Send real letters from the Internet to anywhere in the world.
# Thursday, 30 April 2009

article-0-049EDFC4000005DC-436_634x395 This is probably one of the most unusual hotel rooms I have come across. It is made to look like a crashed airliner and is situated in the jungle in Costa Rica (pictured left). Whilst it looks like a plane in fact the inside is every bit as nice as a luxury hotel room and it is being marketed as the most exclusive hotel suite in Costa Rica.

article-0-049EE1E6000005DC-939_634x420The two bedroom suite is inside the fuselage of a 1965 Boeing 727. It includes two  wood panelled bedrooms (pictured right), a kitchenette, dining room (pictured below), living area and two bathrooms. It also has the advantage of offering spectacular views of the jungle from the balcony on the planes right wing. Apparently it is the perfect height to observe wildlife such as sloths, toucans and monkeys.

article-0-049EE255000005DC-715_306x232

It certainly an interesting idea. If you fancy staying there it costs between £200 and £250 per night.

posted on Thursday, 30 April 2009 08:39:11 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 29 April 2009

According to this article Ryanair are considering charging a fat tax for overweight passengers. The idea comes as a result of a competition on the companies website that gave customers the chance to win free flights by coming up with ideas to save the company money. Around 100,000 passengers took part in the competition and around 30,000 of those voted for a fee for overweight passengers. As a result Ryanair is now seriously considering implemented the idea. Other ideas included a charge for toilet paper with Mr O'Leary's face on it and the option to pay to use a smoking cubicle. It is not clear whether either of these ideas will be implemented.

posted on Wednesday, 29 April 2009 09:38:57 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Monday, 27 April 2009

The cost of sending a text message when on holiday could fall after the EU has agreed to a cap on charges. An EU ruling will see the cost of making a call abroad fall by up to 60% and the price of sending texts will come down from an average of 25p to just under 10p. Mobile companies will be forced to cut their prices from the 1st of July in time for the summer holidays. There will also be new controls on charges to surf the internet and download videos from your phone.

posted on Monday, 27 April 2009 08:06:28 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Friday, 24 April 2009

Rail fares are to rise by up to 11% next month with those customers who book in advance paying the highest increases. National Express East Coast is putting up its prices for the second time in five months. In January it raised unregulated fares by 7.4% and the further increase will mean an extra 11% on some advance purchase tickets. The First Great Western, East Midlands Train, First Capital Connect and CrossCountry companies are also increasing some fares. All of the rises are on unregulated fares which does not include season tickets. The prices of these must be decided linked to the retail price index. It is likely that train companies will not be allowed to increase these regulated fares next year so instead it appears they are increasing the costs of their unregulated fares. The move means that some fares will have jumped 16% in just five months.

posted on Friday, 24 April 2009 12:54:27 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Saturday, 18 April 2009

This article suggests that United Airlines may bump obese passengers on overbooked flights. The airline received more than 700 complaints last year regarding overweight passengers. At a time when two thirds of Americans are considered overweight the airline may target customers that are too big to fit into their seats. Under the new rules a passenger who is too large for their seat will be moved to two empty seats at no extra charge. However, if no seats are available as is often the case on overbooked flights the passenger will have to pay to upgrade to a larger business class seat or will be bumped off the flight and will have to pay for two seats on the next available departure. The airline has adopted the policy because it has received so many complaints from passengers who felt cramped by oversized seat mates.

posted on Saturday, 18 April 2009 11:32:52 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Friday, 17 April 2009

article-1168292-04565DAE000005DC-767_468x331 According to this article the local postman could soon be delivering the mail in a new egg shaped buggy. The vehicle which has a top speed of just 25mph is being trialled in two areas in Oxford and Essex. If the trial proves successful the vehicles could replace the current fleet of diesel Vauxhall vans. The electric vehicles whilst slower than the diesel alternative are more environmentally friendly and could potentially be used on town deliveries although the lack of speed is likely to mean they are unsuitable for rural routes. I find the idea interesting but I do wonder how it would work in practice when postman are under pressure to complete their rounds in a set amount of time, surely a slower means of transport will mean that all of these time limits will need to be revised.

posted on Friday, 17 April 2009 09:19:22 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Tuesday, 14 April 2009

We get this question daily from people who want to make sure their photographs print correctly and at PC2Paper we do offer a premium glossy paper option. However, one word of warning, although our printers are capable of producing high quality results, the end result will only be as good as the file that you supply. We recommend that your pictures has a resolution of 300 pixels/inch for the best results. For the best print quality for picture we recommend using one of our colour printing options either the colour laser or the colour inkjet and selecting the photo gloss paper in each case. Both colour printing options offer high quality output for pictures when printing onto photo paper and whilst the colour laser print is a little more expensive than the inkjet, both are capable of producing photo quality images.

posted on Tuesday, 14 April 2009 11:03:57 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 09 April 2009

Due to public holidays in the UK there are no mail deliveries or collections on Friday the 10th of April and Monday 14th of April. Any mail sent after close of business (5pm UK time) on Thursday the 9th of April will be processed on the next available working day Tuesday 15th of April. Any Recorded/Signed For and Special Delivery Mail received after 1pm on Thursday the 9th of April will also be processed on the next available working day Tuesday the 15th of April.

posted on Thursday, 09 April 2009 10:14:01 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 08 April 2009

A PC2Paper real letterbox is as the name suggests a real postal address here in the UK. When letters arrive we open them and scan them in for you and then send you an email so you can login and read your mail online. There are many reasons why you might need a real mailbox.

  • If you travel a lot reading your mail is just a case of logging onto the Internet. No more waiting for your letters to be forwarded to you overseas or reading them when you get back home months later.
  • If you live abroad and have relatives in the UK who don't have Internet access and prefer sending you a letter, you can have them send it to your PC2Paper Letterbox and read it the next day from the Internet.
  • You usually change accommodation quite frequently and need a permanent address.
  • You prefer reading all your mail from the Internet.
  • You need a UK address for your business for faster correspondence.
  • You are partially sighted and need your letters scanned in for you to read from your screen reader.

How Does the Service Work?
When you sign up for a real letterbox we provide you with an individual address. This is usually your user ID, followed by our PO Box address although in some cases we can give you an address based on your company name. You can then use this as a regular address. Any letters received will be scanned and applied to your account. We can also forward letters depending on your requirements.

What happens to my letters after they are scanned in?
The original letters are destroyed after one month of being received. If you prefer we can forward the original letters onto a postal address of your choosing. The charge for this is the postage price of the items and a 20p service charge per forward. Items will be forwarded on a monthly basis. If you require us to do this please inform us as soon as you set up your letterbox.

How private are my letters?
At PC2Paper we take privacy very seriously. When you read your letters online they are encrypted so no one but you can read them. When we scan your letters in we do have to briefly read some of the contents to make sure the scanning of the letters are clear we usually make this the senders address and the first paragraph. We will never divulge the contents of your letters to anyone or use the contents of your letters in anyway or form not sanctioned by you. The letter is considered your property we only provide a service for you to read its contents.

How much does it cost?
The cost of your letter is worked out on how many pages there are to scan. So a 1 page letter will cost you 50p to read online. Letter larger than 10 pages are subject to additional charges. We also charge a one time only setup fee of £5.

Is there a size limit on what I can receive?

We do not have a size limit on the letters that can be received at your mailbox, however we are currently only able to scan documents up to 50 pages long. If we receive any letters longer than this we will contact to you and you have the option to have the letter forwarded to you.

I am partially sighted or blind can you provide my letters in a format I can read?
We can optically scan your letters provided these are typed or printed letters and provide them as Word documents for you to use in your screen reader.

Where will my mailbox be located?
Your mailbox will be located in Surrey, England, UK.

What will you do with my mail if I decide not to use the service anymore and more mail arrives?
For a short period we will forward this mail onto you. After that period we will return all mail to the sender.

How do I sign up for a Real Letterbox?
To get a real letterbox you need to sign up for a PC2Paper account. If you already have a PC2Paper account all you need to do is login into your account and select the My Letterbox option found in the left hand menu.

What will my address look like?
Your mailbox will be in the following format:
MB #(Your mailbox number)
PO BOX 229
EGHAM
TW20 8WZ
UNITED KINGDOM

If I already have a PC2Paper account how do I get a letterbox?
When you sign up for a PC2Paper account you automatically get a letterbox with us. After you have signed in to your PC2Paper account just click on the My Letter Box option.

posted on Wednesday, 08 April 2009 12:43:43 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 02 April 2009

We have different paper and printing options available depending upon your requirements. If you are sending a basic letter that does not need to be printed in colour, then we recommend using the standard black and white laser print option. This will produce a good quality mono print on white 80gm paper. In some cases you might want your document printed in colour. For this we have two options, inkjet printing and a colour laser print. The inkjet print is capable of producing a good quality print and is suitable if you want a budget colour print. The colour laser print costs a little more and produces a crisper finish suitable when you require your document to be printed at the highest quality. In addition to this we also offer conqueror high white paper. This option can be used when sending an important document such as a CV and produces a professional looking finish with the highest print quality.

posted on Thursday, 02 April 2009 14:34:43 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 01 April 2009

PC2Paper prices for UK and international mail sent from the UK will increase from the 6th of April. This is due to Royal Mail prices increases which come into effect on the same day and mean that we need to pass these increases onto our customers.

posted on Wednesday, 01 April 2009 13:32:29 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback