Print & Mailing Resources

EDDM uses a USPS-set postage rate, so the postage portion is not something we invent. We pass it through at cost with no markup, so the only variable in our quote is the print side, which depends on size, paper stock, and how many you run. Bigger runs bring the per-piece print cost down meaningfully. You will always see the two numbers separately so you know exactly what is postage and what is production.

We map it with you. Every carrier route has a known address count and route-level census data covering average household income, home value, and age, so we can compare routes side by side before you spend anything. We usually start from your customer footprint and expand outward, since your best new customers tend to live near your current ones. You approve the final route list and the exact piece count before we print.

A print-ready PDF is ideal, with images at 300 dpi and colors built in CMYK rather than RGB. Bleed is artwork extending past the trim line, typically an eighth of an inch on all four sides, so that trimming never leaves a white sliver along an edge. Keep important text and logos at least an eighth of an inch inside the trim so nothing critical gets cut. If your file is not set up this way, tell us and in most cases we can fix it.

Yes. Nothing goes to press without your written approval. Your proof shows exactly how the piece will print, including trim, fold placement, and the address area, and for mail pieces we confirm the postal requirements at the same time. Review it carefully, because once a job is on press, a change means starting the run over.

Either works, and we will tell you which makes more sense for your situation. Mailing under our permit means no annual fee and nothing for you to maintain, and it is the right choice for most clients, especially at the start. Having your own permit makes sense when you mail high volume, want the permit tied to your own name, or plan to bring some mailing in-house later. USPS charges an annual permit fee for either First-Class Presort or Marketing Mail, and that fee may change as postal rates are updated.

Production and postage are billed as two separate lines. Production covers design, print, and mail preparation and is billed by us. Postage is a pass-through at exactly what USPS charges with no markup added, and because the Postal Service requires it to be funded before mail drops, it is handled ahead of the mailing rather than after. You will always be able to see which dollars went to us and which went to USPS.

Often, yes, depending on press availability and how ready your artwork and data are. Call us with your date and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable before you plan around it. We will not accept a deadline we do not believe we can hit.

That depends on the class. First-Class is the faster and more predictable option and is the standard for statements, invoices, and legal or compliance notices. Marketing Mail and EDDM cost significantly less, but USPS does not guarantee a delivery window on them, from us or from anyone. We can control the drop date precisely, so when a campaign is tied to an event we plan a buffer and tell you what to expect rather than quoting a delivery promise the Postal Service does not make.

Yes.

An old or inaccurate mailing list can mean spending money to print and mail pieces that never
reach the right person.

We can help prepare your mailing data and check address information before production. One
of the tools used in that process is CASS — Coding Accuracy Support System, a USPS system
for improving the accuracy and standardization of mailing addresses.

If you are unsure how clean your list is, send it to us before you print. We would much rather
find address problems before you have already paid to produce and mail the pieces.

As early as you can, but start by giving us the deadline.

If there is an event, sale, grand opening, meeting, required mailing date, or another date that cannot move, tell us that first.

We can work backward and help determine when artwork, approval, production, mailing, shipping, or delivery need to happen.

Check the details that only you may know are wrong.

Look closely at names, phone numbers, addresses, URLs, dates, prices, offers, QR codes, and other business information.

We will look at the production side with you. You look at the details of your business. Between the two of us, we have a much better chance of catching something before it becomes permanent.

QR codes can connect a printed piece directly to a quote form, landing page, event registration, product page, special offer, or other online destination.

Before we print it, we want to make sure the code works, has enough contrast, is large enough to scan easily, and points to the right place.

If you want to measure how many responses came from the printed campaign, tell us before the QR code is created. We can make sure the destination is set up in a way that gives you better information about how the campaign performed.

If you already have artwork, send it and we can take a look.

If you do not, tell us what you are trying to create. Our graphic design team can help build the piece or work from the branding and materials you already have.