QSL cards or labels

[KU8K]

Fellow Hams,

I'm about ready to redesign my QSL cards and I'm thinking about my options.  I'm looking to have a nice full color card designed and I'm thinking about the QSL information on the back.  I'm wondering about having the back of the card printed like a normal QSL card with the fill-in boxes or leaving it blank and attaching a sticker with the information printed.  Currently I use the N3FJP software for most of my logging.  I'm wondering if it's a great advantage to print off labels with all the QSO information on it and just sticking it to the card or just fill in the boxes. 

Thanks in advance.

Bill

[W1JKA]

   If you deem the time it takes to print,cut and past a greater advantage than just filling in the blanks then go for it.

[KU8K]

Well I suppose that is the question.  If anyone has tried it, is the label or just printing the cards method worth it or much faster.

[N2MG]

You could hedge your bets and print the "fill in the blanks" QSO stuff on the back AND use the labels if they work out for you.

Of course, if the labels do work out, then the cost of the extra printing was probably unnecessary.

[K2QB]

My suggestion would be to print the info boxes on the back. I use a program to print labels out for my batch QSL'ing, for instance when I have a 100 or more to go to the bureau. I have labels that fit exactly across the boxes on the back of my card and my QSL Label program is set up so it prints exactly where the boxes should be. So when I peel off the sticker and put it on the card, the info on the lable lines up exactly with the info box heading, .i.e. Call; Time; Band; etc. But when I am answering a return QSL or sending one out direct to a manager or the DX station, I can just fill in the info by hand and send it out.
Sort of the best of both worlds.

[AJ4RW]

Here's another idea.
What I do is I have a variety of pictures of my beautiful Scarlet macaws and design a QSl card with all my info laid into the picture on the front side.  Then print it to a 4 x 6'" premium photo paper.  Then on the reverse side, I've went in MS word 2007 and designed a template with just the importand info on it with 4 lines for 4 QSO's.  Then print it on a 2 x 4 " shipping label that I purchased a Office depot.  Then stick it on the back and write some stuff below it like "73".  I do this only for ones I send which isn't often or for someone that sent me one and wants a return card providing they follow my QSLing instructions.  I don't like a standard run of the mill card, too drab for me.  This does require an envelope.  This is just an idea and only takes a short time to setup.

Randy AJ4RW

[K3TN]

I agree with the best of both worlds approach, that's what I do: have the QSO info box be the size of a standard label. I use Avery 8160 size, three per row labels. When I am sending out lots of cards, I used my DX Labs logging software to print out the labels. When I am replying or sending out onesy twosey, I fill in the boxes by hand.

Another alternative is GlobalQSL - check them out at www.globalqsl.com. For 100 card batches, they cost you 13.5 cents per card, if you sign up for 1,000 it is 12 cents per card - and you just upload ADIF files, they print your card and send to the bureaus.

73 John K3TN

[N6AJR]

I also use n3fjp, but I also import my logs into DXLabsuite.com and they have a function to print out a list of labels with all the qsl info on it then search and print the address for the same qsls for you if available.  I have my cards made with picture on the front and then the back set up to fill in by hand.  if I do a bunch of cards I print them on labels and then stick them on the put the addresss on the envelope. my last batch of cards printed by UX5UO who did a great job, cheap and fast to ship.