I am not sure if I accurately understand what "hand cancellation" means for the post office? and if this will solve my STD postcard problem? I mailed a couple of test STDs to myself and my mom this week to see how they held up in the mail. The postcards themselves held up well and I am happy with that aspect. However, the post office's stamp (a big "Happy Holidays" along with their other routing info) partially covered some of the wedding info (on my mom's it actually covered FI's name, making it hard to read if you didn't already know his name). I am wondering if hand cancellation could solve this problem or if I need to just put the postcards in envelopes (which I really don't want to do since it defeats the purpose of the postcard for my DW). Or maybe I should just take my chances that some of them will have the PO stamp in a less than desirable place. ?? TIA for any tips or suggestions.