Introduction & questions

[jenanay]

Hi everyone! I have been lurking here for about a week and thought I would introduce myself. My name is Jenny and I am from Indiana (USA). I was collecting back in 2003 but stopped due to a bunch of personal crap going on, my collection was stolen by my now ex boyfriend so I decided it was time to start over. I remember some of my faves back then were, Alicia Silverstone, Hank Williams Jr, and Slash. I have gotten alot of great info just from reading the forums, but have some more questions.
First, photos. I found that Sams Club will do 8x10 pics cheap, like 1.42. Has anyone here used them, will they print photos from the net? I did see that they will mail them right to your house, just wanting some feedback on that. Also, what size/resolution should a photo be so that it will be good quality when printed? I have trouble finding good pics that I feel are big enough even when using google or yahoo image search, any ideas, suggestions for me?
Also, many of the people I want to write will be via venue. Have people gotten anythinmg back via venue from bands, without sending thier own photo? What is the success rate when writing to bands or actors via venue? I know how to find concert info but where do you find information on movies in production and thier addresses without having to join imbd??
Ok I guess I will go for now, I plan on sending my first bunch this weekend. Some will be....Michael c Hall (Dexter...LOVEHIM!), The Crystal Method (vv), A few from Greys Anatomy cast, and a few others. Once I start sending alot I will start a site will all my successs and failures. I also wrote a few people at celebrity merchandise and studiofanmail...what the heck, they are free, right???
Ok this post is really over now...LOL

Jenny {thumb2}

[BossC]

Some stores have been picky about copyrights--including Sams according to one member. It really depends on the one you use.

Keep in mind that Sams Club requires a membership before you can order. Mailing to your door adds an extra 1.50 I think but I'm not sure.

As for the pixel question: I aim for over 1000. Those make the best quality photos. I search google.com and click images and then choose "extra large."

Via Venue you really need to provide your own photos especially for a tour. A play might have things on hand to sign, but a tour group is constantly moving.

Hope this helped. Feel free to pm me if you need more help.

BossC

[jenanay]

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback!

Jenny

[synclaire]

Hi Jenny,
Wecome to fanmail biz!!I am now starting to write celebrities so I don't no much yet.Maybe all the experts will help you out.Good luck!!!

Synclaire

[Selise]

First, photos. I found that Sams Club will do 8x10 pics cheap, like 1.42. Has anyone here used them, will they print photos from the net? I did see that they will mail them right to your house, just wanting some feedback on that.

Ok.. I'll try to answer this as best as possible.
BossC is right - you need a membership to order from SamsClub. If you don't have a membership, you're not going to get the photos. If you do have a membership, they do charge to deliver to your house - how much I don't know. Also, some Sams Clubs are very picky about copyright issues and will not print your photos. One of my friends tried to print some photos there and they turned her down. So that's up to you if you have a membership and want to try.

Read the stickies here, there is a wealth of information to be found as to where to get good photos.

Also, what size/resolution should a photo be so that it will be good quality when printed? I have trouble finding good pics that I feel are big enough even when using google or yahoo image search, any ideas, suggestions for me?

I am for a minimum of 300 pixels per inch for my photos. I print my own, I've a good printer. Suggestions - read the stickies, there's so much to be learned.

Also, many of the people I want to write will be via venue. Have people gotten anythinmg back via venue from bands, without sending thier own photo? What is the success rate when writing to bands or actors via venue? I know how to find concert info but where do you find information on movies in production and thier addresses without having to join imbd??

I send most of my requests VV (via Venue). I've gotten tons of stuff back, but you should always aim to send people on venue something to sign. A 4x6 photo works wonders, and uses only one stamp.

No one can give you a percentage for success or failure for VV. Do look in the VV section of feedback - you'll find a list of people who are known to sign VV, as well as venues that pass on fanmail or do not pass on fanmail.
This is the general link for VV: http://www.fanmail.biz/mboard/viewforum.php?f=125

There is a section here where you can find movies that are in production, just keep checking:
Current and Upcoming Productions: http://www.fanmail.biz/mboard/viewforum.php?f=120

Add/Request a VV address:
http://www.fanmail.biz/mboard/viewforum.php?f=124

Ok I guess I will go for now, I plan on sending my first bunch this weekend. Some will be....Michael c Hall (Dexter...LOVEHIM!), The Crystal Method (vv), A few from Greys Anatomy cast, and a few others. Once I start sending alot I will start a site will all my successs and failures. I also wrote a few people at celebrity merchandise and studiofanmail...what the heck, they are free, right???
Ok this post is really over now...LOL
Jenny {thumb2}

So you know, Celeb Merchandise and SFM are pre-prints or autopens. None of them are authentically signed.

Enjoy collecting,

Selise

[jenanay]

Wow thanks for all the great feedback! Yes I realize studio fan mail and celeb merch are PP but its free, so what the heck. LOL. I dont have the money to buy a really good printer, and ink is too expensive right now for me too, so I have to rely on ordering prints. I cant hardly bring myself to pay 3 bucks per 8x10, which is the size I prefer. I want to send my own photo tho, since I know the chance of getting an authentic is much better. Just another question regarding size and resolution....sorry if I sound dumb but I dont really understand. So if I look up a photo say on google image search, and the photo is 300 x 450, is that too small to print well? Or is that different? How do I find out the pixel per inch?
Yes, I have been doing alot of reading here, and this site is great, and free! I wont join those sites that want you to pay, I figure if I do enough research, I should be able to find what I need for free. Well guys, I am off to work, but will post again soon! Hope you all get lots in the mail today!

Jen :razz:

[BossC]

sorry if I sound dumb but I dont really understand. So if I look up a photo say on google image search, and the photo is 300 x 450, is that too small to print well? Or is that different? How do I find out the pixel per inch?

Yes, 300x450 is too small to print as a 8X10. Some computer photo editing software might be able to get it big enough for a 8x10 but I wouldn't try it. The bigger you make it the less sharp it will be.

What I do is google the person I want and click images. Then I click "extra large images." Those would be the best as 8x10s. If I can't find what I want I go down to large and see what I can find.

Hope this helped!

BossC

[Selise]

Ok.. sorry about the confusion with the pixels per inch.

Do you have a photo editing program such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro? If not, you can get a good free program called The Gimp. (http://www.gimp.org/) it does almost everything that Photoshop and PSP do. You can re-size pictures there, as well as find out the resolution of your images.

I understand that you prefer the 8x10s, and yes, I do agree, they look super nice. What I do to save money though (because money is always a factor!) is I find images online and print them as 4x6 photos. I send most of mine via venue, and 4x6 images I can get 3 on a sheet of photo paper, and they only need 1 stamp to return and 1 to send. If you do order them, be careful of the place because sometimes the places won't print the pictures because of copyright issues. I *think* in one of the stickies there's a whole bunch of links that you can order pictures from. Also, there are people here who trade pictures for stamps or what-not.. so maybe you could look into that as an option.

Here's a quick little tutorial on finding high resolution images on Google:
Step 1: Go to Google, and click on Images


Step 2: Once in Google Images, type in the name of the person you're looking for. In my example, I used JoDee Messina.


Step 3: You'll come up with tons of images of the person. Now choose Extra Large or Large.


Step 4: These are part of the results you get while searching for Extra Large Images.


Step 5: Pick the picture you like. Sometimes you have to scroll a few pages to find one that is what you're looking for.


Step 6: Now go to See Full Size Image.


Step 7: Now you've got a large image. There will usually be a smaller microscope with a + sign in it, that will enlarge the picture to its full size. Click on the picture to make the image full size.


Step 8: This is the full size picture. Save it to your computer or a memory stick, and you can open the photo in one of the photo editing software programs. When you print it, you can specify the size and resolution you want to print the photo. I usually choose best quality and full size (if printing an 8x10).


Hope that helped a bit.

Selise