A fax gets a form to an office. A letter from Unopost gets a notice to a landlord. Neither is much good for telling your mum happy sixtieth, or thanking the neighbour who fed the cat for a fortnight. For that you want a card, with something written inside it in ink.
So we built one. Snailgram is the newest service from the small team behind unofax and Unopost, and it opens soon. You describe a cover in one sentence, write what you mean, and a real pen writes it inside the card, letter by letter. We post it so it arrives on the day you choose, anywhere in Australia, for A$50 all in.
How It Works
- Describe a cover in one sentence. "Gum leaves at dusk." "Thank you, in gold." "Midnight blue Christmas." Snailgram turns that line into three cover designs made only for you. Not quite right? Try again for three more.
- Write your message. Type it the way you would say it. We never edit, rewrite or suggest a word. The preview shows it on the inside of the card and tells you if it is too long to fit.
- Pick the handwriting. Choose from Easy-going, Neat, Joined-up or Quick scrawl, each shown with your own message. Or try the beta and use your own handwriting: write out a short sample on plain paper, add a photo, and the pen learns to write like you.
- Add the address and the day it should arrive. Address suggestions fill in the suburb, state and postcode as you type. Your return address goes on the back of the envelope and can be anywhere in the world.
- We write it, stamp it and post it. The cover is printed, the pen writes your message in blue ink, and the card goes out within one business day, timed to land on your date.
Real Ink, Not a Font
Plenty of cards that look handwritten are printed in a script typeface. You can tell. Every letter is identical, the ink sits flat on the paper, and the whole thing reads like a label.
Snailgram is different, and we want to be straight about how. The writing is done by a machine holding a real pen, not by a person. But the pen presses real ink into the card one stroke at a time, so the ink sits in the paper the way it does when you write a card yourself. The words are entirely yours. The pen only does the writing.
What It Costs
One flat price: A$50. That includes:
- a one-of-a-kind cover made from your sentence,
- your message written inside in real ink,
- the envelope and the stamp,
- delivery anywhere in Australia.
There is no account to create, no subscription and nothing added at checkout. Same idea as unofax and Unopost: you pay for the one thing you came to send.
When It Arrives
You choose the arrival date when you add the address, and the earliest possible day is shown once the postcode is in. Cards are written and posted within one business day. Delivery is the next business day to most capital-city postcodes and three business days everywhere else, with postage included either way.
That makes Snailgram a good fit for the birthday you remembered on Tuesday for Friday, and just as good for the anniversary you want to set up a month ahead. Snailgram's guide to last-minute greeting cards in Australia has more on how many days you really need.
Sending a Card to Australia from Overseas
A lot of people who use unofax are faxing to Australia from somewhere else. If that is you, Snailgram works the same way for cards. The card is written and posted inside Australia, so it travels as domestic mail and arrives in days, not weeks, and your overseas address can go on the back. Pay in AUD with your usual card. For the details, see how to send a greeting card to Australia from overseas.
For now, Snailgram only posts to addresses in Australia. Cards to other countries are not available yet.
Your Card, Your Business
The card is from you, not from us. We never contact the person you are sending to, and we never sell your data. The same deletion habits as unofax and Unopost apply:
- your message and any handwriting photo are deleted as soon as the card is posted,
- names and street addresses are deleted 14 days after delivery,
- the cover is deleted 60 days after posting.
You get an email with the tracking number when the card is posted, and another when it is delivered.
What You Can Do Before Launch
Checkout is not open yet, but the card studio is. You can design your card on snailgram.com.au right now: make the cover, write the message, pick the handwriting and add the address. Saving it keeps the card in your browser and emails you the cover and the details, so it is ready to go the day we open. Nothing is charged until then.
Wedding thank-yous are next on the list: your words for every guest, written in ink and posted.
Fax, Letter or Card?
| You need to send | Use | From |
|---|---|---|
| A form, claim or signed document to an office with a fax number | unofax | A$0.59 a page |
| A letter or document that has to arrive on paper, tracked | Unopost | A$10 |
| A birthday, thank-you or "thinking of you" card in real ink | Snailgram | A$50, opening soon |
Same team, same rules: no accounts, no subscriptions, one clear price, and your documents deleted once they have done their job.