How we make our cards

Sequoia National Park—Tulare County, California
July 4, 2014

What you’ll discover in our Etsy shop

Handcrafted photocards featuring the world’s best places and the stories behind them. Think of them as bespoke journeys-in-an-envelope to share with those you care about most, no passport required. Below, the journey of our photocards, from start to finish, ready to ship and share.

The world’s best places and the stores behind them


Please note the photocard prints do not have a white watermark. They arrive as shown in the video clips below.

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Facade—Galaxidi, Greece. 

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Rosa ‘Iceberg’—Sydney, Australia.  

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‘Baux’—Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France. 

The journey of a photocard

Photos, paper, printing & process, packaging, packing


Our photos

Our 4”x6” photographs are printed by Full Color, a professional photo processor in Dallas, Texas. The lab uses photographic paper featuring the same color gamut and natural-looking tones as seen in real life, but with a distinctive metallic finish that has everyone who sees it exclaim, “Oooooh!”

The high-gloss photos glow with lustrous depth, their pearlescent surfaces adding a shimmering, seemingly 3D effect. Like the world’s best travel destinations, you have to experience them in person. The photos are gallery quality and can be shared in the mail without extra postage.

Our paper

We’re proud to offer products handcrafted with archival integrity. Our linen paper stock is certified FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) 100 % to ensure forests for all, forever. It’s processed acid-, chlorine- and lignin-free, and is PH neutral.

Each card begins its life as part of a larger sheet called ‘parent stock’. This over-size sheet is first cut into multiple ‘children’ following A6 dimension standards (6-1/4" x 9-3/16"). The unfolded cards are then scored at the halfway point along their height.

We use Classic Linen 80# paper in Natural White, with matching envelopes. The warmth of the off-white paper and the light texture make for a timeless combination, beautifully complementing our photography while being pleasant to touch and elegant to write on.

You have to experience
them in person.

From parent sheet to printed card


Classic Linen 80# paper in Natural White, with matching envelopes are the gold standard in bespoke stationery.

80# cardstock is debossed under pressure between rolling platens which surfaces hold an inverse linen pattern.

Parents sheets are trimmed by guillotine cutters into increasingly smaller units.

The final cardstock measures 6.-1/4” x 9-3/16” before being scored and printed.

Our printing & process

Destination information, essays, and quotations on our photocards are printed in our design studio using an Epson ST-C8090 printer and all-pigment, high quality remanufactured ink cartridges. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

The photos are then hand-tipped to the cards using archival adhesive, all while wearing white gloves (our acrylic adhesive is acid-free, acid-neutral, and photo-safe in adherence with the ANSI IT9.16 standard). Mark signs each card using a Sakura Pigma Micron 01 pen with waterproof archival ink.

Classic. Timeless. Beautiful.

Everything-free, eco-friendly, archival, safe


WorkForce ST-C8090 Supertank Color Multi-Function (MFP) Printer.

Long-lasting, smudge-resistant, and water-resistant  DURABrite® pigment-based ink.

Acid-free, acid-neutral, photo-safe acrylic adhesive.

Our packaging

Our aim is to professionally present and protect your investment in our artwork, even as we responsibly preserve and protect our planet. Our low-impact packaging keeps your photocards dust- and fingerprint-free until its time to sign, seal, and deliver the card, and seals your enlargements until it’s time for framing.

We safeguard your photocards and enlargements in a number of ways. Individual cards are sheathed and sealed in crystal clear, acid-free archival sleeves. Bulk cards are bundled and grouped in a single resealable sleeve with the same awesome planet-protecting attributes as individual cards, but with less of an environmental footprint overall. Collections are presented in a slim profile clear box.

Waterproof archival ink.

Pleasant to touch and elegant to write on.

High protection, low-impact


Individual cards are sheathed and sealed in food safe, archival sleeves with no plasticizers (flap raised, above).

Packs of 10 photocards are sleeved individually in food safe, archival sleeves with no plasticizers, then packaged in a resealable sleeve with the same properties.

Collections of 6 photocards are sleeved individually in food safe, archival sleeves with no plasticizers…

…then bundled in a food-safe, fully recyclable clear box.

Our packing

Whenever possible, we upcycle lightly pre-used packing materials from our Amazon Prime purchases or UPS deliveries. Waste not, want not, right?

When necessary, we use as little new packing material as possible. You worked hard for your money, and we don’t want to waste it on costly materials destined for a landfill after one use. On the other hand, you worked hard for your money, and we want to ensure your investment in us means our handcrafted art makes it to your doorstep in pristine condition.

Trust us, you’ve made the right decision to shop with Vast Compass. We’ll do our part to give you an experience as green as possible, all while saving you as much green as possible.

Boundless reasons to share

Thank you for taking time to learn about the production of our photocards. It’s a vast compass out there, with mountains and seas and rivers and stars full of wonder, all boundless reasons to share a thousand worlds!

Mark & Allen

People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains,
at the huge waves of the seas,
at the long course of the rivers,
at the vast compass of the ocean,
at the circular motion of the stars…

…and yet they pass by themselves without wondering.

—St. Augustine

Currently on offer in our Etsy shop


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Sahuasiray Mountain—Chinchero, Peru. 

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Tidewaters—Bonifacio, Corsica. 

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Clematis, ‘Clair de Lune’—Steamboat, Oregon. 

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Via Elbano Gasperi—Portoferraio, Italy. 

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Unless otherwise noted, all images are copyright © Vast Compass, 2025.