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 were printed, embossed and trimmed in July 2026 — real cards, not renderings — to check terrain detail, ink, paper, embossing pressure, and feel. The other 47 states were never made.

What happened to the Kickstarter campaign?

It ran from September 22 to October 22, 2026 and ended without reaching its funding goal. Kickstarter is all-or-nothing, so no backer was charged. The campaign page stays on Kickstarter for reference.

Can I buy the postcards?

Not right now. The four proofs are not for sale, and no production run is planned. We haven't decided what comes next; if the postcards come back, the people on our email list hear first.

I joined the list. Where's the welcome email?

A welcome email from hello@farmaps.earth goes out within a few minutes of signing up. We're a new sender, so it often lands in Spam or Gmail's Promotions tab — look there, mark it Not spam, and add us to your contacts so our updates get through. Still nothing? Write to us.

Real elevation data · physically embossed · archive

Feel the
country.

The terrain is physically raised. Postcards you can feel, for all 50 states and the USA — a campaign that did not fund.

If the postcards come back, you'll hear here first. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.

Archived. The Kickstarter campaign ended on October 22, 2026 without reaching its goal. What happened

4production proofs
4 × 6 inpostcard format
EndedOctober 22, 2026

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

Relief postcards

The Kickstarter campaign has ended.

Our campaign for embossed relief postcards of all 50 states ran on Kickstarter from September 22 to October 22, 2026. It did not reach its funding goal, so no backer was charged. The campaign page stays on Kickstarter for reference.

Four production proofs exist: California, Colorado, Washington, and the United States. They were printed, embossed and trimmed in July 2026 to test the process, and they are the cards you see on this page. They are not for sale, and the other 47 states were never made.

We haven't decided what comes next for the postcards. If they come back, the people on our email list hear first.

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

Production proofs

The four production proofs.

California, Washington, Colorado, and the United States: our physical tests for color, paper, relief, and handling.

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

Design artwork for the USA at Night bonus card: the United States drawn by its night-time lights, with Alaska and Hawaii insets — USA at Night · card artwork

Far Maps rigid lift-off-lid box sample: the base holding the United States proof card, beside the lid printed Feel the country, 51 embossed map postcards — Rigid lift-off-lid box · sample

A fanned stack of proof postcards resting on the box base, with the lid behind — Box base · stacked proof cards

The California, United States, Colorado, and Washington proofs on a cutting mat with a ruler and pencils, one card turned over to show the relief from the back — The four proofs on the bench · one turned over

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

Keep · send · display

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

The proofs let us test display, overlapping fronts and the debossed backs, and everyday handling.

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

The open box with a stack of proof postcards showing their printed backs, beside the kraft insert listing the box contents and data credits — Inside the box · postcard backs and the printed insert

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 · NASA MODIS (USA card) 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 · NASA MODIS (USA card) Open data
ElevationUSGS 3DEP Public domain

Questions

What's confirmed. What's unresolved.

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 were printed, embossed and trimmed in July 2026 — real cards, not renderings — to check terrain detail, ink, paper, embossing pressure, and feel. The other 47 states were never made.
What happened to the Kickstarter campaign?: It ran from September 22 to October 22, 2026 and ended without reaching its funding goal. Kickstarter is all-or-nothing, so no backer was charged. The campaign page stays on Kickstarter for reference.
Can I buy the postcards?: Not right now. The four proofs are not for sale, and no production run is planned. We haven't decided what comes next; if the postcards come back, the people on our email list hear first.
I joined the list. Where's the welcome email?: A welcome email from hello@farmaps.earth goes out within a few minutes of signing up. We're a new sender, so it often lands in Spam or Gmail's Promotions tab — look there, mark it Not spam, and add us to your contacts so our updates get through. Still nothing? Write to us.

Email updates

Hear first if the postcards come back.

If we decide to make the postcards, the people on this list hear before anyone else. Unsubscribe anytime.

Available now

Custom 3D topographic keychains & magnets.

Pick a place you love — a summit, a hometown, the spot where it all happened — and we shape its real terrain into a keepsake you can hold.

Design a keychain or magnet

Feel the country.