Real elevation data · physically embossed

Feel the
country.

Raised-relief postcards made from real elevation data. All 50 states plus one United States card, coming to Kickstarter.

Production-proof updates, behind-the-scenes notes, and launch details. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.

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51planned cards
4 × 6 inpostcard format
September 2026target Kickstarter launch

United States relief postcard production proof stacked with other cards on a black table beside a plant — United States production proof · photographed July 2026

Enter the terrain

Feel the terrain

Most maps you look at. Far Maps you feel.

The image is printed. The terrain is physically embossed. Raking light reveals the same ridges and valleys your fingertips meet.

A fingertip touching the raised terrain on a Washington relief postcard production proof — Washington relief · tactile surface under raking light

Low raking light across the embossed surface of a United States postcard production proof — Mountain relief under raking light · printed, then embossed

A fingertip tracing the raised western mountain ranges on a United States postcard production proof — Fingertip scale · raised terrain

Edge-on close-up showing the thickness and raised relief of a United States postcard production proof — Side view · relief raised above the paper

Fingertips touching the embossed mountain ranges on a United States postcard production proof — Fingertips following the raised terrain

Close-up of embossed ridges and shaded-relief printing on a United States postcard production proof — Shaded-relief print · aligned with the raised surface

Planned rewards

Start with the USA. Collect every state.

USA card: $12One physically embossed United States postcard.USA card
Complete 51-card collection: $159All 50 states plus one United States card.The core collection
Collector's edition: $199The complete collection, plus two Mini Relief Keychains and a night edition of the USA card. Samples still in production.Collector's edition

Estimated delivery for the campaign rewards is February 2027. Shipping charges and final fulfillment terms will be confirmed before the Kickstarter campaign opens.

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Production proofs

Four proofs test the process before we make fifty-one.

California, Washington, Colorado, and USA are the current physical tests for color, paper, relief, and handling.

Four Far Maps production proofs for California, Washington, Colorado, and the United States arranged on a table — CA · WA · CO · USA production proofs

California production proof photographed straight on, the raised terrain standing off a white card above the printed state name — California · the Golden State

Washington production proof photographed straight on, showing the raised Cascades and Olympic ranges above the printed state name — Washington · Evergreen State

Colorado production proof photographed straight on, the raised Rocky Mountains meeting the flat eastern plains above the printed state name — Colorado · Centennial State

United States production proof photographed straight on, with Alaska and Hawaii inset below the raised continental terrain — United States · Feel the Country

Far Maps production proofs stacked to show raised fronts, printed backs, and card edges — Front, back, and finished edge

California raised-relief production proof resting above the printed backs of other proof cards — California stack · postcard backs and finished edges

A spread of Far Maps production proofs showing raised fronts with one postcard back visible — Raised fronts with one postcard back

CA · CO · WA · USA

Browse the four designs in this proof run.

These digital front-and-back views match the California, Colorado, Washington, and United States production proofs photographed above.

Digital front view of the California proof design

Digital back view of the California proof design

Digital front view of the Colorado proof design

Digital back view of the Colorado proof design

Digital front view of the Washington proof design

Digital back view of the Washington proof design

Digital front view of the United States proof design

Digital back view of the United States proof design

Drag to browse the four ↔ click a card to flip it

Digital front-and-back views of the four current proof designs.

Keep · send · display

Keep the places that matter. Send the ones you want to share.

The proofs let us test display, overlapping fronts and reverse embossing, and everyday handling before the full collection is produced.

Far Maps production proofs arranged across a warm wooden tabletop — The first four cards · photographed together

Several Far Maps production proofs overlapping in a compact tabletop arrangement — Postcard fronts and backs · layered together

California raised-relief postcard production proof displayed beside green leaves — California relief · displayed with greenery

Four Far Maps production proofs pinned vertically to a black display board — Four embossed samples · pinned for display

Washington raised-relief postcard production proof resting on a neat stack of proof cards — Washington relief · stacked for display

Pressing the terrain

Before the terrain rises from paper, it exists in metal.

Each design is translated into an embossing die. The printed card is pressed against that die, giving the terrain a physical surface rather than a printed illusion.

Metal embossing dies beside finished Far Maps postcard production proofs in the workshop — Embossing dies beside the physical samples

Close-up of the Washington metal embossing die showing detailed raised terrain — Washington embossing die · terrain detail

United States embossing die · side profile

Built from open data

From elevation data to a card you can feel.

The card you hold Far Maps render · print · emboss Our design
Boundaries & coastline U.S. Census Bureau (TIGER) Public domain
Rivers & water USGS NHD · Esri Living Atlas CC BY 4.0
Land cover Esri · Impact Observatory CC BY 4.0
Satellite imagery Copernicus Sentinel-2 Open data
Elevation USGS 3DEP Public domain

The card you holdFar Maps render · print · emboss Our design
Boundaries & coastlineU.S. Census Bureau (TIGER) Public domain
Rivers & waterUSGS NHD · Esri Living Atlas CC BY 4.0
Land coverEsri · Impact Observatory CC BY 4.0
Satellite imageryCopernicus Sentinel-2 Open data
ElevationUSGS 3DEP Public domain

Questions

What's confirmed. What's still being tested.

Are these real raised cards?: Yes. Everything photographed on this page is a physical production proof, made in July 2026. The shaded-relief image is printed first, then a metal die presses the terrain into the paper. The relief you feel is the card itself, not a printed illusion.
Is the relief an exact scale model?: No. The landforms are derived from real elevation data, but the vertical relief is adjusted so terrain differences remain visible and touchable at postcard size. We will not describe the cards as "true to scale."
Which cards exist so far?: Four: California, Colorado, Washington, and the United States card. They are printed, embossed and trimmed — real cards, not renderings — made to check terrain detail, ink, paper, embossing pressure, and feel. The other 47 states do not exist as finished cards yet.
Why Kickstarter?: Every design needs its own metal embossing die, cut before a single card can be printed. Forty-seven dies remain, and they are the largest single cost in this project. The campaign funds those dies, the remaining state designs, and the printing and embossing run.
Can they be mailed as postcards?: They are designed as 4 × 6 in postcards with a stamp area and writing space. Mailing tests are still underway; final paper, embossing depth, postage, and handling details will be confirmed before launch.
When does Kickstarter open?: We're targeting September 22, 2026 for the Kickstarter launch. The date will be confirmed after final production, mailing, shipping, and fulfillment checks. Join the launch list to hear first — you can also follow the pre-launch page on Kickstarter.

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Feel the country.