Four Strategies to Navigate Postal Fees for Direct Mail Postcards

What do you mean the post office won’t let me mail it this way? Almost every day we get this question from a client. Since the post office has made mailing very complicated, there are many times that a design element causes a mailing to go at a higher rate of postage. This can be frustrating as well as expensive. In order to help you stay away from potential issues, here are some things to keep in mind as you are preparing a direct mail campaign.

Let’s start with Postcards:

1. Postcard size is 3.5 x 5 to 6 x 9, anything larger is considered to be in the letter category. Go figure! The post office saying that a 6 x 11 postcard is not really a postcard, but a letter, who thinks of these rules!
2. Paper stock must be a minimum of .007 or for the 6 x 9 size .009 thick, anything less is not mailable unless you put it in an envelope. In this case the rule makes sense because when the paper is too thin the postal machines rip them up. Better to go with a thicker stock that won’t look like someone took a bite out of it before delivery.
3. Keep your aspect ratio between 1.3 and 2.5. In order to calculate the aspect ratio you start by looking at the mail panel, then take the length of the postcard and divide it by the height. We are told that the reason for this rule is machine compatibility, when the postcard is short and long it does not run through the equipment correctly causing jams and again torn postcards. We don’t want that!
4. There are two options for addressing a postcard. Barcode in the address block: 4 x 2 clear area, no varnish, UV coating, text, or images for the address block. The block needs to be a minimum .5 inches from the right edge and .625 inches from bottom edge. The block can be no higher from the bottom of the mailer than 3.5 inches. Lastly the address must remain at a minimum distance from graphics or text of .125 inches. Barcode clear zone addressing: The barcode clear zone is the bottom 5/8 of the postcard and must be free of all color, text and images. Next the address block must be a minimum .5 inches from the right edge and minimum of .625 inches from bottom edge. The block can be no higher from the bottom of the mailer than 3.5 inches. Lastly the address must remain at a minimum distance from graphics or text of .125 inches. These requirements are meant to keep the address in the OCR (Optical Character Reader) read area of the postal equipment. Honestly, the current equipment has more read area than this, but getting the post office to change rules in our favor does not happen!

Your best bet is to design your postcard and then send a pdf to your direct mail provider, to have them find any problems with the design. They can help to make sure you are automation compliant and save on postage. As you are going through the process, do not let it stop your creativity. It is the unique and creative pieces that get the recipients attention and increase your ROI. Do not let these regulations limit your design. There are plenty of ways to create postcards that standout and get attention! Contact your mail provider for samples and suggestions.