| Paul Leonard's paid greeting card service
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| | Paper Avenue as the designer of your
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| offers convenience when you're rushing to
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| | cards?Paul Leonard: We decided early on
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| send birthday wishes. While nothing can
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| | that we should offer something different
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| beat a personalized poem to add that
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| | from the rest. After getting samples from
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| extra touch of thoughtfulness, we can all
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| | what seemed like hundreds of wholesalers
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| agree that in this busy world, any
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| | we still hadn't found anything worth
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| connection we can make with each other,
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| | getting excited about. My brother-in-law
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| even just to say "Thinking of you," is
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| | knew of Paper Avenue and suggested we
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| worthwhile.Plus, when you consider the
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| | give them a try. We were so impressed by
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| cost of gas, driving to the store, buying
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| | their designs that we took the plunge and
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| the cards, and buying the stamps, you
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| | haven't looked back!Kristin: Sounds like
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| can't beat the price of $3.16 and up
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| | a perfect partnership. How have customers
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| including postage for handmade greeting
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| | responded to your cards?Paul Leonard: As
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| cards that can be personalized. Poems for
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| | with any web site, a lot of people look
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| You founder Kristin Johnson sat down with
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| | before one buys! It can be a challenge
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| Paul Leonard, founder of
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| | trying to show the quality of your
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| BirthdayCards2Go.com,for an exclusive
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| | product on a web site -- after all your
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| interview.Kristin: Paul, how did you
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| | potential customers can't pick things up
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| develop this unique service?Paul Leonard:
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| | and touch them, they have to rely purely
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| Well, I guess the idea first came to me a
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| | on images. Many people that have ordered
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| couple of years back while sitting in a
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| | cards from us are absolutely blown away
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| traffic jam! I'd just been to the store
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| | by the look and feel of the cards and
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| to get a birthday card for my sister at
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| | envelopes. Most are subconsciously
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| the last minute -- I always forget
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| | expecting the type of thin, nasty cards
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| people's birthdays -- and was trying to
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| | that you get at your local 7-11 store,
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| fill in the address with the envelope
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| | but we prefer to spend a few cents more
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| balanced on the steering wheel. I
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| | and have our cards printed on one of the
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| remember thinking that there must be a
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| | best quality Dutch Ivory boards
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| better way! A couple of months went by
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| | available. This makes for a much more
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| and, on my birthday, I got a birthday
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| | expensive and upmarket impression, and
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| card from my sister. It obviously hadn't
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| | delighted customers!Kristin: I would be
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| been sent by her but by a computer via
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| | delighted to receive a card that doesn't
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| the web -- my name and address was laser
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| | look like 99 percent of the cards out
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| printed on the back and it arrived in a
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| | there. In addition, you offer value-added
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| window envelope. The message inside was
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| | services, such as the delivery system in
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| laser printed in rather soulless black
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| | which customers can receive their cards
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| monotype. I can only say that I felt a
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| | at home to send out later. Talk about
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| bit offended, considering the trouble I
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| | that.Paul Leonard: Some people may want
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| had gone to 2 months earlier, but then I
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| | to give their cards in person, or maybe
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| realised how much time and energy I would
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| | get everyone at work to sign it -- you
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| have saved by using a service like
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| | never know. It's mainly a case of
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| this.The only thing that put me off was
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| | covering all the bases. If someone orders
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| the impersonal 'junk mail' appearance of
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| | 10 or more cards like this in one go, we
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| the card, so I began to search the web
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| | pass on the savings in postage and
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| for a service that would allow me to send
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| | transaction costs by giving the customer
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| a card that would look like I sent it.
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| | a 40% discount on the total.Kristin: What
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| After a couple of hours I gave up because
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| | a deal! Talk about the convenience of
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| I couldn't find what I was looking for.
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| | selecting the date to send cards for
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| That's when it clicked -- there was a gap
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| | birthdays. It seems that we all have
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| in the market that I could fill. As an IT
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| | endless to-do lists, and sometimes
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| professional specializing in Intranet
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| | calendar dates just slip by. It must be a
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| systems myself, I soon had the website
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| | relief for your customers to have their
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| built and my brother-in-law, who is a
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| | own secretarial service for greeting
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| graphic designer, came on board to help
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| | cards.Paul Leonard: I have got to be the
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| with the creative side. Through his
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| | worst person in the world for forgetting
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| contacts he also helped to source the
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| | my relative's birthdays and
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| cards that we use. After that, a lot of
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| | anniversaries, and I'm sure I'm not
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| fine tuning and acting on feedback from
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| | alone! It's certainly a weight off your
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| our customers has got us to where we are
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| | mind when you can schedule a card to be
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| now..Kristin: Most of us do leave things
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| | sent when you're thinking about it and
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| to the last minute. That's why there's a
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| | have the time, instead of having to
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| proliferation of free e-card businesses
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| | remember to do it some day in the future.
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| out there. Blue Mountain Arts, which
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| | A lot of our customers seem to do all
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| published two of my award-winning poems
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| | their cards for the whole year in one
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| on its Web site, was the pioneer for this
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| | hit! And no, I don't forget about sending
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| model, but changed to a login and
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| | out our customer's cards -- our system
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| fee-based service. You are also doing a
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| | (and mailing people) takes care of them
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| fee-based service. But yours is not an
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| | for me. I must confess, though, I DO put
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| e-card business, it's a unique greeting
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| | all the cards I have to send to MY
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| card business. Do you operate on the
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| | friends and family through the system
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| principle "you get what you pay for?"Paul
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| | too!Kristin: Sounds like a great way to
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| Leonard: I think the bottom line here is
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| | energize/organize your life and help
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| that you can't put an e-card on your
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| | other people in the process! Is there
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| mantelpiece! E-cards are definitely great
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| | anything else you would like potential
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| fun and have their place, but you still
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| | clients to know about you?Paul Leonard:
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| can't beat a real card arriving in the
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| | Keep an eye on our site -- we have a shed
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| post to tell you that someone is thinking
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| | load of new cards to be added over the
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| of you.Kristin: True! Can you describe
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| | coming months, covering many specialist
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| the other benefits of sending a
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| | themes that would be hard to find
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| BirthdayCards2Go card?Paul Leonard: I
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| | elsewhere. We are also working on some
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| think our main objective is to make the
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| | free reminder software to help customers
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| cards we send out look and feel like the
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| | keep track of their friends and family's
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| customer has sent them personally. We
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| | special occasions -- this will be like
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| allow the customer to select a style of
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| | nothing ever created before and it will
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| handwriting, which is used to complete
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| | be available for download from our web
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| the address on the envelope and message
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| | site when it's finished!Kristin: Paul, I
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| inside the card, and a normal postage
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| | will definitely recommend your
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| stamp is used for postage. Making the
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| | service.Kristin Johnson is co-author of
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| process of sending a card as quick and
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| | the "enthusiastically recommended"
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| painless as possible for our customers is
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| | Midwest Book Review pick, Christmas
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| also important, and a lot of thought has
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| | Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes
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| been put in to ways of reducing the
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| | and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts
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| amount of effort needed to do
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| | (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A
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| this.Kristin: The effort and care you
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| | downloadablemedia kit is available at our
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| have taken show in the cards you see on
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| | Web site, or e-mail the publisher () to
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| your Web site! The designs from Paper
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| | receive a printed media kit and sample
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| Avenue look terrific. How did you select
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| | copy of the book.
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