How much does it cost to make custom postcards?

Overview

Your One-Stop Shop for Postcard Printing and Mailing

If you have an upcoming event or want to keep in touch with loyal customers, consider using postcards for your marketing campaign. Whether they're for event invitations, product promotions, advertising discounts, or making important announcements, postcards are an economical, efficient and effective tool you can use to reach new and old customers.

At 48HourPrint.com, we offer a wide selection of custom postcards for every business need. We have standard and premium finishes, protective coatings, multiple cardstock choices, and various mailable size options. Our postcards are not just versatile, but they’re also portable and very handy.

You can even customize and make them stand out among other mail by including your contact information and logo, or by adding a splash of color, attractive fonts, and graphics that will grab the attention of readers.

Find the Right Size for Your Campaign

Our postcards come in several sizes to meet different project requirements.

• 4” x 6” – the smallest and most affordable size. This is the perfect size to tell your customers about deals, discounts, and other promotions.
• 5” x 7” – this size is handy and big enough to leave a great impression on your customers, as well as allow them to easily read your message and keep the postcard.
• 5.5 ” x 8.5” – if your goal is to have balance in the text, images, and infographics of your postcard design, this would be a great choice.
• 6.25” x 8” is the minimum size required by the post office for Every Door Direct Mail®. It’s slightly larger than your average postcard so it stands out from the rest of the mail.
• 6” x 9” – this size gives enough space for a picture of your store or product at the center.
• 6” x 11” makes a big impact. If your campaign requires a large space to effectively communicate your brand’s message, this is the perfect choice. This size also qualifies for EDDM® delivery.

Multiple Cardstock and Coating Options

We offer thick and durable cardstock options that are sturdy enough not to wear and tear in the mail. These also have different coatings that can set your printed postcards apart from competitors.

14 pt. Gloss

A customer favorite. It’s flexible, durable, and has a unique shine.

If you have a big announcement and want to reach out to various audiences, this is the perfect choice.

14 pt. High Gloss

This extra shiny coating provides additional protection, making the postcard longer lasting.

It also helps preserve any valuable information printed on the postcard.

14 pt. High Gloss UV Front & Uncoated Back

Great for travel postcards.

This coating makes the back easy to write on and its high gloss UV front coating gives a stunning printed front side.

16 pt. Gloss

This provides extra durability in the postcard’s coating and material.

Highly recommended if you’re mailing bulk orders.

16 pt. Matte

If you want an elegant finish on one side or two sides of the postcard, but prefer something that’s easy on the eyes, this serves as a great alternative to a glossy finish.

17 pt. Uncoated

This is our thickest cardstock.

It’s durable and cost-effective, especially if you prefer a matte appearance.

Beautiful Premium Postcards for An Exquisite Look

Aside from our standard custom postcards, we also offer several premium finishes that will give your campaign a competitive edge. These are:

Metallic Postcards

This type of finish gives your postcards a festive look and feel with its subtle sheen.

Choose this finish to promote events or use it in invitations for more impact.

Raised Spot UV or Spot UV Postcards

Both highlight specific areas of your postcard with their shiny, liquid coating. The only difference is that Raised Spot UV also embosses the part that you want to emphasize.

Silk Postcards

Silk postcards offer an elegant look with its matte, smooth finish.

These are just like real silk, but has the durability to withstand water or tears.

Velvet Postcards

Made of soft velvet, these are perfect if you want a thick and plush finish in your postcards.

Velvet postcards are a great option if you want to entice your readers’ sense of sight and touch.

Make a Strong Impression by Mailing Your Postcards

You can send postcards to a specific zip code all while targeting by age group, income, or household size. It works well to increase community engagement for small- to medium-sized businesses.

EDDM® postcards come in several sizes as well, including 6.5” x 9”, 6.5” x 11”, and 8.5” x 11”.



Customers can rent a customer list or use their own. We take care of the postcard printing and mailing for you. By renting a residential or commercial list, you remove the time-consuming process of gathering leads yourself and making sure that you’re targeting the right people.

Postcard Printing FAQs

Q: Which postcard cardstock allows for writability?
A: Select the 17 pt. cardstock to make both sides writeable. If you only need one writeable side, select the 14 pt. cardstock gloss front, uncoated back.

Q: Can I print on both sides of the postcards?
A: Yes, you can print postcards on both sides. The 14 pt. and 16 pt. cardstock come coated in gloss, high gloss UV, or matte on the front and back of your postcards.

Q: What is the fastest printing time for my postcards?
A: The EDDM® postcards are printed in 1 business day. Our standard or custom postcards can be printed in 1 to 2 business days.

Q: Is my artwork checked for errors before it is printed?
A: We offer two proofing options. If you select “Print Right Away,” your file will get a 30-point human review to ensure technical quality. We’ll contact you immediately for any problems that can’t be fixed.

Choosing “I want a PDF proof” ensures you review the PDF file before we proceed to printing. You will need to approve the file before we can proceed with production.

Q: What coating or laminate should I use on my postcard?
A: Depending on how you will distribute your postcards, you can choose from different coating options which include: gloss, high-gloss UV, matte, silk, velvet, or uncoated.

Q: What is the "trim," "safe zone," and "bleed" in a postcard design?
A: It’s important to know and follow printing specifications. This shows which elements of your design are within guidelines when your postcards goes to print.

“Trim” shows the full, finished size of the printed product. When laying out your design, the images and copy outside this area will be trimmed off.

The “safe zone” is inside the trim. This is where you should include the important elements of your design to prevent them from getting cut.

The “bleed” is the extra material that will be trimmed off. This is the image, graphic, or background color that extends a little to the edge of the final print product so that when it’s cut off, you’re not left with white edges.

If you have an upcoming event or want to keep in touch with loyal customers, consider using postcards for your marketing campaign. Whether they're for event invitations, product promotions, advertising discounts, or making important announcements, postcards are an economical, efficient and effective tool you can use to reach new and old customers.We have standard and premium finishes, protective coatings, multiple cardstock choices, and various mailable size options. Our postcards are not just versatile, but they’re also portable and very handy.You can even customize and make them stand out among other mail by including your contact information and logo, or by adding a splash of color, attractive fonts, and graphics that will grab the attention of readers.Our postcards come in several sizes to meet different project requirements.We offer thick and durable cardstock options that are sturdy enough not to wear and tear in the mail. These also have different coatings that can set your printed postcards apart from competitors.Aside from our standard custom postcards, we also offer several premium finishes that will give your campaign a competitive edge. These are:You can send postcards to a specific zip code all while targeting by age group, income, or household size. It works well to increase community engagement for small- to medium-sized businesses.EDDM® postcards come in several sizes as well, including 6.5” x 9”, 6.5” x 11”, and 8.5” x 11”.Customers can rent a customer list or use their own. We take care of the postcard printing and mailing for you. By renting a residential or commercial list, you remove the time-consuming process of gathering leads yourself and making sure that you’re targeting the right people.Select the 17 pt. cardstock to make both sides writeable. If you only need one writeable side, select the 14 pt. cardstock gloss front, uncoated back.Yes, you can print postcards on both sides. The 14 pt. and 16 pt. cardstock come coated in gloss, high gloss UV, or matte on the front and back of your postcards.The EDDM® postcards are printed in 1 business day. Our standard or custom postcards can be printed in 1 to 2 business days.We offer two proofing options. If you select “Print Right Away,” your file will get a 30-point human review to ensure technical quality. We’ll contact you immediately for any problems that can’t be fixed.Choosing “I want a PDF proof” ensures you review the PDF file before we proceed to printing. You will need to approve the file before we can proceed with production.Depending on how you will distribute your postcards, you can choose from different coating options which include: gloss, high-gloss UV, matte, silk, velvet, or uncoated.It’s important to know and follow printing specifications. This shows which elements of your design are within guidelines when your postcards goes to print.“Trim” shows the full, finished size of the printed product. When laying out your design, the images and copy outside this area will be trimmed off.The “safe zone” is inside the trim. This is where you should include the important elements of your design to prevent them from getting cut.The “bleed” is the extra material that will be trimmed off. This is the image, graphic, or background color that extends a little to the edge of the final print product so that when it’s cut off, you’re not left with white edges.

 When mailing a postcard there are a few things to consider in order to determine the cost.  

Printing: Depending on the style of the card, costs can vary greatly.  More elaborate cards will be more expensive but are more likely to be noticed.  Some options to get your postcard noticed include printing on a thicker stock or including variable data in the design.  Larger postcards will also be more expensive to print and postage may cost more, but these larger cards are more noticeable and have more room for copy and design.  Printing can cost anywhere from $3.50/1,000 to $30/1,000 depending on the design, quantity, paper choice, and size of the postcard.

Postage:  Most postcards will qualify to be sent at the USPS letter standard rate. Depending on the distribution of the mailing list and class of mail postage should costs between $17/1000 and $49/1000.  In the table above postage was conservatively estimated at $0.27 per piece but typically most mailings qualify for less expensive postage rates.  Non-profit postage rates are generally half that of standard postage rates.  Postage is paid directly to the USPS and we will process your list to get the best rates possible.

Data Processing: Postage will most likely be the most expensive portion of your mailing, by processing your data and presorting the list we can help you attain presorted standard postage.  Sending postcards standard mail which will result in significant savings as opposed to sending mail first class. Data processing will usually cost a small fraction of this, about $180 to $400 a mailing.  Included in the data processing is CASS certification and NCOA, which will reduce the amount of money wasted sending postcards to wrong addresses.  This data clean up will also help you update your CRM to include the most up to date information.  We also offer additional services like mail tracking, duplicate elimination (de-dupe lists), merging and organizing lists, as well as list procurement.  

List procurement: List procurement prices range from $7.50/1,000 to $100.00/1,000 depending on the complexity and specificity of the list.  Though a good mailing list will allow you to specifically target households or businesses that are within your target market, and avoid wasting money on postage and printing of postcards that would have been sent to households and or businesses that have no interested in your offer.  

Addressing and Postal Processing: Addressing and postal processing of postcards is straight forward and the price largely depends on the quantity mailed, as a large portion of the cost is setting up the job. The price may increase if there is additional information to print like a permit, return address, or tagline.  Additionally charges may apply to larger pieces or mailings that require additional postal processing. Addressing and preparing the mail to receive discounted postage rates costs about $2.00 to $5.00/1000, but similarly to data processing this step will pay for itself in the postage savings you will qualify for.