App Alert! Want To Send A Handwritten Card But Have No Card? iPhoners…Try Inkly!

Okay, this may be the ultimate of lazy but I have a new iPhone app for you to try. Some of you may know that I love handwriting. I try to handwrite notes when I can to keep the art alive but lately I’ve been a bit lax. As I trolled the internet the other day, I found an article highlighting an iPhone app that I just had to pass on to all of you other lovers of handwritten letters.

The app is called Inkly. The concept is that you may be somewhere where you want to shoot off a quick card but don’t have the opportunity or time to get a card, stamps, and make it to the post office. Inkly is your solution.

You open the  app on your iPhone.

Then you will make a card selection…

After choosing just the right card, it is time to write what you want to say…

As you can see from the screen shots, Inkly guides you through each step if you need the help.

Next, before you write your note, you’ll want to fold it just like a card. Hopefully you can scramble up something to write on that is blank and white wherever you are!

Then, you handwrite your note.

Next, it’s time to get your camera ready. You are going to take a picture of your note so make sure it is readable and written with a margin in mind.

It will give you an opportunity to center and check to make sure the margins are clear of writing before processing.

Next, you will be prompted to type in your recipient’s address (I suggest writing down beforehand in order to save time and going back and forth between screens.)

You will then fill in your credit card info to finish the process. Tip! Click on the ? mark on the bottom of the app when you first open Inkly. There you will see Welcome Instructions tab. Look for the promo code which allows you to send your first card for free. Dummy here skipped that so learn from my mistakes. Hint: promo code is Welcome.

You will receive a email confirming your card order and shipping cost. The card I sent was $3.99 with .50 mailing cost. It will give you a screen shot of your card and then you’re done!

I went through the process before I wrote this post to make sure I was endorsing a good app so here are my parting thoughts.

Pros:

• It’s great for when you are traveling or your card/stamp supply has run dry.
• It’s easy to use.
• There aren’t that many steps and can be done within five minutes.
• The app is free.

Cons:

• There’s the risk of an app crash. (After I was done filling out the mailing address and hit next, my app crashed. Yep, had to start all over.)
• There’s no address storage or way to save a card in progress. It requires you to fill out an address each and every time rather than save previous addresses you have sent to. Evite has the right idea there. However, if you stop in the middle and close the app, it will reopen in the last step you were in. I would love it if they would be able to have access to my contact list.
• The card selection is “eh.”
• It’s a fairly new app and they have some work to do to make it really great.

One thing to know is that this app is very similar to another iPhone app called Ink. The advantages Ink has over Inkly is that the quality of cards look better, it pulls addresses from your phone, and lets you use personalize it with your own photos. Inkly’s advantage is the use of your own handwriting. The quality of the card is yet to be seen. (One of my regular commenters was my guinea pig for my app test so whoever you are will have to report back to let me know your thoughts!)

So is this app worth the download? I say yes because there are so many times when I make special trips to the card store or to the post office to get stamps just for one occasion. Then I delay it because I keep forgetting or I run out of time when I’m out and about. And I like the personal touch of the handwritten note. Who doesn’t love receiving those in the mail?

Give it a shot (might as well with the promo code for a free card!) and let me us know what you think in the comments. I’m curious what you guys think about this one.

Happy Writing!

Hallie