Custom Postcards for Mailings, Inserts and Art

Direct Mail That Gets Read

Postcards are effective direct mail because there is nothing to open. The message is visible the moment the card is picked up. For local businesses such as cafes, salons, estate agents and trades, a postcard drop to nearby streets is a simple way to reach new customers. Use a bold image or headline on one side and the offer, address and contact details on the other, with space for the postage and address if you are posting them individually.

If you are mailing through a postal service, check their size and weight limits for postcards and letter-size items so you pay the lowest rate. We can make cards to those dimensions on request. Local services that want a card which cannot be mistaken for junk mail often switch to door hanger flyers that hang on handles.

• Grand openings and new menu launches
• Special offers and appointment reminders
• Event invitations and save the dates
• Estate agent area mailings
• Charity supporter updates

Sizes and Card Weights

A6 is the classic postcard size and fits comfortably into most envelopes, parcels and pockets. The slightly larger 5 x 7 inch format, around 127 x 178 mm, gives more room for artwork and suits art prints and invitations. A5 is good for menus and promotional mailers. DL suits a longer, narrower design and fits standard DL envelopes. Square cards look different on a doormat and work nicely for art and photography.

Card weight affects how a postcard feels and how it survives the post. Heavier card feels premium, resists bending and stands up on a shelf. Lighter card keeps postage and printing costs down for large mailings. We will suggest a weight based on how the card will be used.

Custom sizes are possible too, for example a long panoramic card for landscape photography. The weights are shown with photographs of the edge in our guide to card and board types.

Finishes and Paper Feel

The stock and finish change the personality of a postcard. Silk and gloss coated cards make photographs and bright colours pop. Uncoated card has a natural, slightly textured feel that suits handwritten notes, because pens write easily on it. Matt lamination gives a smooth, soft surface and protects colours from scuffing, while soft touch lamination feels velvety and premium.

Spot UV, foil and rounded corners add extra detail when the card is part of a premium unboxing. If the card will be written on, keep the writing side uncoated or choose a finish that takes ink, and avoid lamination on that side.

Kraft card gives a rustic look that pairs well with simple one-colour artwork.

Design Tips That Make a Difference

Allow a bleed of a few millimetres on every edge so colour runs right to the trim, and keep text and logos well inside the edge so nothing is cut off. Use high resolution images, especially for art cards, as low resolution files look soft when printed. For text, a simple, readable font at a sensible size is far better than a stylish one that is hard to read.

If you are printing several designs, for example a set of art cards or a range of offers for different services, they can be printed in the same order. Your free design proof shows each one so you can check colours, layout and text before printing.

Think about the back as carefully as the front. On a direct mail card, the reverse is where people decide whether to act, so put the offer, the deadline and one clear way to respond there. On an art card, a small caption with the title of the work, your name and your website turns a pretty card into a lead back to your shop. On a parcel insert, a few lines in a warm, personal tone often do more than a polished slogan. The free proof laid out at trim size shows the bleed and safe area so nothing important is cut off.

Match the Card Weight to the Job Before Choosing a Size

Postcards are cheap to print and easy to get slightly wrong, so settle the job first. A parcel insert can be 300 gsm silk and A6, because it travels protected and is read once. A direct mail card goes through sorting machinery and letterboxes, so it wants 350 gsm or heavier and a size inside the postal letter limits. An art card sold in a shop wants uncoated 350 gsm and often a square or 5 x 7 format. Decide that, then prepare each design at trim size plus 3 mm bleed with an address panel on the back if it is going through the post. Cards that fold are set up as folded greeting cards with an inside page instead.

Email the size, card, finish, number of designs and quantity per design, and a custom quote comes back within one working day with a free design proof after it. Cards are printed in 4 to 7 working days once approved and delivered free and tracked on the UK mainland in 2 to 3 days. A batch with a print fault reported within 10 days is reprinted or refunded.