Postcard Printing and Mailing

Most businesses that try direct mail for the first time learn an expensive lesson: the printing is the easy part. The hard part is everything that happens after -- addressing, data cleaning, presort optimization, bundling, postal documentation, and getting it all to the post office in the right trays with the right paperwork. Miss one step and you get returned mail, delayed delivery, or postage surcharges.

That is why the biggest cost savings in postcard mailing are not about finding the cheapest printer. They come from eliminating the gap between printing and mailing. When one facility handles both, there are no file transfers to manage, no shipping printed cards to a separate mail house, no finger-pointing when something goes wrong.

We have been printing and mailing postcards from the same building in Lakeland, FL since 1989. Postcards come off our presses, go through data processing and addressing in the same facility, and get delivered to USPS the same day. This guide covers every step of the process so you know exactly what to expect, what it costs, and how to get the best return on your mailing investment.

Why Print and Mail Under One Roof

The typical multi-vendor postcard workflow looks like this: you send a design file to an online printer, wait 5-7 days for delivery, ship the printed cards to a mail house, wait for them to process your mailing list and address the cards, then wait for the mail house to deliver to USPS. Total timeline: 2-4 weeks. Total vendors you are coordinating: 2-3. Total opportunities for something to go wrong: too many.

Here is what changes when printing and mailing happen in the same facility:

• Faster turnaround: Eliminating the ship-to-mail-house step saves 3-5 business days on every job. A project that takes 3 weeks with separate vendors takes 7-10 business days when everything is in-house.
• Lower cost: No shipping boxes of printed postcards across the country. No separate setup fees at the mail house. Data processing, addressing, and postal delivery are bundled rather than line-itemed separately.
• Fewer errors: When the same team handles print files and mailing data, they catch problems early. Wrong trim size for the postage class? They see it before anything prints. Mailing list has formatting issues? They clean it before addressing starts.
• Single point of accountability: If there is a problem, there is one phone number to call. No printer blaming the mail house or vice versa.

Postcard Sizes and USPS Requirements

USPS classifies mail by size, and the classification determines your postage rate. Choosing the wrong size can mean paying letter rates instead of postcard rates, or disqualifying your piece from automation discounts entirely.

Standard Postcard Sizes

Size	USPS Classification	Best For
4" x 6"	Postcard (First-Class eligible at $0.56)	Simple announcements, appointment reminders, thank-you cards
4.25" x 6"	Postcard / Letter	Slightly larger canvas, still cost-effective
5" x 7"	Letter	Invitations, event promotions
6" x 9"	Letter	Marketing campaigns, real estate, retail promotions
6" x 11"	Flat (EDDM eligible)	EDDM campaigns, high-impact promotions
6.5" x 9"	Flat (EDDM eligible)	EDDM campaigns, restaurant menus
8.5" x 11"	Flat (EDDM eligible)	Maximum real estate for offers, coupons, maps
9" x 12"	Flat (EDDM eligible)	Large-format promotions, catalogs

USPS postcard dimensions: To qualify for First-Class postcard rates, a piece must be between 3.5" x 5" (minimum) and 4.25" x 6" (maximum), at least 0.007" thick, and no more than 0.016" thick. Anything larger is classified as a letter or flat, which changes postage rates.

EDDM size requirements: EDDM pieces must exceed letter dimensions -- at least 6.125" x 11.5" or 6.25" x 9" to qualify as a flat. This is why the 6x11 postcard is the most popular EDDM format.

Paper Stock Options

Paper stock affects how your postcard feels, how it survives the mail stream, and how recipients perceive your brand. Thin, flimsy postcards get thrown away. A card with some weight gets a second look.

Stock Weights

• 14pt C2S (coated two sides): The industry standard for mailed postcards. Approximately the thickness of a standard business card. Rigid enough for postal automation, heavy enough to feel professional. This is what we recommend for most jobs.
• 16pt C2S: A premium upgrade that adds noticeable heft. Popular for real estate, financial services, and any campaign where the postcard needs to communicate quality. Costs about 10-15% more than 14pt.
• 14pt C1S (coated one side): Coated on the front (glossy image side), uncoated on the back (easy to write on). Good for postcards that include a fill-in area or handwritten personal note.

Coating Options

• Gloss: Shiny finish that makes colors pop. Best for photo-heavy designs and retail promotions.
• Matte / Silk: Smooth, non-reflective finish with a soft feel. Easier to read under bright lighting. Popular for professional services and healthcare.
• UV coating: An extra layer of high-gloss varnish applied after printing. Adds durability and a premium look. Available as full-coverage or spot UV (applied to specific design elements for contrast).
• Uncoated: No coating. Natural paper feel. Required if recipients need to write on the surface (appointment reminder cards, RSVP postcards).

Mailing Options: EDDM, Marketing Mail, and First-Class

Postage is usually the single largest cost in a postcard mailing -- often more than the printing itself. Choosing the right mailing class can cut your postage bill by 50% or more. Here is how each option works:

EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) -- $0.226/piece

EDDM is the cheapest way to mail postcards. You select carrier routes (the specific streets a mail carrier walks), and USPS delivers to every residential and/or business address on those routes. No mailing list required. No individual addressing. Postage is a flat $0.226 per piece.

The trade-off: you cannot target specific people. Everyone on the route gets one. This makes EDDM ideal for local businesses with a broad customer base -- restaurants, dentists, HVAC companies, retail stores, real estate agents farming a neighborhood.

Use our EDDM route planner to select routes and see household counts.

Marketing Mail (Presorted Standard) -- $0.35-$0.43/piece

Marketing Mail (formerly called Standard Mail or Bulk Mail) allows you to send to a specific mailing list at discounted postage rates. The discount comes from presorting the mail by ZIP code and carrier route before delivering to USPS -- the more presort work you do, the lower the per-piece postage.

Postage ranges from about $0.35/piece for highly automated, well-presorted mail to $0.43/piece for less optimized mailings. Minimum quantity is 200 pieces. Delivery time is 3-10 business days (not guaranteed).

Marketing Mail is the standard choice for targeted direct mail campaigns where you want to reach specific demographics, existing customers, or purchased prospect lists.

First-Class Mail -- $0.56/piece (postcards) or $0.73/piece (letters)

First-Class is the fastest and most expensive option. Delivery is 1-3 business days, and undeliverable pieces are returned to sender (Marketing Mail is not returned). First-Class postcards (4.25" x 6" maximum) get the $0.56 postcard rate. Larger sizes pay the letter rate.

Use First-Class for time-sensitive communications: appointment reminders, event invitations with RSVP deadlines, statements, or anything where delivery speed matters more than cost.

Mailing Class	Postage Per Piece	Delivery Time	Minimum Qty	List Required?
EDDM	$0.226	3-7 business days	200 per route	No
Marketing Mail	$0.35 - $0.43	3-10 business days	200 pieces	Yes
First-Class	$0.56 (postcard) / $0.73 (letter)	1-3 business days	1 piece	Yes

Data Processing and List Hygiene

A mailing list is only as good as its data. Industry averages show that 15-20% of addresses in an unprocessed list are outdated, incomplete, or duplicated. Mailing to bad addresses means wasted postage, wasted printing, and lower response rates.

Before any mailing leaves our facility, the list goes through these steps:

NCOA (National Change of Address)

NCOA cross-references your list against the USPS database of address changes filed in the last 48 months. When someone files a change of address (which about 40 million Americans do each year), NCOA updates your records to the new address. This is required by USPS for Marketing Mail presort discounts.

CASS Certification (Coding Accuracy Support System)

CASS standardizes every address to USPS formatting, adds the ZIP+4 code, and assigns a delivery point barcode. This barcode enables automation discounts (cheaper postage) because USPS sorting machines can process the mail faster.

Deduplication

Duplicate records are identified and removed. If the same person appears twice (different spelling, old address plus new address), they receive one piece instead of two. This directly reduces your printing and postage costs.

Merge/Purge

For campaigns using multiple lists (house list plus purchased list, for example), merge/purge combines the files, removes duplicates across lists, and produces a single clean file for addressing.

How the Process Works: File to Mailbox

Here is the step-by-step workflow for a typical postcard printing and mailing job:

1. File submission: You send us a print-ready PDF (or we create the design for you). We preflight the file for correct dimensions, resolution, bleed, and color mode.
2. Proof approval: We send a digital proof showing exactly how the postcard will look when printed. You review and approve. Changes are free at this stage -- they get expensive after printing starts.
3. Printing: Postcards run on digital presses (best for under 5,000 pieces) or offset presses (best for 5,000+). Digital is faster; offset is cheaper per piece at volume.
4. Data processing: Your mailing list goes through NCOA, CASS, dedup, and presort. For EDDM, we prepare the bundling documentation and facing slips for each carrier route.
5. Addressing: For targeted mailings, addresses are inkjetted directly onto the postcards. Variable data (personalized names, offers, codes) can be printed at this stage too.
6. Sorting and bundling: Postcards are sorted by ZIP code and carrier route, bundled in USPS-required quantities, and placed in postal trays with the correct documentation.
7. Postal delivery: We deliver completed trays to our local USPS Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU). Mail enters the USPS system the same day.

For a standard 5,000-piece Marketing Mail postcard campaign, this entire process takes 5-7 business days from proof approval to USPS entry. Add 3-10 business days for USPS delivery to mailboxes.

Pricing by Quantity

Postcard pricing has two main components: printing cost and mailing cost. Here are realistic all-in price ranges for a 6x9 postcard on 14pt C2S stock with full-color printing on both sides:

Quantity	Print Cost Per Piece	Mailing Method	All-In Per Piece	Total Estimated Cost
500	$0.20 - $0.30	First-Class ($0.73)	$0.93 - $1.03	$465 - $515
1,000	$0.15 - $0.22	Marketing Mail ($0.40)	$0.55 - $0.62	$550 - $620
2,500	$0.10 - $0.16	Marketing Mail ($0.38)	$0.48 - $0.54	$1,200 - $1,350
5,000	$0.08 - $0.12	Marketing Mail ($0.36)	$0.44 - $0.48	$2,200 - $2,400
5,000	$0.08 - $0.12	EDDM ($0.226)	$0.31 - $0.35	$1,550 - $1,750
10,000	$0.06 - $0.09	EDDM ($0.226)	$0.29 - $0.32	$2,900 - $3,200
25,000	$0.04 - $0.07	Marketing Mail ($0.35)	$0.39 - $0.42	$9,750 - $10,500

These ranges include printing, data processing, addressing, sorting, and postage. Design services, list purchase, and variable data personalization are additional. See our detailed postcard cost breakdown for more specific pricing scenarios.

Turnaround Times

Turnaround depends on the printing method, quantity, and mailing class. Here is a realistic timeline for each phase:

• Design / file prep: 1-3 business days (if we are creating the design). Skip if you provide a print-ready file.
• Proof approval: Same day to 2 business days (depends on how quickly you review and approve).
• Digital printing (under 5,000): 2-3 business days.
• Offset printing (5,000+): 5-7 business days.
• Data processing + addressing + sorting: 1-2 business days.
• USPS delivery: EDDM: 3-7 business days. Marketing Mail: 3-10 business days. First-Class: 1-3 business days.

Typical total timeline: 7-12 business days from proof approval to in-home delivery for a standard Marketing Mail campaign. EDDM campaigns can be faster because there is no individual addressing step.

Rush service is available for time-sensitive jobs. For campaigns tied to a specific event or promotion date, always work backward from the in-home date and add a buffer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to print and mail postcards?

Total cost depends on quantity, size, and mailing method. A typical all-in price for 5,000 6x9 postcards mailed via EDDM is $0.31-$0.35 per piece ($1,550-$1,750 total). The same quantity via Marketing Mail runs $0.44-$0.48 per piece ($2,200-$2,400 total). Printing costs drop significantly at higher volumes.

What is the cheapest way to mail postcards?

EDDM at $0.226 per piece. No mailing list needed -- postcards go to every address on selected carrier routes. For targeted mailing with a specific list, presorted Marketing Mail at $0.35-$0.43/piece is the next most affordable option.

What size postcards work for direct mail?

The most popular sizes are 4x6, 6x9, 6x11, and 8.5x11. For EDDM, postcards must be at least 6.125x11.5 or 6.25x9 inches. The 6x11 is the most common EDDM size. For First-Class at the postcard rate ($0.56), maximum size is 4.25x6 inches.

What paper stock should I use for postcards?

14pt C2S (coated two sides) is the industry standard. It is rigid enough for postal automation and heavy enough to feel professional. 16pt is a premium upgrade. For postcards that need a writable surface, use 14pt C1S (coated one side, uncoated back).

How long does it take to print and mail postcards?

Typical timeline from approved proof to mailbox delivery is 7-12 business days. Printing: 2-3 days (digital) or 5-7 days (offset). Data processing and addressing: 1-2 days. USPS delivery: 3-10 days for Marketing Mail, 1-3 days for First-Class.

What is the difference between EDDM and Marketing Mail?

EDDM delivers to every address on selected routes without a mailing list ($0.226/piece). Marketing Mail uses a targeted list to reach specific individuals ($0.35-$0.43/piece). EDDM is better for local saturation; Marketing Mail is better for targeted campaigns.

Do I need to provide a mailing list?

For EDDM, no. For Marketing Mail or First-Class, yes. You can provide your own list, purchase a targeted list from a data provider, or use our list building tool. We process all lists through NCOA and CASS before mailing.

Can you handle the entire process from design to delivery?

Yes. We handle every step in-house at our Lakeland, FL facility: design, printing, data processing, addressing, presort, bundling, and postal delivery. One facility, one point of contact, no handoff errors between vendors.