Help and Frequently Asked Questions
The Carderoo Service
How do I send a postcard through Carderoo?
It's really easy to make and send postcards with Carderoo. For the front of the card, either upload one of your own images or search for an image on our site to find millions of options from Flickr and Wikimedia. For the back, write the text on the left, the address on the right, choose the font and colours and we will print and send it for you through the post from the country it is being sent to, ensuring it arrives at its destination as quickly as possible.
What kind of postcards can I send?
The most popular option is to send postcards the traditional way through the post. You can also send postcards via email or post them to your Twitter account for your followers to see. Email and Twitter cards are free to make and send, while traditional postcards cost from just 99p.
Creating An Account
Do I need to sign up to Carderoo to use the service?
No. We’d love you to set up an account and reap the benefits but we know that some people won't want to do this which is fine too! If you don’t want to create an account with us, simply make your postcard and pay with a credit or debit card at the checkout.
What are the benefits of signing up?
- Buy credits at the best prices
- Send free postcards via email
- Save drafts, uploaded images and sent postcards for future use
- Create and save an address book
- Design and use your own handwriting font
Can I make a postcard and then sign in to send it?
We strongly recommend you sign in if you have an account before you start making a postcard. This means we can save your information every step of the way, so you won’t lose any details if you need to come back later to finish. If you don’t sign in first, you can still make and send postcards, but you won’t be able to use your address book, saved credits or anything in your drafts folder.
Can I send an email postcard without signing in?
No. We’re a responsible company and we need to validate your email address before you can send a postcard via email. This email authorisation happens during the sign up process which only takes a minute to complete.
What is the address book for?
We created the address book feature because it is the quickest way of getting all those postcards sent. The address book helps you add addresses in seconds instead of typing them in each time – and we know how frustrating it is when you forget the details!
How do I create my address book?
Nowadays we store addresses all over the place – on our computer, mobile phone and online too. Bring them all together on your computer, order them according to the example file we have created for you and upload them onto Carderoo. We need the csv file to be in a certain format so you might need to open up the file in a spreadsheet and make some changes. You then can upload your csv into Carderoo and your addresses will be there for you whenever you want to send postcards.
What if I don’t have someone’s address? Can you help?
Yes we can! In the My Address section of My Carderoo, just click on the Request Address button. You can then enter the email addresses of people you would like the postal address for, use the email we have written for you or make some changes and then send via Carderoo or any other email programme you like to use.
Prices and Credits
How much does it cost to send a postcard?
It costs between 99p to £1.49 to send a postcard. Buying credits is the cheapest
way to buy and send postcards.
How can I buy credits?
To buy credits just sign in and use the link in My Carderoo.
Why is it cheaper to buy credits?
Each time you pay for a postcard, the banks charge us a fee. This is a fixed fee
per transaction and a % of the transaction. So when you buy more, we pay the banks
less and pass this saving on to you. Everyone's a winner (except the banks!)
How much does it cost to send a postcard via email and Twitter?
Nothing. Nada. Rien. Zilch. Zero. Gratis. Free!
I've received a credit from a gift or promotion - how do I use it?
Each gift credit lets you make and send one postcard anywhere in the world. Either sign up and add the credit code through My Carderoo, or make a postcard and add it when you reach the checkout.
How do I pay for credits or postcards that I send?
Carderoo uses the WorldPay system to take payments. You can also use PayPal with
WorldPay. Once you are ready to purchase credits or postcards, you will be directed
to the WorldPay site, where you will fill in your credit card, debit card or PayPal
details.
If you’re paying for postcards, we’ll automatically send the postcards when the
payment has been taken. If you're buying credits you will be taken back to the
My Drafts section where you can send the postcards using your credits,
which will have been added to your account and show in your statement.
Making a Postcard
Why do you ask for image details?
This is a simple way to label the image you’re using and tell the recipient about what’s on the front of the postcard. When you’re making a card, you’ll notice on the back a small section where we print the key facts about the image you are using. If you have uploaded an image and want us to let other people use it too, we think it’s important that your photography skills are recognised! We also think it’s fair that if you use someone else’s image, they get a little mention.
As the Carderoo library grows, this feature will make it easy to find exactly what you are looking for too.
What do the privacy controls do?
Some people want to share their photos with the world, others like to keep them private. So Carderoo lets you do either. If you mark an image ‘private’ it will not be seen and cannot be used by anyone else. They are safely stored with Carderoo and will never be shared.
Public images on the other hand are available for anyone to use. If you’re a budding photographer, or have an amazing image you want to share, we will make sure that every time it is used, you are credited on the back of the card. Public images will also be shown on various pages of the Carderoo website.
You can change privacy settings for images at any time.
How do I get an image from my camera onto Carderoo?
The 3 most common ways of doing this are:
- USB cable
- Memory card reader
- SD slot in your computer
Just follow the instructions for your camera and once the photos are on your computer, you can upload them before you begin or whenever you want to design a new postcard.
How do I get an image from my mobile phone onto Carderoo?
- Email
- USB cable
- Memory card reader
- Bluetooth
Just follow the instructions for your phone and once the photos are on your computer, you can upload them before you begin or whenever you want to design a new postcard
How do I know if the image quality is good enough?
Check the file size of the image. If the file is greater than 200kb, the quality
should be ok and we'll show you how the photo will look while you are making it.
Do I have to use an image I took myself?
Not at all. We have integrated Carderoo with both Flickr and Wikimedia to bring you millions of available images covering every possible topic and style. If you decide to upload one of your own, all we ask is that if you make sure you have the right to use it or the person who took the photo is a friend or a member of your family.
We don't suggest using an image you find on the internet and we respect the rights of photographers so won't print images if they are clearly someone else's.
Can I send an image straight from my phone to Carderoo?
At this stage we don't offer this feature, but we're working on bringing it to you soon.
Printing and Delivery
What are the printed postcards like?
Carderoo postcards are printed on high specification card stock with a glossy laminate covering the front. We’ve worked hard to find the best products to use because we know your personal postcards should look good, make the right impression and be hard-wearing enough to be looked at again and again.
Where are the postcards printed and sent from?
Carderoo postcards are printed in the United Kingdom by our partner so we can ensure quality control. We are also in the process of building a network of printing stations in key countries to make our service even faster for you. Keep an eye out for further updates on this.
How long do postcards take to arrive?
If you are sending to the UK and place your order by 1pm GMT, your postcard will arrive 2 days later. So if you send a postcard through Carderoo at 12pm on Monday, the postcard will be delivered on Wednesday. It can however take up to 5 working days for non UK deliveries, but this is still a big improvement on how things used to be!/p>
Please note that because we work with local postal services around the world, we can’t guarantee delivery times on their behalf.
Help, Support and Feedback
Where do I go for help & support?
We hope that these FAQs will have answered your question, but if not we’re here to help! If there is anything we’ve not covered that you need to know, or if you’re having problems using Carderoo, please do Contact Us straight away.
How can I give feedback?
We're a young company and doing all we can to deliver a great web service to you. We don't always get it right (who does!) so we really hope that you will let us know of any ways in which we can improve the service for you. The best way to do this is to click the Feedback tab on the left hand side of the page.