Cut four hagaki from one A4 sheet
The hagaki is Japan is standard postcard, 100 by 148 mm. With heavy A4 stock and this layout you can make your own instead of buying pre-cut card.
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Official card versus privately printed card
A hagaki bought at a Japanese post office carries pre-printed postage. One you cut from A4 is a private card and needs a stamp. The dimensions are identical at 100 by 148 mm; as long as the piece weighs 2-6 g and measures 0.15-0.25 mm thick it travels at the postcard rate. A card cut from 180 gsm A4 weighs about 2.6 g.
Making your own New Year cards
For a privately printed card to be held and delivered on New Year is Day in Japan, the word for New Year greeting must be written in red near the top of the address side. Forget it and the card is delivered as ordinary mail straight away. The address side also has a fixed postcode box, roughly 12 mm from the top and 44 mm in from the right edge.
Practical notes on four-up
Four-up on A4 pushes the outer cards into the printer is unprintable border. When the finished size has to be exact, take two good cards from each sheet and use the rest for proofs. The corner trim marks let you set a guillotine once and cut every sheet identically.
Frequently asked questions
Is this as good as inkjet postcard stock?
For photographs, no — coated postcard stock holds far more colour. Plain heavy A4 has no receiving layer, so large flat areas of ink can bleed slightly. For a type-led design it is perfectly adequate.
Can I print the addresses too?
This layout repeats one design, so use the CSV merge for addresses: up to three text fields, each positioned by percentage and sized in points, filled from one row of your spreadsheet per card.
The cut edges look ragged.
That is usually a blade held too shallow or a rule that slips. Keep the knife steeper than 45 degrees and use a rule with a non-slip backing. If you are making these regularly, a small rotary trimmer gives a consistent edge for very little money.