When it comes to printing postcards, size is as important a consideration as design and paper quality. Selecting the right postcard dimensions for your strategies is necessary to make sure you get the most from your postcard printing projects and direct mail campaigns.
Carefully choosing the right size for your postcards can help you save money while meeting your project requirements. However, before getting into the standard sizes of postcards, let’s discuss the benefits of using postcards in your direct mail campaigns.
Why Use Postcards in Direct Mail?
There are several key benefits of integrating postcards in your direct mail campaigns. These include:
Lowered Costs
One of the key benefits of using postcards in direct mail strategies is the reduced expenses on printing and materials. This is especially true with flat postcards in standard sizes, which are capable of being printed collectively on a single sheet to help reduce printing costs, labor, and waste.
Instant Gratification
In today’s digital environment, people want information instantly, which is one of the main benefits of using postcards, as they don’t take any time to download as a physical mail piece.
Versatility
You can use postcards to supplement your internet marketing efforts by including links and offers that redirect recipients to your website. This also allows you to track the success rate of your campaigns and modify them accordingly.
Avoiding Filters
When sending direct mail postcards to your target audience, you don’t have to worry about them getting lost in e-mail spam folders or winding up in blacklists, instead reaching your audience directly and effectively.
Standard Postcard Sizes & Dimensions
There are several standard postcard sizes depending on whether you want flat or folded postcards for your direct mail campaigns. Here we’ll go over these sizes and how you can use the various types of postcards to benefit your direct mail marketing campaign.
For flat postcards, available sizes include:
- 3.5” x 5”
- 4” x 6”
- 5” x 7”
- 6” x 8”
- 6” x 9”
- 6” x 10.5”
- 6” x 11”
Flat postcards of these sizes can give you the added benefit of gang-run printing services. Gang-run printing entails printing multiple postcards on a single sheet, which can help you save money and resources while staying well within your marketing budget.
However, if flat postcards aren’t ideal for your direct mail campaign, you may want to consider folding postcards in various sizes.
Standard Folded Postcard Sizes & Dimensions
Folding postcards come in two types of folds: half-folds and tri-folds.
Standard half-fold postcard sizes include:
- 5” x 6” (4.25” x 6” when folded)
- 10” x 7” (5” x 7” when folded)
- 11” x 8.5” (5.5” x 8.5” when folded)
- 12” x 9” (6” x 9” when folded)
- 12” x 11” (6” x 11” when folded)
Standard tri-fold postcards fold sizes include:
- 75” x 6” (4.25” x 6” when folded)
- 15” x 7” (5” x 7” when folded)
- 5” x 85” (5.5” x 8.5” when folded)
While you can include a lot more information and graphics on folding postcards compared to flat ones, keep in mind that they’ll cost more than flat postcards, particularly if you want to save money through gang-run printing services.
What Is Gang-Run Printing?
Gang-run printing, as opposed to one-off printing, involves combining multiple different print projects—such as postcards, flyers, or brochures—on a single large sheet. After printing, each project is trimmed down to its final size. This shared-run approach reduces setup and production costs, helping you save time and stay within your marketing budget.
With gang-run printing, reduced costs and fewer resources are needed as multiple products are printed collectively. Ordinarily, more costs will be required due to paper waste and press set-up with one-off printing services, as these production costs are carried across many jobs instead of a single printing project. Ultimately, gang-run printing is both economical and environmentally friendly, reducing the amount of labor, printing materials, and waste.
With United GMG, you can benefit from gang-run postcard printing if you work with standard direct mail postcard sizes for each printing project.
Leveraging Flat Standard Postcard Sizes to Benefit from Gang-Run Postcard Printing
Whether you’re launching a small or widespread direct mail campaign, postcards can give you excellent results across your entire direct mail strategy. By selecting one of the above standard postcard sizes for flat mail pieces, you can take advantage of our efficient gang-run printing services to give you what you need.
You’ll benefit from top-quality postcard printing services and products while saving more money to allow you to spend more on other important aspects of your campaigns. You can also redirect funds to supplement your postcards for a complete direct mail campaign that complements the rest of your marketing efforts.
Using Gang-Run Postcard Printing in Addition to Other Direct Mail
Although postcards can serve as a key component to your direct mail marketing campaigns, there are other strategies you can use to supplement them, which we offer here at United GMG.
In addition to postcard printing, we can also print a variety of other materials, including brochures, flyers, catalogs, envelopes, booklets, pamphlets, and more. With a solution combining any of these, along with gang-run postcard printing, you can get the most from your direct mail campaigns and connect with your audience in a unique, engaging, and ultimately cost-effective way.
FAQs About Postcard Sizes & Dimensions
What is the standard postcard size?
The standard postcard size is 4” x 6”. This size is affordable to print, qualifies for the USPS First Class Postcard rate, and is ideal for short, impactful messages in direct mail campaigns.
What are the most common postcard sizes used in direct mail?
Common postcard sizes include 4” x 6”, 5” x 7”, 6” x 9”, and 6” x 11”. These sizes offer flexibility for design and messaging while meeting mailing guidelines and optimizing postage costs.
How big is a postcard for mailing purposes?
To be mailable, a postcard must be at least 3.5” x 5” and no larger than 6.125” x 11.5”. Most postcard dimensions fall within this range to qualify for preferred mailing rates and ensure deliverability.
What postcard sizes qualify for the lowest postage rates?
4” x 6”, 5” x 7”, 6” x 8”, and 6” x 9” postcards typically mail at the postcard rate. Larger postcards like 6” x 11” may qualify for first class letter or standard mail (marketing mail) rates, depending on how they’re sorted and mailed.
How do folded postcards affect size and postage?
Folded postcards allow for more design space but may increase both printing and postage costs. Common folded sizes include half-fold and tri-fold formats, often mailed at letter or flat rates depending on final folded dimensions.
What are the most cost-effective postcard sizes for gang-run printing?
Flat postcards sized 4” x 6”, 5” x 7”, or 6” x 9” are the most cost-effective for gang-run printing, which combines multiple jobs onto one sheet. Using these standard postcard sizes helps minimize waste and printing costs.
Can I use oversized postcards for direct mail?
Yes, oversized postcards like 6” x 11” or 8.5” x 11” are often used for greater visual impact. However, they may incur higher postage rates as they are mailed as letters or flats, not postcards.
What are the advantages of using standard postcard sizes?
Using standard postcard sizes (like 4” x 6” or 6” x 9”) allows you to qualify for the most affordable postage rates, take advantage of gang-run printing, and ensure compatibility with USPS mailing equipment.
Use Standard Postcard Sizes to Optimize Your Direct Mail Campaign with Help from United GMG
If you want to take advantage of a marketing strategy that’s capable of helping you drastically improve your marketing efforts, consider using postcards. Postcards are an effective and appealing way to attract prospects and influence them to perform actions that other aspects of your campaigns might not do as well.
Through the use of postcards utilizing attractive designs and offers, you can stand out from the competition while saving money on your direct mail campaign in the process.
Learn more about custom postcards with United GMG and check out our direct mail services to boost your response rates. Ready to get started? Request a quote for your next project or contact us today to talk to an expert!
