last Card order and 
> get it shipped ( it's on it's way, Tony, really!! ). After this, i was
> planning to add to our lineup some business-sized call cards ( some
> call them "eyeball-qsl cards") which might be handy items to have on
> hand at hamfests, club gatherings, or wherever it is inconvenient to
> scramble for pen and paper to write down your call, phone-number, etc.
> 
> 
> These cards are especially handy at hamfests, when you find a 
> vendor is out of something, and you want them to get back 
> with you when they have their stock in. Shreds of paper 
> gets lost, but a business card is far more likely to stay 
> in the notebook, wallet, or clip-board. 
> 
> I have a proof copy i pulled yesterday of my own card, 
> "All Things Wireless & Letterpress" which is rather light, 
> but it might scan enough to give an idea what they can 
> look like. Follows the same lines as the conservative exec. 
> cards of years gone by. Scan available upon request. 
> 
> These cards are handset and can feature your Call, whatever 
> heading or preamble, name, address and phone number. 
> They are printed on regular card stock of 90 - 110 lbs, 
> usually buff or white, printed individually. They do look 
> like they came right out of the WW1 era. Single colour, 
> only, at this point and time. 
> 
> Prices: 100 cards .......... 25.00 
> 250 cards ......... 45.00 
> 500 cards ......... 75.00 
> 1000 cards ........125.00 
> + shipping. 
> 
> ( BTW, i am now doing short-run QSL cards, 
> to. Short run meaning 100, 250 and 500 card runs. 
> Prices available upon request. These are also handset 
> letterpress printed, a la WW1 era. At this point there 
> is one typeset design.) 
> 
> Turn-around time is 2-3 weeks if no plating or 
> special order fonts are involved. The old Chandlers 
> can only do a whopping 10 impressions per minute. 
> 
> The Settlement Print Shop has standard Housfonts 
> ( Caslon, Century Book, the usual 1890s fare ) 
> and some decorative and specialty fonts. We also 
> have special boarder fonts, and even 15th Century 
> Blackletter caps. Sometimes i am asked for a particular 
> font, and if it appears in a foundry catalogue, i can get 
> it. But, this can take a couple weeks to ship, so there 
> is added delay, as i am finding out. I will endeavour as 
> much as possible to absorb the cost of ordering new 
> fonts. I want to make authentic cards available to the 
> vintage-oriented clientelle, without charging Palm Beach 
> Boutique prices. Some of these fonts can run into the 
> hundreds of dollars. 
> 
> ( hey, but at least there ARE still type foundries still alive!! ) 
> 
> Tnx for enough patronage to keep me busy for the past month 
> and a half. It's an experience. And it's helping the Settlement 
> become a recognised spot on the map, too. 
> 
> * * * * * * * * * * * * 
> 
> Other radio/ wireless print items i am considering: 
> 
> CW copy pads. As if you don't have enough paper. 
> 
> These are handy pads, about the size of Radiogrammes, and 
> have a place to put the date and freq. And other stuff if needed. 
> 
> Typical WD4NKA shack operation: On a full night of cw work, 
> i find paper strewn all over the place, and sometimes i just flat
> forget to write down times and frequencies. Sometimes i hears a call
> and sticks the impromptu paper in the carriage of the old Corona, and
> there i goes. Do i dutifully log each contact upon completion? Oh,
> pleeeeze! No, i am hunting thru piles of copy, piecing the night
> together. I have a sneaking feeling i am not alone in this. Maybe
> alone in admitting it, but not the commission therof. I visit other
> shacks, i know the tell-tales . . . . . . 
> 
> I definately benefit from these things. 
> 
> When i hear the "R R R . . . ", theres my que to fill in date and
> freq. At the end of the night, i can enter these into the logbook at
> my leisure. In fact, these pages can be nice enough to keep around . .
> . just to clutter the shack up more! 
> 
> Yeah, i can do that without a form . . . but do i? Is the Pope 
> Protestant? 
> 
> You cw types might benefit from these pads, too. And . . . a '40s
> looking heading and form might even bring back memories of "Dawn
> Patrol" or "Pennsylvania 6-5000" to complete the nostalgia of your
> HQ-129/ mopa contact. Just the thing for the ham who thinks he has
> everything. And probably does. 
> 
> Tnx fer the bandwidth of my shameless plug. 
> gary // wd4nka 
> 
> visit my site at: 
> http://www.qsl.net/wd4nka/