by cathy palmer postcards€¦ · and 1.25" from the right edge—is a postage clear zone...

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

http://www.indesignmag.com



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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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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


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



http://www.usps.com

http://www.usps.com

http://www.canadapost.ca

http://www.canadapost.ca

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm



http://www.auspost.com.au/

http://www.auspost.com.au/

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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


Figure 2:AfreetemplatefromthePostOfficehelpscheckmailpiecedimensions.Togetanactualtemplate,contactaPostalBusinessServiceCenter.




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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


Figure 3:LayoutguidelinesforBusinessReplyMailareintheDimensionsLayerofthetemplate. Figure 4:TheDimensionsLayeroftheCRMdigitaltemplateshowsthelayoutguidelines.



http://pe.usps.com/mpdesign/mpdfr_addl_all.asp

http://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/Q507a.htm

http://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/Q507b.htm

http://pe.usps.com/mpdesign/mpdfr_addl_all.asp


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unmailablearenowopenforconsideration:clearorsemi-transparent;mirror-reflective;roughandheavilytextured;furry;fluffy;andspongysurfacesareallfairgameforCMM.

Havingyouroddpostcardshapesgentlyhandledbypeopleduringeverystepofthedeliveryprocesshasitsprice,andsomebenefits.Betweentheexpressdeliveryandtheprioritizedhandsorting,CMMcanactuallybefasterthanFirst-Classmail.Thepostageitselfisnotbad,butthecostoforganizinganddrop-


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.”



http://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/Q705a.htm


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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).


CLEARAREAFOR

INDICIA

MAILING ADDRESS

AREA

1234 Anywhere Avenue, Suite 1234 City, State 00000-0000

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do dit lutetue riustin venis adignis euisi enit adipisi te feu faciniam

dolor acilit luptatisim in henit ute m

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in vulland ipiscidui eum vul-

laorpero cor sis nonsequat. Ut lutpatem

zzrit, conum qua

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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.



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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.




http://ww.printingforless.com

http://www.usps.com/ncsc/locators/find-bsn.html

http://www.usps.com/ncsc/locators/find-bsn.html

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by cathy palmer postcards€¦ · and 1.25" from the right edge—is a postage clear zone...

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