Supporting Help for Heroes

mercman1969

looks as if the powers that be have at last seen sense - well at the very least for the Royal Air Force

The following has recently been published

HELP FOR HEROES WRISTBANDS

27. The RAF Dress and Clothing Policy Committee has authorised the wearing of Help for Heroes (H4H) Wristbands whilst in normal working dress ONLY. Personnel are to note that no other style of wristband is authorized and that they are not to wear wristbands if they would interfere with safe or effective conduct of their duties (for example: when training, operating equipment/machinery or flying). Personnel are also to be aware that there will be other occasions when wearing the wristbands would be inappropriate, i.e. when at formal functions or when dressed in No1 SD, and commanders are expected to exercise their discretion in applying this new policy. This policy will be reviewed at a point in the future consistent with the progress of the H4H campaign and in the first instance no later than Dec 08.

AT LONG LAST....common sense prevails

lee634

OK so I read the above post 3 days after mercman had posted,
Thought I'd email just on the off chance, quite surprised that no body had taken up the offer of three FREE keeper cards, quite strange to see the forces holding back,
well I emailed him and sent off 3 photo's,

Now what i was trying to test was the quality from the original photo,
I emailed 3 pictures with different resolution and different colours to test how they would turn out,

Now the Keepercards have returned they are the same size as an ID card or car pass if you now have the plastic design,

Anyway they are a very good quality and the colours are good too,
the reds are red and not orangey red,

Now what i would say is that, when you do order and email pictures through, you email them at the highest quality possible, the three i sent were different resolutions purely to see the difference, and you can the best picture I sent was a high quality black and white photo of my dog and it's come back fantastically.

Now I did have a slight problem with one of the picture being slightly cropped,
I emailed mercman who apologised and informed there was a slight problem with the print head but another one is in the post.


Anyway I would highly recommend this product, They are better than paper photo's and will last a long time,

Just one thought though, Maybe it would be possible to print on either side of the card???
If i had a few pictures in my wallet it does take up space

Lee

Marker_2

Thanks for letting us know lee.

Just thought I would let you know I still intend to purchase some photocards, as I think they are a brillaint idea!

mercman1969

Lee,

Many thanks for the honest feedback and again apologies for the slight headcrop...you should have the replacement today or tomorrow

It is naturally correct that if you need to cover an area of 85mm x 55mm and only supply a photograph that is 44mm x 25mm then the 'streching' of the image will result in some slight pixelation

the cards are 85mm x 55mm and as most photographs either paper or digital are bigger then pixelisation will be minimal

The larger the image the crisper the final product will be

Hope you got your replacement card Lee....you have not said

look forward to being of service to you all

Regards


Pete

marcustandy

When I first saw this thread I thought sounded like a good idea.

At that time, due to lack of replies/reviews, I thought that maybe no-one had volunteered to be testers so I PM'd Pete. He told me that he had had some volunteer testers but would be prepared to send me a sample of these photo cards, free of charge.

I emailed one photo to Pete and two of the cards (same picture) arrived today, so as promised to Pete, here are my thoughts and observations.

Firstly, I specifically chose one of my favourite photo's of our children rather than take a high resolution photo just for this purpose. I'm sure that the better the original photo, the better then end result but what about those favourite photo's you already have?

Well, the two cards that Pete has sent me do look slightly different, as if there has been some adjusting of print settings. Consequently, one of the cards has come out slightly better than the other. Having said that, both of the picture cards are of good quality and my wife said she couldn't see any difference between them (although that isn't necessarily much of a recommendation!).

There's no denying that the card isn't a photo but it is a hard-wearing picture of your favourite photo that you can carry with you far easier than any actual 'printed on paper' image.

I have always carried a couple of family pictures with me in my wallet, wherever I have been. To get any kind of longevity I have laminated the photo's but that does reduce the 'viewability' of the pictures as the laminated plastic soon becomes scratched and worn.

So what's the end result? Well, Mrs Tandy tried to pinch one of these cards before I had hardly even looked at them! She was really impressed (although she is easier pleased than myself!) and has already highlighted the other photo's she wants to send to Pete. I am also impressed, certainly enough to be ordering some more. We have decided that these cards are going to be perfect to pop inside the Christmas cards that we will be sending to those who don't quite warrant a present but will appreciate an up-to-date photo of our family.

In summary, the photo card does fill a niche. There is now a card each with myself & Mrs Tandy and an order for more will be placed just as soon as she sorts out which pictures to send. Having only just received the cards I can't comment on how hardy the picture is, only time will tell. I did try scratching at the corner of one of the cards with a fingernail but it didn't make any marks, almost as if the picture isn't at the surface; under a protective layer perhaps?

I do like the idea of a different picture on each side, even if it costs more, and that would be what we'd order if it were possible.

I haven't uploaded an image/picture of the cards as there is no guarantee that the quality would be correctly reproduced. You'll just have to take my word for it.

In a nutshell, we recommend these cards!! :T :T :T

mercman1969

Marcus,

Many thanks for your frank feedback it is appreciated. As you have stated, the card is not as pin sharp as a photograph but it does last a whole lot longer...try taking a coin and scratching the surface...you will see it will not damage it

We are taking steps to invest in a hi definition printer shortly and this WILL reproduce your images almost better than a photograph

The product is what it is...you can get hi def items but they are very costly.....I have 100's mounted around of our daughter as she is growing up

Look forward to hearing from you shortly

Kind Regards

Pete

baron_samedi

As an active member of UKAF, and having just returned from an OpTour, I just want to let everyone know what I do - I simply laminate my photos, cut to the size I want, and run throught the laminator twice with a heavier weight sheet. Easily done - most units, ships, offices etc have laminators, (and they're cheap enough to buy anyway). I have had the same photos in my wallet for the past 3 years, and they are still good as new! They cost me pennies to produce - I can easily print off 8 credit card sized pictures for one laminate sheet!!

Therefore if I wish to donate to Help For Heroes I will donate the amount of my choice.

What happens to the submitted JPEGs that the company receives? I do hope they are deleted.

Personally I would never send identifiable pictures of my loved ones to a commercial company - especially when they are linked to a serving menber of UKAF.
Think about it...

marcustandy

. . . . . and personally, I would never nick stationary from work for my own purposes, laminating sheets or whatever. :rolleyes:

Like it not, our pictures and those of our kids etc, are in the public domain. In Germany you have the newspaper, Sixth-Sense, which isn't limited to the military community, likewise with various Coprs/Regimental magazines that are easily obtained, all usually containing reports on various family events, homecoming parades etc.

I'm not on Facebook but my wife is, as are many family members, and there are literally hundreds of pictures of me and my family on there, again whether I like it or not.

I am quite happy to send my pictures for use on the photo-card. Are they deleted afterwards? Well, I'll leave that for Pete to answer, but in the meantime, do you check with every developing service you've ever used that they delete your pictures and don't keep records??

mercman1969

Many thanks for you input onto this thread. To clarify a point
I am indeed a serving SNCO of UKAF. I am also a director of the company concerned. the company is PR Enterprises (UK) Ltd but we trade as www.pvcprinting.co.uk

As a company we HAVE by law to obide by the data protection act...one of our clients is Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) so i am sure you will agree these peoples jobs are to ensure complience. ALL data once used is deleted unless directed otherwise.

As far as laminating your cards go...good luck, I hope you either dont get caught or indeed the sharp edges do not ruin any of your clothing

In the end it is each to their own...I am hardly going to stitch up my fellow serving members am I? Think about it...but in all honesty I do not understand the point you are attempting to make about photos given to a member of UKAF? perhaps you would be so kind as to explain the issue so that it can be answered clearly

You have made some valid points, and at the end of the day it is an individual choice...I didnt have to choose to support the H4H....I merely wanted to do 'my bit'

I look forward to hearing from you again shortly....

Regards

Pete

baron_samedi wrote: »

As an active member of UKAF, and having just returned from an OpTour, I just want to let everyone know what I do - I simply laminate my photos, cut to the size I want, and run throught the laminator twice with a heavier weight sheet. Easily done - most units, ships, offices etc have laminators, (and they're cheap enough to buy anyway). I have had the same photos in my wallet for the past 3 years, and they are still good as new! They cost me pennies to produce - I can easily print off 8 credit card sized pictures for one laminate sheet!!

Therefore if I wish to donate to Help For Heroes I will donate the amount of my choice.

What happens to the submitted JPEGs that the company receives? I do hope they are deleted.

Personally I would never send identifiable pictures of my loved ones to a commercial company - especially when they are linked to a serving menber of UKAF.
Think about it...

mercman1969

Hi Folks,

Thought I would update you on my quest to raise funds for H4H

To date apart from the 'freebies' given away NOBODY has ordered any of these items and as such NO monies have been raised to pass on

These cards are great value and can be used for any purpose

1. Bespoke Christmas Present Gift Tags that can be kept
2. Thank You Cards
3. Party Invitations

I have to admit to being a little disappointed - but readily accept that people may be feeling the pinch

I would have thought a portion of the forces community would have taken this offer up

I will keep it open for the time being

Regards

Pete