Postcard & Mailer Design
Direct mail design services: complete postcard design, from the offer to the print file
Complete postcard design by people who design for the mailbox: the offer, the copy and a two-sided 5×8.25 or 6×11, quoted with the job, so you never need a file of your own. Templates and a free preflight are there if you have one.
Mail design is its own discipline. The piece has to survive the three-second glance at the mailbox, pass USPS rules for address placement, indicia and clear zones, print correctly in CMYK with bleed, and still leave the offer in plain view. A designer who works on websites will produce something beautiful that gets thrown away; a mail designer produces something that gets kept.
You do not need to bring anything but the offer. Our designers build the card from your logo, photos and goals, write the copy, set up the mailing panel and deliver the print file, quoted with the job, with two rounds of revisions. If you would rather design it yourself, free templates for both sizes have the mailing panel already placed, and any artwork you send is preflighted for free before it prints.
What makes a postcard design work
The front carries one image and one headline that states the offer or the benefit, readable from three feet. The back carries the details: what, for whom, until when, and how to respond. The logo is small; nobody buys because of a logo. The address side leaves the USPS clear zones alone so the barcode and indicia have room, and the QR code is at least three-quarters of an inch square. Colors are chosen to print, which means no rich blacks in fine type and no thin light text on photos.
Print-ready file specifications
Export a PDF at 300 dpi in CMYK with 0.125 inch of bleed on every side and all fonts embedded or outlined. Keep text and logos at least 0.1875 inch inside the trim. On the address side, leave the bottom 0.625 inch clear across the full width for the barcode and keep the address block and indicia zones clear per our template. If any of that is wrong, the free preflight catches it and we send you a marked-up proof showing exactly what to change.
- PDF, 300 dpi, CMYK, fonts embedded
- 0.125" bleed on all sides; 0.1875" safe zone
- Barcode clear zone: bottom 0.625" of the address side
- Indicia: upper right, our template shows the exact box
- QR codes: at least 0.75" square with quiet space
- Minimum type size 7pt; 9pt for reversed text
Using our templates or Canva
Download the template for your size, drop in your artwork, export the PDF and send it. We also publish Canva templates for the 5×8.25 and the 6×11 with the mailing panel and clear zones locked, which is the fastest route for owners who design their own material. Whatever you send is preflighted for free before it prints.
Reminder cards are where many offices start: see dental recall cards and auto repair direct mail. Before a file is set up, check postcard sizes.
Our work
Designs that survived the mailbox
Real postcards from lawn care, water treatment and dental clients. One offer each, a headline you can read from across the kitchen, a photo of the people or the result, and a QR code or number to respond.
Request a free quote
Quote a design services job for your city
Send the postcard size, the quantity and the city it is going to. Pricing is set for your city and your job, so you get a written quote — printing, mail processing and postage — with no obligation. No finished design or mailing list needed.
Answers
Design Services: questions people ask
How much does postcard design cost?
Design is quoted with the job rather than from a rate card: a two-sided postcard design includes the copy, two rounds of revisions and the print-ready file. Templates for both postcard sizes are free.
Can I use my own design?
Yes. Send a print-ready PDF and we preflight it free of charge, checking bleed, resolution, color mode, fonts and USPS clear zones. If something needs fixing we show you exactly what, or fix it for a small quoted fee.
Do you have direct mail postcard templates?
Yes, free editable templates for the 5×8.25 and 6×11 postcards in Adobe formats, Canva and as PDF guides, with the mailing panel, indicia box and clear zones already in place.
What resolution do postcard images need to be?
300 dpi at the printed size. A full-bleed 6×11 postcard image should therefore be at least 1,875 by 3,375 pixels. Images pulled from a website are usually 72 dpi and will print blurry; the preflight flags them before anything prints.