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Handwrytten Zapier integrationAutomate Handwrytten with Zapier.

The Handwrytten Zapier integration gives you 1 trigger, 11 actions and 1 search. Almost everything is on the action side: send or schedule a card, fill a basket, manage the address book. It works on the free plan. Here is what each operation does and what it costs.

See the 13 operations

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Overview

What the Handwrytten Zapier integration does for you

Handwrytten sends real cards, written with a pen, on your behalf. Zapier plugs it into your other apps through Zaps: automations made of one trigger (the event that starts things) and one or more actions (what happens next). Here the value is mostly in the actions. A step in a Zap can order a handwritten card the same way it would send an email.

Three results you can build with the operations on this page.

A card on a date that matters. Schedule Card takes a full recipient, a card, a writing style, a message and a send date, and books the card for that day. A renewal anniversary or a contract start date can drive it.

A batch of thank-you notes in one checkout. Add Order to Basket adds one card per run, and Send Basket sends everything in the basket together. Empty Basket clears it when you need a fresh start.

A follow-up sequence on paper. Find Contact looks up a person in your Handwrytten address book, and Add Contact to Multi-Step Campaign enrolls them in a campaign you built in Handwrytten.

What Zapier does not do here: the only trigger, Address List, is a polling trigger with a terse official description, so do not count on Handwrytten to start Zaps when a card is delivered or written. Zapier also cannot pick up anything that happened before a Zap is published.

The same app exists on Make: the Handwrytten Make integration lists its operations, and Make vs Zapier compares the two platforms.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Eight words that come back on every screen of the editor.

Zap
The automation you build: one trigger, then one or more actions that run every time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it to happen.
Action
The step that does the work once the Zap has started: here, it orders, schedules or cancels a card for you.
Task
The unit Zapier bills: one action completed successfully. Your plan allowance is counted in these.
Polling vs instant
Polling: Zapier checks the app on a timer for new items. Instant: the app tells Zapier itself, as soon as something happens.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap go on only when the incoming data meets your condition, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something already stored in an app, so the following steps can reuse what it found.
Find or create
A search with a box ticked: if nothing is found, the step creates the missing item instead of stopping.
Cost

What a Handwrytten Zap really costs

Handwrytten is not a premium app on Zapier, so it runs on the free plan. Zapier counts tasks, and only actions use them.

  • Trigger and checksNever counted
  • Each successful action1 task
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps
  • Handwrytten trigger1 polling, 15 min on Free

The trigger never costs a task, and Zapier checking for new items costs nothing either. Every action that succeeds counts as one task, and a failed one is not counted. That matters for the basket method: add to basket, then send basket, is two actions and two tasks per run. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month but only two-step Zaps: one trigger and one action. A filter, a search or a second action makes the Zap multi-step, and that needs a paid plan. The Address List trigger is checked on your plan's timer.

Connect

Connect your Handwrytten account to Zapier

  1. 01

    Open the Apps page

    In Zapier, go to the Apps page and click + Add connection. Type Handwrytten into the search box of the dialog that opens and select it from the list of results.

  2. 02

    Sign in to Handwrytten

    Click Add connection. A new tab opens on Handwrytten: sign in with the Handwrytten account that holds your address book, your custom cards and your campaigns.

  3. 03

    Grant access

    Allow Zapier to use the account. Every Handwrytten step of every Zap then reuses this connection, so you only go through these screens once per account.

First Zap

Your first Handwrytten Zap, step by step

GoalTake a person from the address list, find them in the Handwrytten address book and enroll them in a follow-up campaign.

  1. 01

    Build: set the trigger

    Create a Zap, pick Handwrytten as the app and Address List as the event, then choose the Handwrytten connection you just made.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test and read what comes back. Zapier fetches the three most recent items from your account, so you map from real data, not a guess.

  3. 03

    Add the search

    Add Find Contact and map the first name from the trigger. This step makes the Zap multi-step, so a paid plan is needed from here on.

  4. 04

    Add the action

    Add Add Contact to Multi-Step Campaign. Pick your campaign, then map into the contact ID field the ID that the search brought back in its test.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Test each step and check the campaign in Handwrytten. Then click Publish to switch the Zap on. It only handles items that appear from now on.

Triggers

The Handwrytten trigger on Zapier

1 event starts a Zap when something happens in Handwrytten. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.

1

Address List

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when Recipient Addresses are needed.”

The single trigger of this app. Zapier's description says only that it fires when recipient addresses are needed, and the source gives no further detail on what each item contains. Treat it as a way to bring addresses from your Handwrytten account into a Zap, and read the test result before you map anything.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
you want each address that shows up on the list to receive a scheduled card without retyping it.
Watch out
Zapier remembers what it has seen, so the same item will not start the Zap twice.
Actions

Handwrytten actions on Zapier

Handwrytten gives you 11 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Empty Basket

Action

In Zapier“Clears your basket.”

Clears your basket without sending anything. Think of it as the reset button of the basket method.

When to use it
before a batch starts, so leftovers from a failed run are not shipped by mistake.
Watch out
cards removed this way are simply not sent; add them again if you still want them.
2

Send Basket

Action

In Zapier“Send all cards in your basket. Use with Empty Basket and Add Order to Basket actions.”

Sends every card currently sitting in your basket. It is the checkout step of the basket method, used together with Add Order to Basket and Empty Basket.

When to use it
the last step of a Zap that has filled the basket.
Watch out
it sends all cards in the basket, including any left there from an earlier test.
3

Cancel Order

Action

In Zapier“Cancels an existing order that has not yet been written. The credit is returned to the user's account.”

Cancels an order that has not been written yet, from its order ID, and returns the credit to your Handwrytten account.

When to use it
a customer cancels their purchase and the thank-you card should not go out.
Watch out
once the card is written it is too late; an option decides whether a missing order counts as success or as an error.
4

Create Custom Card

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new custom 5x7 card with full bleed cover, using specified images, fonts, and logos.”

Builds a new custom 5x7 card with a full-bleed cover, from images, fonts and logos you specify, and saves it under a name in your account.

When to use it
each event your team runs should get its own branded card.
Watch out
the card name is required, and you will pick it by that name in later steps.
5

Add Contact to Multi-Step Campaign

Action

In Zapier“Add an existing contact from the Handwrytten address book to a multi-step campaign.”

Enrolls a contact already in your Handwrytten address book into a multi-step campaign you set up in Handwrytten.

When to use it
a new client should receive a welcome card now and the following cards of your campaign later.
Watch out
it needs the contact ID, so the person must exist in the address book first.
6

Add Order to Basket

Action

In Zapier“Adds an order to a basket. If sending multiple cards at once, use this for each order, then check-out with Send Basket”

Puts one card order into your basket instead of sending it. Run it once per card, then check out the whole basket with Send Basket.

When to use it
you collect several notes during a campaign and want them shipped in one go.
Watch out
nothing leaves until Send Basket runs.
7

Create Contact

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new address book entry for the Handwrytten address book. (Note: other zaps don't really use the address book, but the rest of Handwrytten does.).”

Adds an entry to your Handwrytten address book. The send actions in Zapier do not rely on it, but the rest of Handwrytten does, including multi-step campaigns.

When to use it
new customers should be in the address book before any campaign starts.
Watch out
by default the address is checked, to avoid cards going to bad addresses; allowing unverified ones skips that check.
8

Update Contact

Action

In Zapier“Updates an entry in the Handwrytten address book.”

Changes an existing entry of the address book, found by its address ID.

When to use it
a client moves offices and their new address should replace the old one.
Watch out
the address ID is required, so an earlier step of the Zap has to supply it.
9

Schedule Card

Action

In Zapier“Schedules a card to a new recipient. Same as "send card" but with date.”

Works like Send Card but adds a send date, so the card goes out on the day you choose rather than right away.

When to use it
a birthday or a policy renewal date is known well in advance.
Watch out
the recipient ZIP code is expected as a 5-digit code, so check the format of the codes you map into it.
10

Send Card

Action

In Zapier“Sends a card to a new recipient. All information is provided (i.e., you do not use address objects to build up the record.).”

Orders one card to a new recipient in a single step: sender, recipient, card, writing style and message all go into the same action, with no address book involved.

When to use it
a client signs and should get a thank-you note written by hand.
Watch out
each card allows a set number of characters, typically about 480, so keep the message short.
Searches

The Handwrytten search on Zapier

1 search step looks for data that already exists in Handwrytten, so a later step can use it.

A search step changes nothing on its own. It finds a contact so later steps can use it. Searches sit at the bottom of the action list, under SEARCH.

1

Find Contact

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds a contact in your address book.”

Looks up a contact in your Handwrytten address book by first name and hands it to the next steps. The editor also shows Find or Create Contacts: that is this same search with the create box ticked, not an extra operation.

When to use it
a later step needs details of someone already in your address book, for instance before a campaign enrollment.
Watch out
a first name alone can match several people, so set what happens with multiple results.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, an empty search stops the Zap and skips the steps that needed it. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking it turns the search into a find-or-create: the setting above goes away and the step asks for the fields needed to create the contact.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Keep the first match, which is the default, stop the Zap, or pass every match on to the following steps.
When it breaks

When a Handwrytten Zap breaks

Zapier attaches no help article to Handwrytten, so the traps below come from the operations' own settings and from limits every Zap shares.

  • The message is too long for the card

    Each card allows a set number of characters, typically about 480. A long message mapped from another step can overflow it.

  • Cards from an old test go out

    Send Basket ships every card in the basket, leftovers included. Run Empty Basket at the start of a batch to avoid surprises.

  • Cancelling too late

    Cancel Order only works on orders not yet written. After that, the card is already on its way.

  • Unverified addresses

    By default, Create Contact checks that an address is valid so cards do not go to bad addresses. Allowing unverified addresses stores it as typed, without that check.

  • Old addresses are never picked up

    A Zap only reacts to what appears after it is published. Anything already on the list stays out; that backlog is a separate job.

  • A sudden flood is held back

    If a large batch appears at once, after an import for example, Zapier's flood protection can pause it instead of running every item.
Need help

Need help automating Handwrytten with Zapier?

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FAQ

Handwrytten Zapier integration: FAQ

01Is the Handwrytten Zapier integration free?
On the Zapier side, yes: Handwrytten is not a premium app, so it runs on the free plan. That plan gives 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps, one trigger and one action. A filter, a search such as Find Contact, or a second action like Send Basket after Add Order to Basket makes the Zap multi-step, which needs a paid plan. If a card should not go out, Cancel Order returns the credit of an order not yet written to your Handwrytten account.
02How many tasks does a Handwrytten Zap use?
One task for each action that succeeds, and nothing for the trigger. A Zap that sends one card with Send Card uses one task per run. The basket method uses one task to add the card and another to send the basket, so two per run if both are in the same Zap. Zapier checking for new items costs nothing, and a failed action is not counted. A few apps and actions can take more than one task, so check your task history early.
03Does the Handwrytten Zapier integration work in real time?
Not on the trigger side. Address List is a polling trigger: Zapier checks your account at regular intervals, every 15 minutes on the free plan, every 2 minutes on Professional and every minute on Team and Enterprise. On paid plans you can also run a check by hand from the editor. The trigger type is set by the app and cannot be switched to instant from the editor, so plan around that delay.
04What does connecting Handwrytten to Zapier require?
A Handwrytten account with the cards, campaigns and address book you plan to use. In Zapier, open Apps, click + Add connection, pick Handwrytten, sign in in the tab that opens and grant access. Custom cards and multi-step campaigns must already exist in Handwrytten, because the action fields offer what the account holds. The connection is then reused by every Handwrytten step, so this is a one-time setup per account, not something to repeat for each Zap.
05Why did Send Basket ship cards nobody asked for?
Because it sends every card in the basket, not only the one your Zap just added. Orders left from a test run, or from an earlier Zap that stopped before checkout, go out with the rest. Start each batch with Empty Basket, keep test orders out of the live basket, and if a card should not leave, use Cancel Order while it has not been written yet. Once written, the card can no longer be cancelled.
06What if the Handwrytten operation you need is not on Zapier?
Then the eleven actions and the single search on this page are what the editor offers today, and the Zap cannot go further with Handwrytten directly. There is, for example, no trigger for a delivered card. Two ways forward: combine existing operations, such as Find Contact before Update Contact, with a filter to get close, or check the same app on another automation platform, whose operation list is different, and compare before committing.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Handwrytten?
Judge on criteria, not on brand. On Zapier, Handwrytten brings one polling trigger, eleven actions and one search, and it runs on the free plan. Make also has a Handwrytten integration with its own operation list, and n8n is another option to weigh on the same terms. Compare the operations each platform exposes, how runs are billed, and who on your team will keep the automation running. One concrete point on Zapier: the basket method needs two actions in one Zap, so it already sits beyond the free plan.
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