Mailing is an entirely different beast and the list of specifications, from the size of the mailer to whether it needs to be tabbed, will affect your entire printed piece.
Tabbing is required on certain sizes or pieces that are folded certain ways; it can make pieces hard to open and cover up parts of the design. Different sizes can dictate whether the piece is considered a postcard, letter, flat or booklet, and all of these have different postage rates. Make sure you design the piece with this in mind, because postage can often be more than the cost of printing. The weight, aspect ratio, whether or not the piece is “machinable,” how the mailing list data is sorted, and the class in which you mail the piece will all also affect the postage price.
This year, the post office modified many of its mailing specifications. Because of this, it is always a good idea to check with the mailing house you will use for recommendations before starting. What are the advantages to using a mailing house? Its services of cleaning and sorting lists and its bulk permits allow for large postage discounts, which will save you a lot of money when sending out mailers in bulk. Also, mailing houses’ automated equipment will save you hours in in labor for things like addressing, inserting or tabbing.
Printing is a vehicle to market yourself to your customers. Make sure that you are smart when you order print and create a piece with its production processes in mind so that the end result will be a success.
