ARTWORK

The US Postal Service has specific requirements for First Class Presorted or Bulk Standard mailings. Please use these guidelines and/or our downloadable templates to create postcards that meet the USPS requirements for maximum postage discounts. Complete details regarding bulk mailings can also be found on the official Post Office web site.

INDICIAS

If we will be mailing your project please include our first class or presort standard indicia, as appropriate, in your artwork.

Once a mailing has been processed and sent to the post office any remaining postcards with a printed indicia can not be sent through the postal system without the application of proper postage via stamp or metering. The post office will return or discard these postcards.

RETURN ADDRESS

We recommend including a return address on the back of your postcards. Including a return address enables you to update your list after each mailing and helps branding and identification of your company. First class mail is returned free of charge. Bulk rate mail is not returned unless an ancillary service endorsement is printed on the card.

4 x 6" - Click the image to download a sample

5 x 7" or larger - Click the image to download a sample

MAILING RATES

All Bulk Mailings, both postcards and letters, are processed at the Bulk Mail letter rate and require minimum quantities:

FIRST CLASS
All time-sensitive mailings should be mailed First-Class. The post office generally delivers first-class mail in 3-5 days nationally and 1-3 days in Michigan and the Midwest.

PRESORT STANDARD
Presort Standard Mail offers lower postage rates but with a longer delivery time. Typically it is delivered in 10-14 days nationally and 4-6 days in Michigan and the Midwest. However, presort standard mail can take considerably longer during peak mailing periods.

ANCILLARY SERVICE ENDORSEMENTS

Ancillary service endorsements can be added to mailings to help keep mailing lists as up-to-date as possible by automatically notifying you of undeliverable and changed addresses in your lists. All ASE requests must include a return address on the card. If no return address is printed on the piece, or the addressee has moved and NOT submitted a change of address to the post office, the undeliverable pieces are discarded by the post office.

• RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED - No Additional Fee
  The piece is returned to the sender with the nondelivery reason or updated address information if a change of address has been filed with the post office.


• TEMPORARY RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED - No Additional Fee
  The piece is forwarded to the temporary address if a temporary change-of-address has been filed with the post office.


• ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED - Additional Fee Applies
  

  During the first 12 months the piece is forwarded to the new address on file with the post office at no charge
  and a separate notice with the new address information is sent to the sender with an Address Correction Fee.

  In the 13th through 18th months, the piece is returned to the sender with the updated address at no charge.

  After 18 months, or if undeliverable, the piece is returned to the sender with the nondelivery reason at no charge.

PRESORT STANDARD MAIL Presort Standard mail offers significant postage savings, however mail cannot be sent to international addresses and is neither forwarded nor returned. Bulk Mail that cannot be delivered is disposed of unless specific instructions are provided to the Post Office using an Ancillary Service Endorsement. An ASE is a phrase that tells the USPS how you want undeliverable pieces handled and any mailing with an ASE request must include a return address on the card:

• RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED - Additional Fee Per Returned Piece Applies
  The piece is returned to the sender with updated address information.


• ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED - Additional Fee Per Forwarded Piece Applies
  The piece is forwarded to the new address on file with the post office and a separate notice with the new address information is sent to the sender.

For more information on Ancillary Service Endorsements, visit the official Post Office web site.