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1M A G A Z I N E 34 Excerpt:February|March2010
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Sincethemid-1800s,postcardshavebeenacomparativelyinexpensivewaytosendashortmessage.Butwithsomanymodernoptionsforflashydigitalinteractivemessaging,howdoesthehumbleprintedpostcardsurvive?Thereasonissimple:Youcan’tavoidphysicalmail.Evenifyoujustpickupthepostcardonthewaytotherecyclingbin,chancesareyou’llseesomethingonit.
ConnectMake sure your message is delivered by laying out & printing postcards correctly.
Design
Postcardsto
Asdesigners,ourjobistouseourskillstousethatbriefencountertoconveyrealinformationand,hopefully,promptanaction.Byfollowingafewdesignstrategiesandproductioncriteriawhencreatingpostcardlayouts,youcanofferyourclientsaneffective,lower-costvehicletogettheirmessagesacross.
BYCATHY
PALMER
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2M A G A Z I N E 34 Excerpt:February|March2010
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Figure 1:Clearzonesreservedforpostalusemustbekeptfreeoftextorgraphics,soavoidprintinginthegreyareas.
Youcanletyourimaginationrunwildonthefrontofapostcard(aslongasnothingcanbemistakenforanaddressorindicia).However,thebacksideandthecard’soveralldimensionsmustadheretoseverallayoutrulesandinkandpaperchoicesifthecardsaretobedeliveredasquicklyaspossibleforthelowestpossiblecost.Thesestricturesvaryacrosstheworld;inthisarticle,I’llfocusonUnitedStatespostalregulations,buttwotablesdoincludeinformationonpostcardsizesandratesaroundtheworld.
How to Design the Best Backs Whicheversideholdstheship-toaddressis
Design Postcards to Connect
consideredthemailingpanel(morecommonly,the“back”)andhasthemostrestrictionsforpositioningofgraphicelements.Myrecommendationsinthisarticlewill,forthemostpart,resultinapostcardbackreadablebythePostOffice’sscanners.Thatletsyoutakeadvantageoflowerautomationorbulkrates.
Theaddressmustbeparalleltothelongestside,sothatit’sreadablewhenthepostcardishorizontal.
(Cardsthataresquare,round,ordie-cutshapescanignorethisregulation,sincethey’llbehand-sortedbythePostOffice.)Therestofthegraphicsonthemailingpanelcanbethesameorientationastheaddressorrotated,aslongastheydon’tinterferewiththepostalscanning.
Inanyprintproject,therearethreeedgestobeawareof:trim,bleed,andlive.Thetrimareaisthemostobvious,beingthefinishedsizeoftheprintedpiece.Thebleed
areaislargerandextendspastthetrim,allowingimagestoappearrightuptothecutedge.Theliveareaistheinnersafetyzoneforimportantimagesandinformation,wherethere’snoriskthatthey’llbeshiftedtooclosetothetrimandriskbeingcutoff.
Keep the Clear Zones Clear.Therearenospecialprintingconsiderationsforsettingupthetrim,bleed,andliveareasforpostcards,buttherearedefinitelymailingguidelinesforwhereinkispermissible(Figure1).
“Clearzones”arelocationsthatarereservedforpostaluse,sodon’tplacetextorgraphicsinthoseareas.Inkcoveragelessthan10%densityisallowed,soverylightscreened-backphotosandtintcolors
MAILINGADDRESSCLEARZONE
POSTAGECLEARZONE
NOMAILABLEADDRESSINTHISAREA
The Post Offi ce scans this entire area for addresses.Any address placed lower than 2.75"
from the bottom edge of the cardshould NOT contain a state or ZIP code,
or risks being used as the delivery address.
0.625"MIN.
2.7
5"
2.7
5"
1.25"
1.2
5"
2.75"
ALIGN WITH LOWER RIGHT CORNER TO CHECK MAILING ADDRESS CLEAR ZONE
ALIGN WITH LOWER EDGE TO CHECK BARCODE CLEAR ZONE
BARCODECLEARZONE
ALIGN WITH UPPER RIGHT CORNER TO CHECK POSTAGE CLEAR ZONE
DANGERSAFEAREATRIMEDGEBLEED
POSTCARD CLEAR ZONES
Table 1: Postcard Rates
PostcardRates Domestic ToUSA ToMexico&Canada
Totherestoftheworld
U.S.A. 0.28US$ — 0.79US$ 0.98US$
Canada 0.57C$ 1.00C$ — 1.70C$
GreatBritain FirstClass0,39£SecondClass0,30£
0,62£ — 0,56£
Australia(a.k.a.smallletter)
0.55AUS$ 1.40AUS$
— 1.40AUS$
Mailing Rates Vs Delivery TimesIfyourclientdemandspostcardrates,whicharelowerthanFirst-Classmail,youmustdesignwithinthoseparameterstoavoidhigherratesandsurcharges.ButdoprepareyourclientwiththeinformationthatwhenmailedFirstClass,postcardsarriveattheirdestinationmorequicklyandwithfewerquantityrestrictions.
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mightbeOK,butit’ssafertokeeptheseareasentirelyfreeofprinting.
Toqualifyforthelowerpresortedstandardandbulkrates,youmustkeepthepostage,address,andbarcodezonesclearofanyunrelatedprinting.(First-Classmailislessstrictabouttheclearareasrequiredbutdoescostmoretosend.)
Theupperrightcorner—1.25"downfromthetopand1.25"fromtherightedge—isapostageclearzonereservedfortheindicia(mailingpermitimprint),meteredpostage,orstamp.
Thelowerrightcorner—2.75"upfromthebottomedgeand2.75"fromtherightedge—isthemailingaddressareawherenoothervisualsexcepttheship-toaddressmayappear.Becausetheindiciamustbepositionedtotheupperrightofthedeliveryaddress,thetopoftheaddressmuststartlowerthanthe1.25"postageclearzonefromthetopedge.
Anareaatleast0.625"(5/8")acrossthebottom(longest)edgeofthemailingsideshouldbekeptunprintedforthesortingbarcode.ThePostOfficewillprintabarcodehereiftheareaisclear,orslaponabarcodelabeltocovertheareaifthereisanyprinting.Eitherway,anyartworkinthatspacewillgetcoveredup,orworse,makeyourpostcardunmailable.
Make the Address Machine-Friendly.Themail-toaddressiscriticaltodelivery.Followtherecommendationsbelowsothatautomatedpostalequipmentcanreadandunderstandtheaddresstext.❱ Face:Serifandscripttypefacesmaybedifficultforpre-sortingscannerstoread,sothePostOfficerecommendssansserif.
❱ Case:Uppercaselettersaremoreevenlyshapedandeasiertoscan,souseall-capswheneverpossible.
❱ Size:10to12pointisoptimalforthepostalscannerstoread,somakethatcap-heightyourminimum.
❱ Spacing:Overlappingcharacterscausedbytoomuchtightkerning/trackingcanconfusethescanner,butextremeletterspacingcanbeareadabilityproblem,too.Keepthehorizontalletterspacingsothateachcharacterstandsalonewithoutoverlap.
❱ Leading:Ifyoudon’tuseallcaps,overlappingcharacterscanhappenbetweenlinesoftextaswell,soleaveenoughverticalspaceclearbetweenlines.
❱ Underlines:Additionalinkneartheletterscanconfusethecharactershapes,sonounderlines.
Theaddresslocationsarealsoimportanttoscanners.Includingareturnaddressisagreatopportunityforbrandingandprovidingcontactinfo,butbecarefulwiththepositioningofthereturnaddressinrelationtothemailingaddress.TherelativepositionofTo:andFrom:willdeterminewhichaddressthePostOfficeusesfordelivery.Usethewrongreturnaddressposition,andallofyourpostcardsmightmistakenlybesenttothesender!
Anytextwithin2.75"ofthebottomedgewillbescannedasapotentialmailingaddress,sokeepyourreturnaddressabovethisarea.Also,besureyourmessagecan’tbemistakenforanaddress—don’tincludestateorZIPcodeinyourtext,oritmightbemisinterpreted.
Create Mailing Permit Indicias.AnindiciaistextthattellsthePostOfficethedetailsofhowthemail
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4M A G A Z I N E 34 Excerpt:February|March2010
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deliveryisbeingpaidfor.(TheU.S.PostalServicecallsita“MailingPermitImprint,”butforsimplicity’ssake,let’sstickwith“indicia.”)Itshouldbeinthesameupper-rightlocationwhereyou’dputapostagestamp.Indiciatextshouldbe10to12points,allcaps,andasans-seriftypeface.Theindiciaimprintcanbefourorfivelines,asneededtofitinacompactarea,andcanbeenclosedinaboxornot(designer’schoice).
Anindiciaforoutboundmailhasseveralrequiredtextelements,inthisorder:1. TheRATEMARKING,showingthemailingservice
used.2. Thewords“U.S.POSTAGEPAID”,usuallywith“PAID”
onitsownline.3. TheCITYandSTATEwherethemailingpermit’sheld.4. Thewords“PERMITNO.”andthemailingpermit
number.
Dependingonthemailservicesyouuse,indiciaRateMarkingscanincludeanycombinationofFirst-Class,Standard,Bulk,Pre-Sorted,Non-ProfitOrganization,and/orCustomizedMarketMail.Amailingpermithasregistrationcostsandminimumquantitiesthatmaybetoomuchexpenseforasmallclientorproject,somanyprintersandmailinghouseswillletyouusetheirpermitinformationonyourmailpiece.
Postcard SizesCardsthatqualifyforthepostcardmailingratestartat3.5"×5"size(thesmallestallowedsizeofanyU.S.mailpiece)andgouptoamaximumof4.25"×6".Themostcommonpostcardtrimsizeis4"×6".
Anypiecelargerthan4.25"×6"upto6.125"×11.5"ischargedtheFirst-Classrate,evenwhenit’saflat,unenclosedcard.SomestandardtrimsizesthatmailasFirst-ClassincludeLarge5"×7",Deluxe6"×8.5",andSuperSize6"×9"postcards.
Inadditiontowidthandheight,depth(thickness)alsohasminimumandmaximumlimits.A¼"isthemaximumthicknessforastandardpieceofmail,includingpostcardslargerthan4.25"×6".Acardthickerthanthatisconsideredaflatorlargeenvelope,withdifferentpostalrates.Standardmailhasa0.009"minimumthicknessifthepieceis4.25"×6"orlarger,butmailerssizedsmallerthanthatareallowedtobeslightlythinner.Postcardswithinthe3.5"×5"to4.25"×6"rangecanbeaslightas0.007inchesthick,andup
Design Postcards to Connect
to0.016"thick.Lessthanthatisjusttoothinandflimsytogothroughthemailingequipment.SeeTable2forthesenumbersataglance.
Proportionmatters,too:Theaspectratiohastofallwithinacertainrangetobemailableatregularpostagerates.Theaspectratio(lengthdividedbyheight)hastofallbetween1.0-to-1.3and1.0-to-1.25inclusive,orit’sconsiderednon-standard.Anythingnon-standardmustbeprocessedmanually,whichcostsmore.Squareorskinnyshapesoutsideofthisrangewon’tgothroughtheautomatedpostalequipment,sothosegetamanual-handlingsurcharge.
YoucanquicklyevaluateyourprojectagainstallofthesesizecriteriabyusingafreetemplatefromthePostOffice.TheDimensionalStandardsTemplate
Country PostalService WebSite SmallestWidth×Height
LargestWidth×Height
MinimumThickness
MaximumThickness
Min-MaxWeight
Shapes
U.S.A. UnitedStatesPostalService
http://www.usps.com/
3.5"×5" 4.25"×6" 0.007" 0.016" — CustomizedMarketMail
Canada CanadaPost•PostesCanada
http://www.canadapost.ca/
90mm×140mm
120mm×235mm
0.18mm 5mm 3g–50g DimensionalAdMailAdCard
GreatBritain
RoyalMail http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm
90mm×140mm
120mm×235mm
— 5mm upto100g
Non-rectangularpostcardsmustbeenclosedinenvelope&mailedatletterrate.
Australia AustraliaPost http://www.auspost.com.au/
88mmx138mm
130mm×240mm
— 5mm upto250g
ImpactMail
Table 2: Postcard Sizes Around the World
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(Notice3A)isaneasywaytocheckforminimumsize,properheighttolengthratio,andthicknessofyourmailpiece.Justalignyourdesignsampleoverthiswhiteplasticcardandseeifthecornersfallwithintherecommendeddimensions(Figure2).There’sevenaslottotestthemaximumthicknessofyourdesignsample;ifitfitsthrough,it’sOKtomail.PickupatemplateatyourlocalPostOffice.
Reply MailSubscriptioncardsinsidemagazinesareanexampleofReplyMail—postcardsmeanttobesentbacktothesource.ThePostOfficehasafewoptionsforthesekindsofpostcards:BusinessReplyMail(BRM)andCourtesyReplyMail(CRM).IfyourpostcardissentBRM,thesenderpaysforreturnpostage.IfthepostcardissentCRM,sendershavetoaddtheirownstamps.ThePostOfficedeliversBRMandCRM
postcardsfasterthanstandardmail,givingapossiblebusinessadvantageofseveraldays.
Athirdoption,MeterReplyMail,usespre-printedmeteredpostageaffixedtoitthatdoesn’tgetchargeduntilitarrivesattheoriginator.ButsincetheMRMformathasnospeciallimitationstodesignaround,Iwon’tcoveritinthisarticle.
TherearesomanyrestrictionsonBRMandCRMcardlayoutsthatit’sbesttousetheofficial
Design Postcards to Connect
Figure 2:AfreetemplatefromthePostOfficehelpscheckmailpiecedimensions.Togetanactualtemplate,contactaPostalBusinessServiceCenter.
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6M A G A Z I N E 34 Excerpt:February|March2010
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PostOfficedigitaltemplates(Figures3and4).YoucandownloadMacandWindowsfilesinseveraltrimsizesathttp://pe.usps.com/mpdesign/mpdfr_addl_all.asp.Thesewell-structureddocumentshaveanInstructionsLayer,WorkingLayer,andDimensionsLayer.They’reavailableasIllustrator,AcrobatPDF,andFreehandfiles,butunfortunatelynotasInDesignfiles.
TherearemoredetailedlayoutguidelinesforBRMinQuickServiceGuide507aandforCRMinQuickServiceGuide507b.CheckyourpostcardprojectagainstallofthesecriteriabyusingthefreeAutomationLettersTemplate(Notice67).
Shapes: Beyond the Standard RectangleSofarI’vecoveredrectangularpostcardswithinafairlynarrowrangeofsizeandproportion.Butyoucansendalmostanyflatshapethroughthemail.In2005,theUSPSstartedtheCustomizedMarketMail(CMM)program,whichallowsfordie-cut“shapedmail”tobesentthroughthepostalsystem.Thefirstoversizedspecialtydie-cutpostcardmailedwasshapedlikeaboxofKrispyKremedoughnuts.
Don’tworrythatoddpostcardshapeswillbetangledinthemailsorter.BecausethesepiecesaresentexpresstoeachZIPcodedistributioncenterand
thenhand-sortedbythefinalpostalcarrier,theydon’tevergothroughanyautomatedmachinery.Minimumdimensionsof3.5"×5"and0.007"thickstillapply,butthemaximumsizeforCMMis12"×15"×0.75"withatopweightlimitof3.3ounces.Uniformthicknessisnotrequired,andattachmentsupto¼"thickareallowed.Thatmeansyoucangluethingsontoyourpostcard,suchasaproductsample.Theonlyshapelimitationsarethedie-cuttertolerancesatyourprintfinisher.
CMMmaterialscanbeanythingsemi-rigidthatfitswithinthedimensionalcriteria.Thatmeansmaterialsthatwouldotherwisebeconsidered
Design Postcards to Connect
Figure 3:LayoutguidelinesforBusinessReplyMailareintheDimensionsLayerofthetemplate. Figure 4:TheDimensionsLayeroftheCRMdigitaltemplateshowsthelayoutguidelines.
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7M A G A Z I N E 34 Excerpt:February|March2010
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unmailablearenowopenforconsideration:clearorsemi-transparent;mirror-reflective;roughandheavilytextured;furry;fluffy;andspongysurfacesareallfairgameforCMM.
Havingyouroddpostcardshapesgentlyhandledbypeopleduringeverystepofthedeliveryprocesshasitsprice,andsomebenefits.Betweentheexpressdeliveryandtheprioritizedhandsorting,CMMcanactuallybefasterthanFirst-Classmail.Thepostageitselfisnotbad,butthecostoforganizinganddrop-
Design Postcards to Connect
shippingeachCMMZIP-zonebatchcanaddup.Note:Duetotheadditionalexpenseofdrop-shippingtoeachpostalstation,CMMismorecost-effectivewhentargetingspecificZIPcodesthanwhensendingtoscatteredaddressesacrossthecountry.
Becauseofthemulti-stagedeliveryprocess,CMMwon’tbereturnedtothesender,soyoumustinclude“Carrier-LeaveIfNoResponse”onCMMpiecesinthelocationofthereturnaddressorunderthereturnaddress,inaminimum8ptfontsize.Besuretoleavea3.375"×2.5"areatoincludethemailingaddress,optionalreturnaddress,indicia,and“Carrier-LeaveIfNoResponse”.
Notjustanymailhousecanparticipateinthisspecializeddeliveryprocess.Thepostalservicerequiresthesendertoberegisteredwithcertainmailingcapabilitiesconfirmed.Checkwithyourprintertoseeiftheyhavethedie-cuttingandmail-sortingcapabilitiesrequiredforCMMshipments.ThespecialstandardsfordesigningCustomizedMarketMailareinQuickServiceGuide705a.
Withahugesize,almostanyshape,andminimalrestrictionsonmaterials,CustomizedMarketMailistheplacewherecreativepostcardinspirationcanflourish.CMMwillcostyouextra,butthedramaticimpactofsendingattention-gettingshapesinthemailmaybeworththeexpense(Figure5).
Printing PostcardsPostcardprintingisfairlystraightforward.Youcanoutputatyourlocalpressorfindlotsofaffordableoptionsfromonlineprinters.
Base Stock.IfyouwantthePostOfficetoprocessyourcardsautomatically,thestockmustbebetween0.007"and0.016"thick,andbar-codedpiecesmorethan4-1/4"highor6"long(eitherdimension)mustbeatleast0.009"thick.Rigidityisalsoanissue;makesurethestockisn’ttooflexible.
Ingeneral,avoidpatterns,textures,andcolorsofmorethan10%densityfromwhite.Withintheseguidelines,theremaybeplasticsorothernon-papermaterialsthatqualifyforpostcardorletterrate.Ifyouuseastifferplasticorheavilylaminatedstock,therigiditymaybumpituptoan“automatedflat”rate.CheckstocksampleswiththeMailpieceDesignAnalystatthenearestPostalBusinessServiceCenter,becauseonlytheycanmakethefinalcall.
Asyoudiscoveredinthesection"Shapes:BeyondtheStandardRectangle,"payingalittleextrafora“flat”
Performing PostcardsThepointofanypostcardistodeliveramessage.Manymarketingpostcardsaremeanttobereturnedtothesendersothemessageimpactcanbemeasured.Whethertheycomebackbymailorinperson,youasthedesignercanimprovethereturnrate.Forexample,usetheBusinessReplyMail(BRM)orCourtesyReplyMail(CRM)layoutformats(seepage22).Thoselittleblackbarshelpwithautomatedpre-sortingforreturndeliverythatcandramaticallyreducetimeintransit.
Astrategythatencouragesin-personreturnsistodesignapostcardthattakesonanadditionalrole:aneventinvitationcanalsoactasanentranceticket,asaleannouncementcandodoubledutyasacoupon,evenasimplescheduleremindercanbecomeanac-tiveappointmentcard.Peopleliningupwithpostcardsinhandisproofthatthemailingwaseffective.
Somepostcardsaresentout,andmeanttobesaved.Beautifullydesignedpostcardscanearnapermanentspotonbulletinboards,scrapbooks,wallsorrefrigera-tordoorsasartthatconstantlyremindspeopleoftheirsourceandmessagewithcreativevisualstheydon’tminddisplaying.
Figure 5:Thissamplinggivesyouatasteofhowyoucanpushthelimitsofa“postcard.”
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8M A G A Z I N E 34 Excerpt:February|March2010
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rateormanualhandlingopensupmanymoreoptionsformailingpostcardsmadeofdifferentmaterials.
Varnishes.Floodvarnishesorcoatingscanaddanicelookandfeeltothefinishedcard,butthat’snoteverythingtoconsider.Youmaywanttokeepthepostcardsurfaceuncoatedormattesoit’seasiertowriteon,especiallyifit’sasurveyorappointmentcard.Foracalendarorreferencepostcardthat’sintendedtobekeptandhandledrepeatedly,addingaheavylaminateorUVcoatingwillmakethecardmoredurable.
Inks.Don’tusemetallicinksforaddresses,becausethereflectionmakesthetextunscannable.Alsobesuretokeeptheaddresscolordarkerthanthesurroundingarea,withacolorcontrastofatleast15%fromthebaseit’sprintedon.Blackinkforaddressesisthesafestchoice,andwhatthePostOfficerecommends.
Color Control.Thereareamazingdealsonlineforprintinglargequantitiesofcolorpostcards.Manytimes,thesecardsarebatch-printedwithotherorders,soyourpostcardmaybeonesmallsectionofaganged-uppresssheet.Youmaynothavetheopportunityforexactingcoloradjustmentsandcanreasonablyexpecttoget“pleasingcolor”resultsonly.Ifyourprojectneedsprecisecolorexecution,beware,butifpleasingcolorisacceptable,thenbyallmeansgivetheseoptionsatry.
Tempting TemplatesWithalloftheseproductioncriteriatoconsider,optimalpostcarddesignmightbemorecomplexthanyouoriginallythought.It’stemptingtouseatemplateforguidance.Postcardtemplatesareavailablefromprintersandthepostalservice,andaspartofsupportfilesthatshipwithInDesign
Figure 6:Whenyouoverlaythepostalguidelinesforpositioningtextandgraphics,it’sclearthatthisInDesignpostcardtemplateisnotagoodlayoutexampletofollow.
andIllustrator.Butbewarethateachsourcehasitsownagenda.Printersaremostconcernedaboutwheretheinkhitsthepaper,thePostalServiceissimplyenforcingpre-sortingandautomatedmailprocessing,andthedesignprogramsencouragecreativitywithoutworryingaboutcriticalaspectsformailing(Figure6).
Design Postcards to Connect
CLEARAREAFOR
INDICIA
MAILING ADDRESS
AREA
1234 Anywhere Avenue, Suite 1234 City, State 00000-0000
Lent lum zzriliquam
quisis eu faccum dolor iriliquatem
do dit lutetue riustin venis adignis euisi enit adipisi te feu faciniam
dolor acilit luptatisim in henit ute m
olor atue erilit nibh ero core conullaore core vel iurer se m
in vulland ipiscidui eum vul-
laorpero cor sis nonsequat. Ut lutpatem
zzrit, conum qua
Lent lum zzriliquam
quisis eu faccum dolor iriliquatem
do dit lutetue riustin venis adignis euisi enit adipisi te feu faciniam
dolor acilit luptatisim in henit ute m
olor atue erilit nibh ero core conullaore core vel iurer se m
in vulland ipiscidui eum vul-
laorpero cor sis nonsequat. Ut lutpatem
zzrit, conum qua
Addressee Name1234 Anywhere Avenue Suite 0000City, State 00000-0000Country
Danger Zone - Important layout elements in this area may appear too close to trim.
Safe Zone- All important elements should be within this area to prevent being trimmed off.This is also the minimum border width.
Trim Line - Finished edge
Bleed - All edge elements should extend past the trim to the bleed line.
CLEAR AREA FOR BARCODE & POSTAL MARKINGS
Sender’s address
contains a state and
Zip code positioned
BELOW the mailing
address, so this card
is likely to be returned
to the sender.
Graphic in the
CLEAR area is
30% tint, must
be 10% tint
or less.
Graphic too
close to trim
edge, in the
danger zone.
Text in the
CLEAR area prevents
scanning, and may get
covered by a label or inkjet barcode.
Mailing address is only partially
in the designated area, so this
example cannot be pre-sorted or
automatically scanned to qualify
for lower mailing rates.
Page 9
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Forcommercialpostcardprintingtemplatesandlayoutguides,tryPrintingForLess.com,ModernPostcard,BossLogo,NextDayFlyer,or4by6.
AsI’vementionedinprevioussectionsofthisarticle,thePostalServiceoffersworkingtemplatefilesforBRMandCRM,andplastictemplateswithmeasurementsandguidelines.Theseareyourbestbettoensurethatyourdesignqualifiesforthelowestpossibleratesandthemostdeliveryoptions.
Adobe’sInDesignandIllustratorpostcardtemplatesareproblematicbecausetheydon’tfollowthebestpracticesdescribedinthisarticle.Infact,asFigure6onthepreviouspageshows,someofthemwouldn’tevenbemailable!However,they’refineforvisualinspirationbeforeyougetintoproductionsetup.
InDesignCS3andCS4templatesarein Library > Application Support > Adobe Templates > InDesignintheirrespectiveversionfolders,withapostcardexampleintheBusinessSetsfolder.YoucanalsonavigatetotheInDesignexamplesbychoosing File > New > Document from Template.InIllustratorCS3,checkoutCool Extras > TemplatestofindfolderswithBasicandInspirationexamples,andinIllustratorCS4lookintheCool Extras > en_US > Templatesforafewoptions.
Better Postcards by DesignBasedonitsdimensionsandsetup,amailpiececanqualifyasapostcard,letter,automatedflat,
CustomizedMarketMailorpackage.Addinlowerratesforpre-sortingandbulkquantities,discountsforNon-ProfitOrganizations,andsurchargesformanualhandling,andtherearelotsoffactorsthatdeterminetheactualcostofmailing.Don’tworry,there’safriendlyneighborhoodMailpieceDesignAnalyst(MDA)tocheckyourworkandmakesureitfitsthecriteria.RunasampleofyourprojectpasttheMDAatanyPostalBusinessServiceCenterforafreemailingevaluation,findtheonenearesttoyouathttp://www.usps.com/ncsc/locators/find-bsn.html
Asdesignerswecancreatepostcardsthatpeoplemayglanceatandtossout,orthatcatchtheirattentionwithimmediatevisualimpact.Beyondthedesignofyourmessage,thereareplentyofwaystolayoutyourpostcardforoptimalresults.Withaverystraightforwardprintingprocessandafractionofthecostofotherdeliveryoptions,theselittlemailerscanbevaluablecommunicators.
Cathy Palmerisanaward-winninggraphicdesignerwhohasworkedinboththecreativeandproductionsidesofpublishing.Shecurrentlyprovidesdigitalmediaskillstrainingandseminarsongraphicsapplications,teachingdesignershowtobuildsmarterpagesandlettheircomputersdomostoftheworksotheycanfocusonthecreativestuff.
Design Postcards to Connect
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