Mail Piece Design Tips
The design, size and shape of your mail piece can drastically affect the postage you pay. Here are some tips on designing mail for maximum postage savings.
- Stay within letter-size. For lower postage rates, keep your mail piece at letter size. Minimum 3.5" high by 5" long. Maximum 6.125" high by 11.5" long. Mail pieces larger than that fall into the flats category and have a significantly higher postage rate.
- Make sure it is thick enough. Mail pieces that are too thin will cost more postage. Keep your piece at least 0.009" thick and you can save 25 cents or more per piece. Maximum thickness for letter size mail is .25" and for flat size is .75".
- Leave enough addressing space. Allow a large enough open area for the address and barcode. We recommend a 4" x 2" clear area.
- Address in the right area. Make sure the address and barcode block on letter size mail fits into the USPS OCR read area or you'll pay additional postage. We can provide you with a template to guide you. Addresses on flat-size pieces must be in the top half of the piece.
- Address in the right direction. The delivery address on letter size mail must be parallel to the longer dimension of the mail piece or it will be classified as a flat and cost more postage.
- Proof before you print. Send a mock-up or pdf file to Eye/Comm, before your mail piece is printed. We will gladly assess it for automation compatibility or, if necessary, send it the Postal Service for a ruling. There is no charge for this service and it can save you lots of money and avoid costly delays.
Indicia / Postage Permit Templates
Many mail pieces can be designed with the postage already on them. Permits are used in place of stamps or metering strips, and can be incorporated in the design of your piece, or printed on when we address your mailing.
Standard Mail
Non-Profit
Presorted First Class
Full Rate Mail
Letters
To be eligible for mailing at the price for letters, a piece must be:
- Rectangular
- At least 3-1/2 inches high x 5 inches long x 0.007 inch thick.
- No more than 6-1/8 inches high x 11-1/2 inches long x 1/4 inch thick.
There are special size requirements for mailing letters at automation prices.
First-Class Mail letters that have one or more nonmachinable characteristics will pay a nonmachinable surcharge. Customers can be unpleasantly surprised that they must pay extra postage when, for example, they mail a square greeting card. The Postal Service charges extra postage because mailpieces that are rigid, square, or unusually shaped, often jam postal equipment and are difficult to process. This costs the Postal Service time and money—and may ruin your mailpiece.
Self-mailers
Many mailers fold sheets of paper to form letter-size pieces or newsletters. Folded pieces, or folded self-mailers, can save time and money because you’re not paying for or stuffing envelopes. Folded self-mailers must be sealed or they will be subject to the nonmachinable surcharge. We recommend that you use wafer seals or tabs to close the open sides of folded mailpieces.
Here’s some good advice on Folding and Tabbing a Mailpiece. Put the fold on the bottom (the side below the address) and secure the opening at the top with a piece of tape, a tab or a wafer seal.
8.5 x 11 Tri-fold Self-mailer Template
8.5 x 11 Half-fold Self-mailer Template
Postcards
Postcards are an inexpensive way to get an immediate message to customers. When they arrive in the mail, there's the message -- no envelope to open! First-Class Mail postcards are a great value, too. With First-Class Mail postcards, you pay a low price and get all of the benefits, like forwarding and return that come with First-Class Mail. And, if you mail at single-piece First-Class Mail postage, there is no extra work involved -- simply drop the postcards in a collection box.
You may think that your mailpiece is a "postcard," because it is a single sheet of paper. But to qualify for mailing at the First-Class Mail postcard price, it must be:
- Rectangular
- At least 3-1/2 inches high x 5 inches long x 0.007 inch thick
- No more than 4-1/4 inches high x 6 inches long x 0.016 inches thick
If your mailpiece does not meet the dimensions above, then the Postal Service considers it a letter (and charges letter-size postage). With Standard Mail, there is a little more flexibility -- there is no separate (lower) price for postcards, so you don't have to worry about your postcard being too big -- because you're paying letter prices anyway. But make sure that your postcard is no larger than 6-1/8" x 11-1/2" x 1/4" thick. Mailpieces larger than any of those dimensions and you'll have to pay flats (large envelope) postage prices.
*TIP*If you're planning to mail a postcard, First-Class Mail gives you the best value for your postage dollars. There is no lower postcard price in Standard Mail.
