Mail Piece Design

The design, size and shape of your mail piece can drastically affect the postage you pay. Here are some tips on designing mail for maximum postage savings.

• Stay within letter-size. For lower postage rates, keep your mail piece at letter size. Minimum 3 ˝" high by 5" long. Maximum 6 1/8" high by 11 ˝" long. Mail pieces larger than that fall into the flats category and have a significantly higher postage rate.
• Make sure it is thick enough. Mail pieces that are too thin will cost more postage. Keep your piece at least 0.009" thick and you can save 25 cents or more per piece. Maximum thickness for letter size mail is ź" and for flat size is ž".
• Leave enough addressing space. Allow a large enough open area for the address and barcode. We recommend a 4" x 2" clear area.
• Address in the right area. Make sure the address and barcode block on letter size mail fits into the USPS OCR read area or you'll pay additional postage. We can provide you with a template to guide you. Addresses on flat-size pieces must be in the top half of the piece.
• Address in the right direction. The delivery address on letter size mail must be parallel to the longer dimension of the mail piece or it will be classified as a flat and cost more postage.
• Proof before you print. Send a mock-up or pdf file to Eye/Comm, before your mail piece is printed. We will gladly assess it for automation compatibility or, if necessary, send it the Postal Service for a ruling. There is no charge for this service and it can save you lots of money and avoid costly delays.

Whenever you are planning a direct marketing project, call us. We'll be glad to help you avoid the pitfalls that can cost you money. And we have lots of ideas that can help you make money.