Direct mail resource
Four ways into the mailstream, four different postage bills. Current commercial rates, delivery windows, and presort minimums for each class — so you can price a campaign before you commit to one.
Notice 123 July 2026 commercial prices
01–04 The classes
The class you mail under sets what you pay, how fast the piece travels, and how many pieces the run needs to qualify. These are the four that cover nearly every campaign we put into USPS possession.
Rates as of July 2026 (USPS Notice 123). Automation prices at the 5-digit presort level, 1 oz — your list and piece set the exact rate.
Class 01 · the fast lane
The quickest of the main classes, and the most expensive. It carries the pieces that carry obligations: statements, invoices, renewal notices, anything a recipient is waiting on. Undeliverable pieces come back to you free of charge — no other class in this guide includes that.
Class 02 · the workhorse
Built for bulk advertising: you trade delivery speed for a letter rate roughly a third below First-Class. For a promotion planned weeks ahead — not a piece somebody is waiting on — the slower window costs you nothing and the postage savings compound across the whole run.
Class 03 · the publisher’s class
Reserved for publications issued at a regular, stated frequency. Pricing runs on its own tariff — part per piece, part per pound, shaped by ad content and where the mail enters the network — so the same magazine can mail at meaningfully different rates depending on how it’s prepared.
Class 04 · the authorized discount
Marketing Mail’s deepest discount, open to charities, schools, and other verified organizations — less than half the standard letter rate. Your organization registers for a nonprofit authorization through USPS and keeps its status current annually; after that, every appeal and newsletter mails at the reduced rate.
Matrix Fit by use case
Many projects fit more than one class, so you’ll see overlap. More checks, stronger fit.
| USPS Mail Classes | Fast Delivery | Cost-Effective | Lightweight Letters & Documents | Marketing & Promotional Materials | Magazines & Newsletters | Nonprofit Mailings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-Class Mail | ✓ | ✓✓✓ | ||||
| USPS Marketing Mail | ✓✓✓ | ✓✓✓ | ✓✓ | |||
| Periodicals | ✓ | ✓✓✓ | ||||
| Nonprofit | ✓✓ | ✓✓✓ |
PDF The guide
The full guide in one file — the four classes, the fit matrix, and the questions to answer before you pick.
The PDF reflects USPS rates at its publication date; the figures on this page are the current ones.
Next Your campaign
Send the piece, the quantity, and the mail date. We’ll come back with the class, the presort level, and the postage number — printed, addressed, and delivered into USPS possession from our Mount Prospect plant, printing and mailing from the same floor since 1927.
Questions? Call 847.588.7600
