A
postal card is a typically rectangular piece of thick
paper or thin
cardboard intended to write on and be mailed without an
envelope and at a lower rate than a letter. It is distinguished by
stamp collectors[?] from a
postcard in that the postage is pre-printed on it whereas a postcard requires a
stamp. A postal card is issued by a
stamp-issuing authority[?] (typically a country) whereas a postcard is usually printed by a private company, individual or organisation.
In the Art-world the postcard can also be transferred into an art-object. The artform where this is done is called mail art.