There are various rates and sizes for postcards, and it might be confusing if you’ve never mailed one before.
Continue reading to discover how many sizes of postcards there are and how much it costs to mail each one.
Why Send a Postcard?
Postcards are sent out for different reasons, including personal and commercial purposes.
No matter how far technology takes us, there still is a desire and soft spot for the experience of tangibility.
It is appealing to know that someone went through the hassle of sending you a handwritten message, especially when they can just send a Facebook text. It is a way of sharing your experiences of places you’ve visited and telling them “I am thinking of you”.
For businesses, postcards are used for various reasons such as sales, press releases on new offers and products, including other marketing purposes.
Cost of Sending a Postcard
A postcard is technically a piece of mail that measures between 0.007 inches thick, 3.5 inches high, 5 inches in length, and 0.016 inches thick, 4.25 inches high, and 6 inches in length.
Determining the right size of the postcard is important when you’re mailing postcards. The dimension, weight of the card, and destination of a postcard determine its pricing.
The standard postcard size is 4-inches × 6-inches. It meets the postcard regulations for most mailing services like the USPS. However, there are other sizes.
The Ultimate Postcard Size Guide
There are various sizes of postcards. Here are some of them below;
Standard Postcard Sizes
Standard postcard sizes are 4-inches × 6-inches, 3-inches × 4-inches, 4.25-inches × 5.5-inches, and 4.25-inches × 6-inches. They have a mailing rate starting at $0.40.
Each size stated above does not mail at the same rate, different sizes mail at different postal rates.
Jumbo Postcards
The next sizes of postcard up from a standard postcard are “jumbo”. These sizes of postcards have mailing rates starting at $0.55 which is equal to the mailing price of a Standard Letter.
They come in the following sizes
5-inches x 7-inches, 5.5-inches x 8.5-inches, 6-inches x 9-inches, 6.5-inches x 9.5-inches, and 6-inches x 11-inches.
Extra-Large Postcard
Today extra-large cards are a thing, and yes, they do cost a whole lot more than regular-sized postcards, costing between
$0.58 – $1.16. They have the same mailing rates as ” Flats”.
They measure from 8.5-inches × 11-inches upward.
The average price for mailing a postcard ranges from $0.40 to slightly over $1.00. The smaller the size and thinner the card, the more affordable it is to mail a postcard.
Standard postcards are the cheapest to mail, then jumbo an extra-large.
Do postcards have to be a certain size for them to be mailed?
A standard postcard must be within the dimensions of 3.5-inches × 4.25-inches and 0.007-inches thick.
A postcard larger than this is deemed jumbo or extra large and they cost more than standard postcards.
So, your postcard must fall between these sizes. Anything larger than this is considered “Flats”
Do jumbo and extra-large postcards require extra postage to be mailed?
Postcards do not require special stamps to be mailed, they use the same postage as other mail does.
For standard postcards, one stamp can cover all its mailing costs. However, for postcards with bigger sizes like jumbo and extra large, a second stamp is required for it to be mailed.
What Postcard Size is Most Effective?
The most recommended effective sizes are 5 x 7 and 6 x 9. These postcard sizes are large enough to capture the attention of its audience. They also provide room for enough information to be taken down, while also being small enough to be considered a postcard.
How to Mail a Postcard
Postcards can be purchased at your local supermarket, bookstore, departmental store, post office, etc.
Postcards are the easiest to mail. Follow these steps to mail your postcard.
Step 1. Add your message
Your message should go on the left side on the back of the card. Your message should be short and brief enough to let your recipient in on your experience.
You do not need to write an essay. The point of sending a postcard is to let your recipient know that you are thinking of them.
When writing your message, be sure to leave enough space for stamps. If possible, apply the stamps first. You should also take note of how low you write.
Do not write too low on the postcard, sometimes the post office attaches stickers at the bottom of the postcard to send it where it needs to go.
Step 2. Address the postcard
Addressing a postcard is quite simple. Postcards most times have designated spaces for an address to be written.
The left-hand side of the postcard is for your message and the right-hand side is for the address and stamps.
Step 3. Apply postage
Stamps are essential when mailing postcards. Without one, your postcard won’t get mailed. Stamps are proof of payment for postcards. Stamps can be purchased at a local post office.
On many postcards, there is a symbol directing you where to apply the stamp. The stamp is to be placed on the postcard in the upper right corner, above the recipient’s address.
Step 4. Mail the postcard
The only thing left to do now is to mail the card. You can drop the postcard off at the counter in the closest post office to you, or you could use the public mailbox in your location.
Some government offices may have mailboxes that you can use. If you are in a hotel, you can drop your card at their front desk to have them mail it to you. Alternatively, you could also drop it off in any USPS mail Dropbox.
Before you drop off the card, ensure that you’ve written down the recipient’s address correctly and added the appropriate number of stamps for your postcard.
