A promo email arrived from Apple today, pushing "beautiful one-of-a-kind cards" through its own particular variant of personalised cards, which involves letterpress designs overprinted digitally. At least, I think that's how they do it.

This isn't new, they've been offering personalised cards and photobooks through the iTunes store since 2010. But now there a new, improved app to make things even easier.

It's interesting that such a high-tech business should choose to meld the beauty of letterpress with digital printing. However, judging from the feedback on the site (pasted below), this is not an altogether happy union and it doesn't sound like it meets the exacting standards of the late Steve Jobs viz imputing the requisite level of quality and desirability.

Next task: splash out ?3.99 on something (a 60% price increase in just over a year, by the way) so I can see for myself if the negative comments are justified.

Customer Reviews

Product is poor!     

by Anji Naiken

I thought this app would be a good way, never to forget a card or shop around for one and then remember to buy a stamp and then post it! WRONG.
The card looks VERY cheap. Like you printed it at home. Secondly, it took 10 days to arrive. All I can say is they need to improve this 100 times over before I would use it again.

 

Shocking

by Paul Ensell

Poor selection of designs, very limited customisation, poor quality and it took 15 days to be delivered. 15 days! So much for 1-3 business days. My relation received their card 11 days late. Yeah cheers. I'll be sticking with Moonpig!

 

Absolute rubbish!

by Simon Pearce

Poor choice of card designs, overpriced, slow delivery (cards took a week to arrive). When they did come they're small and look like a kid has printed them on his home printer. AVOID!