PENSAKI service summary
PENSAKI is a German provider of genuine handwritten direct mail. Robots physically write letters, cards, postcards and addresses with real ink using fountain pens or ballpoint pens. PENSAKI Ready is available from 10 items. PENSAKI Business is available from 250 items and supports customised stationery, formats and processing.
About PENSAKI
4 questions
What services does PENSAKI offer?
PENSAKI adds a personal touch to business communication using advanced robotic technology. We create handwritten letters and postcards, with every text physically written by robots in human handwriting using fountain pens or ballpoint pens. PENSAKI Ready formats can be ordered online from 10 items. PENSAKI Business formats start at 250 items.
We focus exclusively on genuine handwriting produced with real ink. We do not create electronic handwriting for printing processes. Our handwriting styles are based on the writing of real people who have made their personal handwriting available to us. Our robots combine consistent quality with the scalability required for campaigns of up to 500,000 letters.
Orders are placed online, including the secure transfer of all recipient addresses.
How does PENSAKI work?
With PENSAKI Ready, you can start immediately by selecting the required format in the configurator. For PENSAKI Business solutions, we send you an email containing the access details for your order. A PENSAKI account is required so that you can save your drafts.
You create your PENSAKI campaign online. After opening the editor, you can enter your text directly. Each format has its own editor, so the permitted number of lines and characters per line, including spaces, varies by format. PENSAKI transfers your content exactly as you submit it.
Is PENSAKI a subscription service?
No. You simply order the required quantity. There are no subscription periods or contractual minimum terms.
Is PENSAKI compliant with the EU GDPR?
Yes. PENSAKI is compliant with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The main safeguards are:
Data processing agreement: You conclude the required data processing agreement online during the order process. No postal return is required.
Security standards: The complete ordering process is SSL encrypted. PENSAKI uses servers located in Germany to support high security and data protection standards.
Anonymisation: After an order has been dispatched, you can remove personal data from the order in your customer account. The order history remains available, while salutations and addresses are anonymised. The data is also removed from all backups within 30 days. Completion is confirmed by email.
Data integrity: The online process, including the preview of all content, ensures that customer data is transferred to the handwritten mailing exactly as submitted.
Products and formats
6 questions
What is PENSAKI Ready?
Imagine a stamped white envelope, a blank sheet of paper and a fountain pen on your desk. You write the message, address the envelope, insert the letter and seal it. The completed letter is then taken to the postal service for you.
This is the principle behind PENSAKI Ready. The format is fully prepared. You only enter the text and add the addresses. PENSAKI handles the remaining production and mailing steps.
What is PENSAKI Business?
PENSAKI Business allows you to personalise handwritten texts and addresses as well as the printed design of the stationery. Additional services, such as inserting vouchers, can be included in the order. You can also choose the writing area and the amount of text. More than 500 format variants are available. Postcards are always treated as PENSAKI Business formats because they are printed to your specifications before handwriting begins.
Standard layout or custom layout: what is the difference?
Writing a text on a card or sheet of paper with a fountain pen or ballpoint pen requires a different layout from printed text.
To maintain legibility, each format has defined limits for the number of lines and characters per line.
With a standard layout, the text is arranged in a straightforward text block without special spacing or individual positioning.
A custom layout can be used for specific spacing, individual arrangements or other layout requirements. It is available for all PENSAKI Business formats from 250 items. One approved layout is then applied to all cards or letters in the order.
What is the minimum order quantity?
PENSAKI Ready, from 10 items: The minimum order quantity is 10 letters or cards. You may order only one item, but the minimum quantity price still applies. The shopping cart calculates the price automatically according to the quantity.
PENSAKI Business including printed stationery, from 250 items: All PENSAKI Business formats can be ordered from 250 items per order. They support fully customised handwritten formats, with numerous options for format, text length and processing. For recurring weekly or monthly orders, the minimum quantity is 100 letters, cards or postcards per order.
Can cards be printed with a custom design?
Yes. From 250 cards, letters or postcards, PENSAKI Business can print the items in your required design before handwriting begins. During the order process, you receive a PDF design template for both sides of the selected format. After you submit the print-ready PDF files, printing normally takes approximately 3 to 5 working days. Following your approval of the handwriting layout, dispatch normally takes approximately 5 to 7 working days.
Can vouchers or flyers be inserted?
Yes. We can insert additional material into your handwritten letters. This allows the handwritten message to remain personal while detailed information is placed on a separate insert. Vouchers are also possible. PENSAKI can arrange the printing of the inserts. Personalised inserts, such as individually printed QR codes, are not available. From 1,000 items, you may provide your own inserts.
Handwriting styles
4 questions
Which handwriting styles are available?
PENSAKI offers a selection of standard handwriting styles that customers can use without an additional licence fee. They were programmed from genuine human handwriting. Individual letters are not reproduced identically, so the appearance varies naturally.
For an exclusive solution, PENSAKI offers a personal VIP handwriting style. It is particularly suitable for executives, board members and brands that require a distinctive personal identity. Your custom handwriting belongs exclusively to you and is used only for your messages. A signature can also be captured as part of the individual handwriting style.
Creating a VIP handwriting style is a one-time investment. After approval, the handwriting and signature remain available for your PENSAKI orders without additional usage fees. The programming is specifically designed for the PENSAKI system and is not compatible with other printing or writing processes.
What is a VIP signature?
The VIP signature option allows PENSAKI to program your personal signature from a form that you complete.
Your handwritten letters and cards can then include this signature. The main text is written either in a standard handwriting style or in your individual VIP handwriting style and is supplemented by the signature. PENSAKI can also produce autograph cards. This PENSAKI Business service is available from 250 items. We capture only a signature without legal relevance.
For autograph cards, different versions can be created so that the signatures vary between cards. Alternatively, your name can be written legibly in the selected standard handwriting style.
Is the handwriting printed?
No. PENSAKI robots physically write every letter with a fountain pen or ballpoint pen. We do not offer printed simulations of handwriting. Printed handwriting lacks the physical characteristics of ink applied by a writing instrument and therefore does not provide the same perceived value or authenticity. Where genuine handwriting is not required, conventional printed material is generally the more economical option.
Are PENSAKI handwriting styles certified as machine-readable?
No. PENSAKI handwriting is not certified by Deutsche Post as machine-readable because the characters are physically written rather than printed from a font. Machine-readable typefaces are standardised printed fonts, such as Arial, Frutiger, Helvetica or Univers, that have been certified for automated postal processing.
This distinction is relevant for DIALOGPOST mailings. To qualify as fully automation-compatible, the mailing must use suitable certified typefaces.
DIALOGPOST items that are not automation-compatible, including handwritten items, can still be mailed. Deutsche Post applies an additional charge for non-automation-compatible items. The source page states a charge of EUR 0.05 per item as of March 2020.
Texts and personalisation
6 questions
Can the texts be personalised?
Yes. Every handwritten message can be personalised. In addition to the salutation, PENSAKI text modules allow you to customise further parts of the message, including complete lines. Salutations and addresses are inserted automatically when you import your data and enter the main text in the editor. Text modules can also personalise other parts of the message or the sender details on envelopes. Personalisation does not change the writing or processing price.
Can different text versions be combined?
Yes. A single order can contain different texts, including a separate text for every recipient. Changing the text does not create an additional writing charge. You can add several versions of a letter to the order, for example different forms of address or different languages.
Individual parts of the message can also be adapted for each recipient. Each letter could contain a different date, for example, or use different sender details depending on the recipient.
How much handwritten text fits on an A4 sheet?
An A4 sheet can accommodate up to 1,400 characters, including spaces and punctuation, when written with a fountain pen. Concise, personal messages are often more effective than long promotional texts.
Handwritten content is read differently from printed content and should remain easy to process. Avoid overloading the reader with excessive text. A focused and concise message is generally the stronger approach.
How many characters do five sentences contain?
This depends on sentence and word length. Academic sentences often contain approximately 25 to 29 words, while sentences in fiction commonly contain approximately 15 to 20 words. A practical estimate is around seven characters per word when spaces and punctuation are included.
Using 15 words per sentence, five sentences contain approximately 525 characters including spaces.
How many characters can an address contain?
For envelopes or labels, an address can use up to five lines with a maximum of 45 characters per line, including spaces. The complete address is written mechanically in handwriting. Sender details can use two lines with up to 50 characters per line, including spaces.
Addresses on postcards can also use up to five lines, with a maximum of 30 characters per line including spaces.
Should the reverse side of a postcard remain unprinted?
No. We recommend printing the reverse side with sender details and, where relevant, additional information such as a website address or a QR code leading to a landing page. This keeps the handwritten message personal and focused while essential contact or campaign information remains available.
A sender address is particularly important because it allows undeliverable postcards to be returned rather than destroyed without notice.
Tip: Use the upper 20 millimetres on the reverse side, either above or below the text area, for contact details, registration URLs or a QR code. Promotional and contact information can then remain outside the handwritten message.
Ordering and data transfer
5 questions
How do I transfer salutations and addresses?
After entering and saving your text in the editor, you receive an import template for all salutations and addresses. Select “1. Download template” above the table and save the file to your computer. Open it in a spreadsheet application such as Excel or Google Sheets and enter names, addresses and personal salutations in the designated fields. Additional text modules can also be added. Upload the completed file to the editor and the data is inserted automatically in the correct positions.
Can I send my data by email?
No. Personal data must not be sent by unencrypted email. PENSAKI therefore requires all order data to be transferred through the secure, encrypted online editor. A user account is required. Customers prepare their data using the provided templates. PENSAKI does not modify the submitted data and processes it exactly as transferred.
Is there a content preview?
Yes. You can preview all texts and addresses after entering the data by selecting “Preview” at the bottom of the page. The preview can also be downloaded as a PDF. It should be checked carefully before production to ensure that the handwritten letters or postcards contain the intended content.
How are birthday cards sorted?
PENSAKI can write a four-digit sorting code on the envelope or postcard in the position later covered by the postage stamp.
For example, 28 March becomes the code 0328.
This makes it easier to select and send the correct birthday card at the required time. The code is submitted together with the addresses and salutations during the online order process.
Why are words in CAPITAL LETTERS highlighted in yellow in the editor?
Long words written entirely in capitals, such as TODAY or URGENT, are highlighted in yellow because they can appear impolite when used for emphasis and may look awkward in handwriting. The rule does not apply to short names. Yellow indicates a recommendation. Red indicates an error that blocks the process until it has been corrected.
Approval and quality control
3 questions
Will I receive an approval sample before handwriting begins?
PENSAKI Business, from 250 items: Yes. The layout is coordinated with you before production. You receive a sample for approval so that the result can be checked against your requirements. Special layout requests are discussed before the first sample is produced. Provided that all required order data is available, PENSAKI normally sends the approval sample by email within 24 hours.
PENSAKI Ready: No. Production begins immediately after the order is placed. The selected format is produced according to the settings and layout submitted in the editor, without a separate approval stage.
Will I receive an approval sample before printing?
PENSAKI approval relates to the handwritten layout, not to printing. Printing is carried out directly from the print-ready PDF files submitted by the customer, without a separate printed approval sample. A design template containing the relevant specifications is provided for each format during the order process.
What does the layout approval sample cover?
The approval sample shows the production layout for the order. It covers the selected handwriting style, the writing instrument, such as a fountain pen or ballpoint pen, the positioning of the text, line spacing, paragraphs and the alignment of the handwriting.
Where a setup fee applies, up to two approval samples are included. Additional samples required because the specifications are changed may incur an extra charge. The approval sample does not display the complete campaign content. The content can be checked separately through the preview function.
Prices and taxes
2 questions
Do quoted prices include VAT?
PENSAKI Ready, from 10 items: Unit prices include the applicable VAT, Deutsche Post postage, stationery and postal induction.
PENSAKI Business, from 250 items: Quoted prices exclude VAT, stationery and shipping costs. Supplies to businesses in other European Union member states are generally exempt from VAT in the country of origin and subject to acquisition taxation in the destination country. A valid VAT identification number is required.
Is German VAT always charged for PENSAKI Ready?
For PENSAKI Ready, the complete service is performed in Germany, including handwriting and postal induction. The service is therefore treated as supplied in Germany and is subject to German VAT at 19 percent, or the legally applicable rate. Invoicing without German VAT is possible only when the letters are physically exported. PENSAKI offers this from 250 items through PENSAKI Business.
Shipping and delivery times
4 questions
How long does production take before dispatch?
PENSAKI Ready: Letters are handed over directly to Deutsche Post within three working days. Delivery within Germany usually takes a further one to two working days.
PENSAKI Business, from 250 items: The dispatch date is coordinated with you and a specific mailing date can be selected. After approval of the handwriting layout, dispatch normally takes five to seven working days. The production period starts once all required materials and data are available and the sample has been approved.
For quantities of 10,000 items or more, production normally takes five to ten working days. A more precise schedule can be provided for the specific order.
Can PENSAKI mail items using DIALOGPOST?
Yes. PENSAKI can handle DIALOGPOST mailings in Germany, including DIALOGPOST Easy from 500 items, and can manage the complete process including postage optimisation.
Handwritten letters are classified by Deutsche Post as not compatible with automated processing because postal sorting systems are primarily designed for standardised, machine-printed addresses. Such items may require manual processing. The source page states an additional Deutsche Post charge of EUR 0.05 per item for non-automation-compatible mail.
DIALOGPOST Easy is particularly suitable for larger German mailings from 500 items where the content is not personalised. Standard letter postage is generally more suitable for smaller quantities or personalised texts.
Which postage options are available?
Deutsche Post offers several postage options, including standard postage and DIALOGPOST.
Standard postage is intended for normal priority delivery, generally within one to two working days in Germany.
DIALOGPOST is a lower-cost option for eligible bulk advertising mailings. It is subject to specific conditions and minimum quantities. Delivery normally takes four to seven working days because DIALOGPOST is processed at a lower priority than standard letters.
Is a German return address required?
Yes. Deutsche Post requires a complete domestic German address to be stated as the return address. Omitting a German return address breaches the applicable Deutsche Post terms. Deutsche Post may refuse to accept such mailings or return items that have already been handed over.