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Hello!

Im very, super new here. Im not looking into collecting because I live in Canada and IRC's are SUPER expensive ($7.50 each) and to include 2 per request is a $15 gamble. ((If anyone has advice for that feel free to pass it along!))

Anyways! I don't have a photo printer. Im not able to buy photos off eBay because shipping them is anywhere from $8-20 each plus the cost of the photo which ranges from $5-20. I don't want to not include a photo just for risk of not getting anything back.

Is it appropriate to literally print a photo from the computer on standard paper to be autographed or is that like not classy/cheap looking? Has anyone had success this way? Is this like a normal thing to do? Or should I just not include anything? Between envelopes, postage, and IRC, this is about a $20 adventure per autograph request and I really want to maximize my chances.

Thank you so much in advance for answering my questions. I want to send off my requests as soon as I can.

I've printed photos on cardstock and they've come out OK - not ideal, but OK - because the ink is absorbed by the paper. Unless you have a really, really good printer, you're bound to get lines caused by the movement of the inkheads on the print itself.

If you can get public domain photos, or photos where the photog has given the OK to reproduce, you may be able to get photos printed out at the local drug store or other store's photo kiosk. Or send it to their photo department's website (or to a website like Shutterfly) to get it printed and sent to you

In order to maximize your success, you should always include something for the person to sign. They may not have a photo or a card, and even if they do, you may not be satisfied with it because it doesn't fit in with what you're looking for (in terms of from a specific film, or pose.)

Autograph collecting is about making easier for the next person. Because if they can open up your request, sign what's enclosed and deposit it in the mail, they may continuing signing. If it's too much of a bother, they may stop.


For the US, IRCs are pretty much useless. Because they have stopped selling them here, most Post Offices don't know what to do with them. Best bet is to buy stamps of the country which you want to send an autograph request to for the SASE.

Collecting can be an expensive hobby. There's no getting around that with the cost of envelopes, photos, and postage. And sometimes a donation or cost of the autograph.