Need color postcards quickly for marketing purposes? It is easy to do postcard printing quickly if you know what you are doing. It is all about simplifying the process and using some good and proven tools in postcard printing. Here are the steps that you should follow.

1. Get a template – First, to make designing the color postcard easier, you should get a template. A template is basically a pre-set document with all the dimensions and some of the design elements already created for you. You can typically find postcard templates online for free download. Look for postcard printing websites and design blogs to get a few that should be of use to you. Try to get templates that use the 4.5 by 6 inch dimension so that you won't get charged extra fees for sending them. Larger postcards have extra postage fees because of the size.

2. Buy some blank postcards – Once the template is ready, you should then buy some blank postcards. You can usually buy these at office supply stores or stationery stores. Make sure that you buy blank postcards that have the precise size as your template. Look for the good quality ones that have a glossy surface and don't forget to check if it is safe for your printer. Look for the "ink jet safe" or "laser printer safe" indicators in its packaging.

a. What if there are no blank postcards? - If there are no blank postcards in your local store, you should then just buy some large letter-sized paper stock. Try to find paper material that is of postcard quality. Thick paper stocks with glossy front sides should do the trick.

3. Pick a picture – Next, you should then pick the picture you need for your color postcards. It is best to use one great photograph that says all you need to say in your postcard. The higher the resolution is in your picture the better it should turn out. So make sure you don't use pictures from the Internet. Take pictures from digital cameras directly if you can. You'll have better postcard covers this way.

4. Make the design – Finally, you should then be able to create your postcard design. Just add your image to the template and then type in a simple message or two above it like "wish you were here" or any kind of marketing message you need. Don't forget to review the other side of the design (the back side of the card) and make sure that the place for the postage stamps and text areas are clearly indicated.

5. Printing your custom postcards – Once the design is done, you should then just print your postcards. Use the blank postcards you got from the store and load them up in your home or office printer. Make sure that the alignments are right and you print the designs correctly with the cover design printed on the glossy part of the paper. If you used those letter-sized paper stocks, you will have to cut them out after printing. If you do all these correctly and with finesse, you should be done with postcard printing within a few hours.

a. Professional printing – If you are not that good at operating your printer to get the best postcard print result, I recommend that you go online and hire an online postcard printing company to do all the printing for you. If you need it fast you can get them for overnight printing when necessary.

Great! That is how you do fast paced postcard printing. No long design debates and customizations necessary on this one. Just templates, content and printing all the way. Good Luck!