World Postcard Day: The $800M Reason Print Still Wins Over the Cloud

On 1st October 1869, the very first postcard was sent in Austria-Hungary. What began as a simple way to share short notes quickly grew into a worldwide tradition of preserving journeys, stories, and emotions through print.

More than 150 years later, World Postcard Day celebrates this legacy, reminding us that some moments are meant to be held in our hands, not just scrolled past on a screen.

The Legacy of Postcards

For generations, postcards have carried far more than pictures and words—they have carried feelings, friendships, and fragments of life. Unlike a fleeting digital message, a postcard often found a permanent place, whether tucked inside albums, displayed on mantelpieces, or passed down through families as cherished keepsakes. They remind us of photography’s original purpose: to preserve and share human experience in a way that endures.

Why Print Still Resonates

For photographers, postcards stand as proof that images take on new meaning when committed to paper. A printed photograph is tangible, enduring, and personal. For professional photographers, this justifies a higher price point and leaves clients with a lasting memory they can hold.

This matters more than ever today. Over 90 per cent of people now rely on their mobile phone as their primary camera, yet fewer than one in twenty of those photographs is ever printed (Photutorial, 2025). The vast majority remain trapped on devices or forgotten in cloud folders.

Even storage habits are fragile. Only around 10–15 per cent of users actively back up their photos to cloud platforms such as Google Photos or iCloud. Most rely solely on their phones. A single accident — whether theft, damage, or technical failure — can erase years of memories in an instant. Surveys suggest that up to 40 per cent of adults have already lost precious photographs because of failed devices or lack of backups.

The long-term risks are even more serious. Unlike prints, which can last for decades when stored properly, digital media is vulnerable to obsolescence, corruption, and access issues. Historians already warn of a potential “digital dark age” in which future generations inherit few or no tangible photographs of the early 21st century. What convenience has given us in abundance, it has taken away in permanence.

Against this backdrop, the act of printing becomes not only artistic but also protective. A physical print outlives the phone upgrade, the failed hard drive, or the vanished online account. It becomes something real to pass down — something that future generations can hold in their hands rather than search for on an obsolete platform.

The Modern Demand for Tangible Keepsakes

Despite billions of digital images uploaded every day, people still crowd into photobooths at events. The photobooth industry was valued at more than USD 800 million in 2024 and continues to grow (Global Market Insights, 2025), precisely because instant prints deliver what digital cannot: an object, a keepsake, a memory preserved outside the screen.

For event photographers, this is where the right printing solutions make all the difference. Printers such as the DNP DS620, DNP RX1HS, and HiTi P529LX are go-to choices for photobooth operators thanks to their reliability, speed, and flexibility.

This is where perforated media becomes essential. It allows event photographers to quickly and easily tear off multiple formats—like the classic photostrip or square prints—from a single sheet.

At Photomart, we supply a full range of DNP perforated media packs designed for these applications:

These packs make it simple to produce tactile mementoes that stand out in a way no digital gallery ever could.

Photomart’s Commitment to Print

At Photomart, we’re proud to support photographers and businesses who continue to honour this tradition. We supply dye-sublimation printers, photographic media, and presentation products designed to transform digital files into prints that endure.

Our focus is on equipping you to deliver true value. Your printed photographs and mementoes can carry stories far into the future—and become a profitable, in-demand service now.

As we mark World Postcard Day, we celebrate the fact that print is more than just paper and ink; it’s a vessel for reliable memory, meaning, and connection.

Ready to Upgrade Your Event Solutions?

Don't let your memories (or your clients') stay trapped on a screen. Explore our full range of professional dye-sub printers, perforated media packs, and display solutions today.

Photomart, Your imaging partner, always.

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