What Are Specifications For Post Cards By The Postal Service

USPS Regulations –
Standard Sizes for Messages, Postcards & Flats

USPS regulations are incredibly of import to empathize for mailing annihilation in the United States. The USPS has specific rules set out for standard postcard size & other standards for letters or flats for a smooth automatic period through the post office. Things like barcodes, stamps, indicias, mailing addresses, etc. are needed to allow your post to end upwardly at the intended recipient. Postal regulations can get complicated and can fifty-fifty change from calendar month to month or solar day to day but nosotros can assist you sympathise them here or you can contact us.

direct mail response rate

Size Standards

Messages are a common and affordable style to present information to a client. Many of our clients' mail in the upwards of thousands of letters. Here are the of import things you lot demand to know when y'all create your mail service piece:

The letter must exist no less than 5 inches long, three½ or 3.5 inches high, and 7/1000 or 0.007 – inch thick.
Mail pieces that are more than 4¼ or 4.25in loftier or 6 in long, or both, the minimum thickness is 9/g or 0.009in.
No more than eleven ½ or 11.5in long, or more than half-dozen ⅛ or 6.125in loftier, or more than 0.25in thick.
No more than three ½ or three.5oz (First-class Mail letter-size pieces over 3.5oz pay flat-size prices).
Rectangular, with four square corners and parallel opposite sides. Letter-size, card-blazon mailpieces made of cardstock may have finished corners that do non exceed a radius of 0.125 or ⅛ in.

Postcards are an affordable method of getting your bulletin out without the hassle of envelopes or folding. Dimensional standards for postcards are:

No less than 5 inches long, 3½ or 3.5 inches high, a minimum thickness of 7/m or 0.007 – inch thick, no more than 4¼ or 4.25in high or half-dozen in long, or both.
No more than than 6in long, or more than iv ¼ in or iv.25 in high, or more than 0.016in thick.
Rectangular, with iv square corners and parallel reverse sides. Carte du jour-blazon mailpieces fabricated of cardstock may have finished corners that exercise not exceed a radius of 0.125 or ⅛ in. You will pay a larger amount for di-cutting style postcards.

Side note: from our experience, fora schoolhouse bus die-cut postcard one of our clients ended upwardly paying upwards of $thirty,000, but in postal fees. That is because these types of cards cannot run through the automatic machines at the post office.

Flats are what the Mail service refers to large envelopes, newsletters, and magazines.
Must be over 11½ or xi.5in long, or more than vi⅛ or 6.125in high, or more than ¼ or 0.25in thick, except every bit allowed for EDDM.
For full general retail mailability, all pieces ¼in thick or less must be a minimum of 5in long and 3.5 or 3½in high and 7/1000 or 0.007in thick.
No more than 15in long, or more than 12in high, or more than than 0.75 or ¾in thick.
Flats must be flexible.
Rectangular with four square corners or with finished corners that practice non exceed a radius of 0.125 or ⅛in.
Uniformly thick and then that any bumps, protrusions, or other irregularities do non cause more than 0.25 or ¼in variance in thickness.
Unwrapped, sleeved, wrapped, or enveloped.

Postal Elements

Endorsement

The mailer is responsible for the right endorsement and placement of the endorsement on each mailpiece to provide delivery instruction or to request an coincident service (forwarding, return, or address correction), field of study to the respective standards for apply and availability. Placement of endorsement on the mailpiece is adamant as follows:

A retention period specified by the mailer must be placed direct to a higher place the return address.
Whatever ancillary service endorsement (east.thou., Address Service Requested, Forwarding Service Requested, Return Service Requested, Change Service Requested) must be placed in one of these iv positions:
- Directly beneath the return address.
- Directly higher up the delivery accost area (which includes the commitment accost block and any related non-address elements such every bit a barcode, keyline, or optional endorsement line).
- Directly to the left of the postage stamp area and below or to the left of any price marking.
- Direct below the postage area and below any price marking.
The carrier release endorsement "CARRIER – LEAVE IF NO RESPONSE" must appear direct to the left of the postage expanse (preferred) or exist placed directly beneath the return address.
A minimum ¼ inch clear space must appear betwixt any other press and the carrier release endorsement.
If an ancillary service endorsement is used, the carrier release endorsement must be separated from the ancillary service endorsement by the equivalent of 1 blank line of the blazon size used.

Return Accost
When a printed ancillary service endorsement is used, or a request is embedded inside an Intelligent Mail barcode, a domestic render address must be placed in the upper left corner of the address side of the mailpiece or the upper left corner of the addressing area. If the return address is multiple commitment addresses, it must show a unit of measurement designator (apartment number or something of the sort).

Class of Post
At that place are multiple different mailing classes to choose from when you are mailing. These classes are determined by things similar whether you lot are a non-profit or non, how many pieces you want to post, and how much y'all are willing to pay to get it out quickly. Yous tin can cull from:

Priority Mail Express
Priority Mail
Outset-Class
USPS Marketing Mail
Non-turn a profit (must exist an established non-profit organization with mailing permit)

Each class has its own benefit and then information technology is wise to discover out which ane will be the best for your mailing.

Postal regulations are a very complex topic and unfortunately,the USPS changes the regulations ofttimes. We are hither to help with whatever questions and can fifty-fifty guide you lot through the mailing process. Some data within this article may be subject to change. Nosotros take tried to compile the about important pieces of information for you lot to have a successful mail driblet. Things like barcodes, stamps, indicias, dimensional standards, etc. are important to allow for a smoothen flowing process through the post part and hopefully, our information will give you good insight on how to correctly set up up a mail slice.