This piece of advertising ephemera is cut to the shape of a delivery van with a folding flap captioned with punning reference to Parcelforce's breadth of services, which opens, like the back door of a delivery van, to reveal details of the service. (There are 'Printer Streets' in at least Manchester and London; 'Lichfield' refers to both the celebrated society photographer (Lord Lichfield) and the city of the same name; 'Props to Pisa' refers to the Leaning Tower as well as stage scenery.)

Parcelforce was established by Royal Mail / the Post Office in 1990, not long after it had divided its business into separate 'boards' in 1988, so effectively Parcelforce was the re-branded Post Office Parcels division.The purpose of updating the parcel delivery service was a response to the increasing number of private delivery companies, both in the UK and abroad. Like so much printed ephemera, this card is a discreet signifier of the economic, social and industrial climate of the time. Its cheerful, toy-like character belies the Post Office's anxiety about the fiercely competitive climate in which it was caught up as government monopolies were de-regulated and the electronic age made it increasingly difficult to make money from the regular post.