What Printing Options Are Best for Your Postcard?
You’ve created the perfect marketing postcard for your business or organization. It’s got compelling visuals, catchy headline and body copy, and the just-right call-to-action. You’re ready to send it out and start achieving your goals! Hey, we’re excited for you. Truly. Creating a great piece of marketing collateral is hard work! But before you make your print order and send your postcard on its way to your audience, there are a few more elements to consider — the essentials of postcard printing.
How will your postcard actually look, in real life, once in the hands of your audience? Thinking through this is key to creating a great overall experience that will delight your audience as they take your postcard out of their mailbox. Below, we’ve listed a few key postcard printing elements to consider.
Postcard Size
Marketing postcards are typically available in two main sizes: standard and jumbo. The most important factor to think through when selecting your postcard’s size is: What size will most appropriately get your message across? If you can fit your desired message and call-to-action on a standard-sized card, great, but if a jumbo size will allow for the right design layout for your brand or message — maybe a bigger design surface with more white space is needed — a jumbo-sized card may be a better fit. Additionally, the announcement of a new product or service, or other big news, may grab more attention in a jumbo-sized card.
However, it’s important to consider your budget when choosing between a jumbo or standard-sized card. The jumbo card will inherently cost more, so if you are running a small business on a tight budget, a standard-sized postcard may be the best option for you. However, be aware that jumbo-sized marketing cards may be bent or folded by the mailman when put into certain mailboxes. Not a huge concern, but something to consider.
Postcard Paper Type & Coating
Another decision you’ll have to make when printing is whether to use a matte or glossy paper type. Matte finishes produce less glare and have a flat look, while glossy finishes have a “shiny” effect. A glossy finish will provide greater contrast in photos and is therefore generally more appropriate for cards that have bright colors or photos as a focal point. There are many instances, however, where a matte paper type may be the better option — maybe the background for your postcard is largely black or grey or your business is more traditional. Matte paper is also more resistant to fingerprints, so your direct mail postcards will look fresh and smudge-free when they get into the hands of your audience.
Speaking of keeping things smudge-free, one easy way to do this is to invest in UV coating for your cards. Available for matte and glossy cards, UV Coating is a protective, high-gloss coating applied to one or both sides of a postcard to result in a more polished look and less wear and tear when mailed. UV coating is strongly recommended on all direct mail postcards to ensure the best quality and appearance.
We hope you now have more clarity on the many different printing options available for your marketing postcards and are better able to decide which options will work best for your business or organization’s needs. If you’ve got it all figured out and are ready to send your postcards on their way, we offer postcard printing and mailing services at a great cost-per-piece and next-day turnaround. If you have questions about postcard printing that we didn’t cover in this article, our support team is always here to help. Happy printing!
