Text fields & personalization
Text fields can contain static text and variables. Variables are placeholders that PostPal fills with real values per recipient during printing, such as first name or an individual voucher code.
Date fields add the shipping date, today's date or a fixed date to your text. They are identical for all recipients and already available in Basic.
Text fields contain static text and, when needed, variables. Variables are placeholders that PostPal fills with real values per recipient during printing.
Typical variables:
- First name / salutation for a personal address.
- Company name for B2B recipients.
- Individual voucher code - connects personalization directly with attribution.
- QR code with a trackable target link.
You place variables and QR codes in Postcard Studio. They may hang over the card edge, but anything outside the finished card area is trimmed off — the Studio shows that cut while you design. Whatever should be read or scanned belongs fully on the card. Deutsche Post reserved areas (address, franking, coding) are different: you may place elements there, the Studio points it out at the top, you can still save, and we check every design before sending.
In the Studio, choose Text and then Text field. Your uploaded design
remains unchanged; the text field sits above it. A new text field immediately
selects all of “Text hinzufügen”, so you can start typing to replace it. This
does not apply to API Markdown. Double-click an existing text field to
edit it directly on the postcard. Type known placeholders such as
{{first_name}}, or use Insert variable in the right sidebar.
Resize the text area: Drag a side handle to set only the width and the automatic line wrap. Drag a corner handle to set both width and height. Without a dragged handle, the text field remains content-sized and adjusts itself automatically.
For a quick personal greeting, choose Greeting in the Studio's left
sidebar. You can pick
Hallo {{first_name}},, Guten Tag {{salutation}} {{last_name}}, or a custom
greeting. These templates are inserted as text fields and remain fully editable.
For an individual voucher code, choose Gutschein-Code (Voucher code) in the Studio's left sidebar. The voucher selection opens: pick the voucher and click Platzieren. The element is then placed on the card and shows a sample code; the layer list labels it Gutschein 1 together with the voucher's name, and that is also where you change the assignment. Double-click the element to add text, recipient placeholders and date fields directly before or after the individual code. The code remains part of that same voucher element. A fixed code for every recipient is simply a text field — it needs no voucher element. With our voucher feature, you can create a unique code for each recipient. When creating the voucher, set a prefix of up to four characters, for example VIP. It is completed with six additional characters, resulting in a code such as VIPXPXQT3. Imported voucher codes can differ.
Showing the same voucher more than once: copy the element, or simply place the voucher a second time. All elements of one voucher share one variable: they are all labelled Gutschein 1 and show the same sample code. That is not a mistake but exactly what gets printed — each recipient receives a single code for that voucher, and it appears in every one of those spots. Only a second, different voucher becomes Gutschein 2 and brings a code of its own.
If you change the voucher on one element while several elements carry that same voucher, the Studio asks first: should the new voucher apply to all of them, or only to the selected one? In the second case that single element becomes Gutschein 2 and the others stay as they are.
Voucher configuration belongs to the design: the voucher-code element binds the selected voucher to the relevant design variant. During printing, PostPal fills the element with an individual code for each recipient. Vouchers are no longer selected separately in the campaign form.
Frequently asked questions
What are variables in a PostPal design?
Variables are placeholders that PostPal fills with real values per recipient during printing, such as first name or an individual voucher code.
Can I print personalized voucher codes?
Yes. Use a variable to print individual, trackable voucher codes on each postcard and connect personalization directly with attribution.
Where do I place variables?
You place variables in Postcard Studio. They may hang over the card edge, but anything in the bleed or beyond is trimmed off — so the Studio already cuts it off visibly in the editor. A variable meant to be read belongs fully on the card. Deutsche Post reserved areas (address, franking, coding) are different: you may place elements there, the Studio points it out at the top, and we check every design before sending.
How do I edit text fields in Postcard Studio?
Double-click a text field to edit it directly on the postcard. Type known placeholders such as {{first_name}}, or insert them at the cursor from the right sidebar using “Insert variable”. In preview mode, PostPal resolves known placeholders to example values.
How do I add a greeting?
In the Studio's left sidebar, choose Greeting. You can choose the informal template Hallo {{first_name}}, or the formal template Guten Tag {{salutation}} {{last_name}}, and then edit the inserted text field directly.
How do I add a voucher code?
Choose Gutschein-Code (Voucher code) in the Studio's left sidebar. The voucher selection opens; pick the voucher and click Platzieren. The element is then placed on the card and shows a sample code. Double-click it to add text, recipient placeholders and date fields directly before or after the code; the individual voucher code remains part of the element. With our voucher feature, every recipient gets their own code. When creating the voucher, set a prefix of up to four characters, for example VIP. It is completed with six additional characters, resulting in a code such as VIPXPXQT3. Imported voucher codes can differ. For a fixed code that every recipient receives, simply use a text field instead.
Can I show the same voucher code more than once on a card?
Yes. Copy the voucher element, or place the same voucher a second time. All elements of one voucher share a single variable, are labelled Gutschein 1 in the layer list and show the same sample code — each recipient gets exactly one code for that voucher, printed in every one of those spots. Only a second, different voucher becomes Gutschein 2 and brings a code of its own.
Where do I configure the voucher for a design?
Configure vouchers on the design's voucher-code element in Postcard Studio. The binding belongs to the relevant design variant and is filled with an individual code per recipient during printing. If several elements carry the same voucher and you change it on one of them, the Studio asks whether the new voucher should apply to all of those elements or only to the selected one. Vouchers are no longer selected separately in the campaign form.