Direct Mail Pricing Guide: How Much Does Direct Mail Marketing Cost?
A United GMG direct mail campaign typically runs about 56¢ to $1.46 per piece all-in — printing, list work, and postage together. On a 5,000-piece run, printing with data services starts as low as 30¢–75¢ per piece by format, and USPS postage adds $0.257 to $0.707 per piece by mail class.
Postage is the one line USPS sets — every other line on a mailing quote is on this page.
Request a quote
Tell us the piece, the quantity, and the mail date. Want printing, postage, and list work on separate lines? Just ask — every quote and invoice itemizes on request.
The people who run your job — prepress to the dock.
01 The price, by format
How much does a direct mail campaign cost?
The cost of direct mail marketing has three parts — printing, list work, and postage — and any quote we send shows each on its own line on request. Printing with list work included starts as low as 30¢ per piece on a 5,000-piece save-the-date card run, letter packages start as low as 68¢, and postage rides on top at the USPS rate for your mail class — its own line whenever you ask for the breakout, never buried.
4×6 postcard
6×9 postcard
#10 letter package
Folded self-mailer
9×12 flat
Direct mail cost per piece, by format
Format
What's in the piece
Printing + list work per piece
Postage per piece, by class
4×6 postcard the smaller card
Card stock, printed both sides, addressed
as low as 30¢ Save-the-Date card basis
$0.467 Marketing Mail · First-Class $0.495
6×9 postcard card rate First-Class · letter rate Marketing Mail
Card stock, printed both sides, addressed
— quoted per job
$0.467 Marketing Mail · First-Class $0.495
#10 letter package envelope · letter · reply slip
Envelope, one-page letter, printing, stuffing
as low as 68¢ Standard Appeal basis
$0.467 Marketing Mail · First-Class $0.707
Appeal package with remit envelope adds the #9 reply envelope
Folded self-mailer no envelope — the piece is the mailer
Folded sheet, tabbed, addressed
— quoted per job
$0.467 Marketing Mail · First-Class $0.707
9×12 flat large envelope — mails at the flat rate
9×12 envelope, contents, printing, stuffing
— quoted per job
$1.260 Marketing Mail · First-Class $1.585 · nonprofit $0.993
Rates effective July 12, 2026 · USPS Notice 123
Prices do not include full-bleed envelopes. Postage is not included in the printing figure — it's shown in its own column at the USPS Mixed-tier rate (the tier most mailings qualify for; deeper sorts price lower). Pricing varies with quantity and customization; per-piece pricing is based on 5,000 pieces, and higher quantities may price lower. Presorted First-Class cards up to 6″×9″ (0.009″ thick or more) take the card rate; a stamped retail card stops at 4¼″×6″. Over 6⅛″×11½″ mails as a flat, at its own higher rate.
What does direct mail cost per 1,000 — and to send 10,000?
Per 1,000 pieces, postage alone runs $257 to $707 depending on mail class; to send 10,000, postage is $4,670 at Marketing Mail or $7,070 First-Class presort. The average cost of direct mail advertising falls as quantity rises — postage is flat per piece, but printing spreads its setup across the run.
Direct mailing costs by quantity · reference piece: 6×9 postcard, Marketing Mail
Quantity
Printing + list work
Postage $0.467 per piece
All-in per piece
Total for the run
500
— quoted per job
$233.50
—
—
1,000
— quoted per job
$467
—
—
2,500
— quoted per job
$1,167.50
—
—
5,000
— quoted per job
$2,335
—
—
10,000
— quoted per job
$4,670
—
—
Rates effective July 12, 2026 · USPS Notice 123
Reference piece: 6×9 postcard at the Marketing Mail Mixed-tier letter rate. Marketing Mail requires at least 200 pieces or 50 lb per mailing. Printing cells marked “quoted per job” are priced to your exact piece — ask and we itemize every line.
per piece500
falls1,500
falls3,000
lowest5,000+
The stair is directional, not to scale — the table carries the numbers.
A run on the floor — quantity is the biggest lever on the per-piece price.Where the price breaks fall
Press setup, plates, and list preparation cost the same whether the run is 500 pieces or 5,000 — so every added piece dilutes them. Postage never falls: USPS charges the same rate for piece one and piece ten thousand. That is why the per-piece total drops steeply at first and flattens as postage becomes the biggest share of the number.
03 What moves the price
What drives direct mail costs up or down?
Eight decisions set the number — and every one of them is yours to make, not ours to spring on you. The bar below is a piece taken apart the way customers ask us to break it out: printing, postage, envelope, stuffing, and list work, each its own line on the quote when you ask for the breakout.
Printingas low as 30¢–75¢/pc
Postage$0.257–$0.707/pc
Envelopein the package price
Stuffingin the package price
List workincluded
Segment widths are schematic — the ranges above and the table below carry the figures.
The cost factors — what you're deciding, and how it moves the price
What you're deciding
What it touches
How it moves the price
Quantity
Printing, list work
Setup spreads across the run — per-piece falls as quantity rises. Postage stays flat per piece.
Format and size
Printing, postage
Postcard vs letter package vs self-mailer vs flat changes the printing — and which postage rate applies. A presorted card up to 6″×9″ keeps the card rate; anything over 6⅛″×11½″ mails as a flat.
Paper and coverage
Printing
Heavier stock, full-bleed art, and heavy ink coverage move the printing line up.
Envelope and stuffing
Envelope, stuffing
A letter package adds the envelope and machine inserting; postcards and self-mailers skip both.
Mail class
Postage
First-Class presort $0.707 vs Marketing Mail $0.467 vs nonprofit $0.257 per letter — the single biggest swing on most runs.
List work
Data / list work
Buying a list adds cost per record. Address standardization, NCOA, and de-duplication are included in our per-piece prices.
Tell us the piece, the quantity, and the mail date; the quote comes back as one number at your quantity. Ask for it itemized and printing, postage, and list work come back each on its own line. The date doesn't change the price — we plan the job around it.
04 The ready reckoner
Get a ballpark for your mailing
Three questions, one live number — no form, no email, no callback. Postage computes at the exact USPS rate; the printing side reads from the tables above.
Your ballparkNot a quote
Postage · Marketing Mail$2,335
Printing + list workquoted per job
Your ballpark$2,335 postage$0.467 per piece · 5,000 pieces
Below the USPS Marketing Mail minimum of 200 pieces — we'll quote First-Class for a run this size.
Postage at the exact USPS rate. Printing, addressing, inserting, and list work are quoted to your piece — the tables above carry the published floors. Doesn't include mailing-list purchase or design.
Your ballpark is already on this page. The by-format and by-quantity leaves above carry every input this sheet takes — printing floors, exact postage by class, and postage totals by run size. For a number on your exact piece, request an exact quote below.
05 Postage, plainly
How much is postage for direct mail?
Postage is the largest single cost for direct mail advertising on most runs — and it passes through at USPS's rate — its own line on any itemized quote or invoice, which you can always ask for. A retail stamp is $0.82; presorted Marketing Mail is $0.467. That gap is what mailing services earn.
Weight matters less than most people expect: a Marketing Mail letter prices the same up to 3.5 ounces — the format and the sort move the number, not the ounce.
The inserting line — sorted, trayed mail is why presort postage costs less.
First-Class presort letter$0.707
Marketing Mail letter 200-piece / 50-lb minimum per mailing$0.467
Nonprofit Marketing Mail letter$0.257
First-Class presort postcard up to 6″×9″×0.016″ — bigger cards pay letter prices$0.495
9×12 flat over 6⅛″×11½″ · Marketing Mail (4 oz) / First-Class presort (1 oz)$1.260 / $1.585
Nonprofit Marketing Mail flat up to 4 oz$0.993
Retail stamp / retail postcard single pieces, no presort$0.82 / $0.65
EDDM flat USPS's program price, never a United GMG offer$0.260
Certified Mail / Return Receipt add-ons, per piece$5.55 / $4.65
Rates effective July 12, 2026 · USPS Notice 123
Why sorted mail costs less
USPS discounts mail that arrives ready to process — standardized addresses, barcodes, trays in walk sequence. That work happens on our floor before the truck leaves, which is how an 82¢ stamp becomes 46.7¢ postage. The deeper the sort, the deeper the discount; the Mixed tier is the one most mailings qualify for.
06 Three real jobs
What real campaigns cost: three worked examples
These are direct mail advertising prices from our own recent jobs — real runs, anonymized by type, each taken apart the way the invoice reads.
5,000 appeal packages, addressed on the inkjet line.
Nonprofit appeal letter · 5,000 pieces
A standard appeal package — outer envelope, letter, reply slip, reply envelope — mailed at the nonprofit rate. The whole job, run to a number:
Printing + list work 68¢ × 5,000
$3,400
Postage nonprofit letter, $0.257 × 5,000
$1,285
Total
$4,685
Per piece, all-in
93.7¢
Per-piece printing based on 5,000 pieces, data services included; full-bleed envelopes excluded. Postage at the USPS nonprofit letter rate, Mixed tier. Rates effective July 12, 2026 · USPS Notice 123.
A postcard run in USPS trays at the dock — the postage math below prices a run like this.
6×9 postcard campaign · 5,000 pieces
A two-sided campaign postcard at Marketing Mail. Postage is exact math today; the printing line is quoted to the piece:
Printing + list work
— quoted per job
Postage Marketing Mail letter rate, $0.467 × 5,000
$2,335
Total
— postage + printing
Per piece, postage alone
$0.467
Marketing Mail has no card rate, so a 6×9 card mails at the letter rate there; under First-Class presort the same card takes the card rate. Rates effective July 12, 2026 · USPS Notice 123.
Letters through the folder before inserting — the 10,000-piece class of job.
#10 letter package · 10,000 pieces · First-Class presort
A statement-style letter package that has to arrive fast — First-Class presort, envelope, one-page letter, machine inserting:
All three are real 2025–2026 runs off this floor. Names are withheld by policy — we publish the math, not the client. Where a line reads “quoted per job,” the figure exists; it just belongs to a specific piece, and yours will differ. Ask and we run your piece the same way, line by line.
07 The index
Direct mail pricing questions, answered
Q.01Can you give me a ballpark without a formal quote?
Yes — that's what this page is for. The tables above carry the published floors and exact postage, and the ready reckoner turns them into a number for your quantity. A formal quote is only needed when you want exact figures on your exact piece.
Q.02Is it cheaper to mail fewer pieces, or is there an economy of scale?
Scale wins. Setup and list preparation cost the same at any run size, so they dilute as quantity rises — while postage stays flat per piece. The by-quantity table above shows the curve: per-piece cost falls steeply to about 5,000 pieces, then flattens.
Q.03Are your prices for printing and postage together, or separate?
Either way. Quotes and invoices come as one number by default; ask and we itemize printing, postage, and list work, with postage passed through at the USPS rate, at cost.
Q.04Can you break out envelope, paper, printing, and stuffing costs?
Yes, on request. Quotes and invoices come as one number unless you ask; ask and we break out envelope, paper and printing, stuffing, addressing, and list work. If you're comparing providers, ask everyone for the same breakout; a single bundled number hides where the money goes.
Q.05How much is postage if we mail First-Class?
$0.707 per presorted letter, $0.495 for a presorted card up to 6″×9″, and $1.585 for a flat. Marketing Mail runs $0.467 per letter and $1.260 per flat. All figures are the Mixed tier, USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026.
Q.06Is there a minimum quantity for a mailing?
Marketing Mail requires at least 200 pieces or 50 pounds per mailing — below that, we quote First-Class. There's no minimum on the printing side; small runs just carry more setup per piece.
08 The back cover
Request an exact quote
The whole book, in one number — your piece, your quantity. Ask and it comes itemized the way the leaves above read: printing, postage, and list work, each on its own line.
Tell us about the mailing
Quotes come back as one number — ask and we itemize printing, postage, and list work, each its own line.
Priced from the same plant since 1927.
United GMG 1864 S Elmhurst Rd, Mount Prospect, IL 60056 847.588.7600 Printed and mailed in Chicago · delivered nationwide
