Direct Mail|Commercial Print
16pt Postcards
The premium card. 16pt adds real thickness and rigidity, so the piece feels substantial in the hand and reads as a brand that invested in the impression.
Complex specs, a large mailing program or unusual finishing? Request a custom quote. Already a Plavidian customer? Price it in your account.
No account needed: choose your options below, see the price and order. A proof is emailed before anything prints, and when the job mails, the presort, address verification, postage and USPS reporting are handled by Plavidian's own mail staff as part of the same order.
At a glance
Sizes 4" x 6", 4.25" x 6", 5" x 7", 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9", 6" x 11"
Stock 16pt
Mailing Mails as a USPS mailpiece — order here as a Print and Mail job and attach your mailing list at checkout
Mailing adds about $0.430 per piece (mailing services + postage) — see the breakdown
Heavier 16pt cards for a more substantial feel. Same USPS size rules as any card: 4.25 x 6 in for the retail postcard price, up to 6 x 9 in for the commercial card price when presorted; beyond that it prices as a letter.
Postcards are typically the fastest product on the floor. See turnaround times.
See Price & Order · no account needed
Configure, price and order
No account needed. Choose each option in turn - the next choice appears once the one above it is made - then pick a quantity for the price. Add to cart, then tell us how to reach you and whether to ship or hold for pickup. A proof is emailed before anything prints; the order is invoiced and paid before production.
Start over Prices from Plavidian's current price guide. A proof is emailed before anything prints. Need a size or stock not listed? Get a Custom Quote.
Overview
About 16pt postcards
16pt is the premium point of the postcard family. The extra caliper is not about durability alone - it changes the moment the card is picked up. A 16pt card resists the flex of a thinner stock, holds a crisp edge, and lands with a weight that a recipient registers before they read a word. For a luxury offer, a high-dollar donor ask, or a brand that wants the mail to match the product, that first tactile impression is the message.
The rigidity also protects the print: heavy solids and edge-to-edge photography sit flatter and show fewer handling marks through the mailstream on 16pt than on lighter stock. Paired with a UV or matte coating, a 16pt card reads unmistakably high-end.
Every postcard job moves through the same pipeline as our largest mailings. The list is CASS-standardized and NCOA-updated, deduplicated, and matched to carrier routes; postage is optimized and mapped; and camera verification is available to read every piece as it runs and reconcile the count against your list. The result is a small, fast job that still carries the documentation of a serious mailing.
Postage does not change with the thickness - the class is set by size, so a 16pt card mails at the same rate as a 14pt of the same dimensions. You are buying feel and brand impact, not a different postage bill, which is why 16pt is the choice when the audience is smaller and each impression is worth more.
Mailing It
How 16pt postcards mail
Size decides the rate, and the rate decides the budget. Up to 4.25x6 inches mails at the retail First-Class card rate. Since July 12, 2026 a presorted or automation First-Class mailing can use the commercial card price on cards up to 6x9 inches that meet USPS thickness and automation requirements; 6x11 and anything larger mails as a letter, where Marketing Mail presort usually wins on cost at volume. The address side needs a clear barcode zone in the lower right and an address block that survives the postage indicia. We price the First-Class card rate against a presorted Marketing Mail letter from your actual list so the cheaper path is a fact, not a guess.
How the mailing gets ordered
- Order the printing above. The price on this page is the printing. Because 16pt postcards are a direct mail product, the order opens a Print and Mail job rather than a print-only one.
- Upload your mailing list at checkout. CSV, Excel or a text file, attached to the item as you order. No list yet? Leave it — the job is created either way and you can send it afterwards.
- Say when you want it to mail. A requested mailing date is part of the same step and goes onto the job.
- Your list goes straight into the mailing analysis. As soon as it arrives it is queued for the full address and postage pass, and the job page updates as it runs.
- Nothing mails until you have agreed the mailing. Mail class, permit, postage and the mailing date are confirmed with you first, and a proof is approved before it prints.
- One job, one invoice. Mailing services and postage are billed on the same job as the printing.
What the mailing adds
On top of the printing price, per piece. Both figures are read live from Plavidian's own price sheet and from the USPS rate notice loaded in our system.
| Piece | Mailing services | Postage | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter-size pieces4" x 6", 4.25" x 6", 5" x 7", 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9", 6" x 11" | $0.035$35.00 per 1,000 | $0.395Automation 5-Digit | $0.430 |
- Mailing services cover list and mail prep, the postal paperwork, tray, sack and pallet prep, and addressing every piece. Options priced separately on the same sheet: NCOA, tabbing, folding and inserting, and piece tracking.
- Per job there is a $20.00 mailing job setup, and mailing services carry a $125.00 job minimum — so a short run pays the minimum rather than the per-piece rate.
- Postage is USPS Marketing Mail at the commercial rate, entered at origin rather than drop-shipped, from USPS Notice 123 effective July 12, 2026.
- It can be less. a qualifying nonprofit pays $0.185. Trucking the mail to the destination facility instead of entering it here brings it to $0.374 (a drop-ship charge applies). Saturating whole carrier routes goes as low as $0.255.
Indicative, not a quote. What a mailing really earns depends on the list, how densely it sorts and where it is entered, which is why Plavidian prices the postage against your actual list and confirms it with you before anything mails.
Common Uses
Where 16pt postcards earn their keep
Retail & service offers
Grand openings, promotions, and appointment reminders with an offer code or QR that ties response back to the drop.
Political persuasion & GOTV
Big image, short message, and no envelope between the voter and the argument. The workhorse of campaign mail, produced to in-home dates that line up with the election calendar.
Reorders & recurring programs
Monthly reminders and repeat promotions reorder from saved artwork sized to the exact product they ran on, with no re-setup.
Good To Know
Before you order
- 16pt is the premium caliper: noticeably heavier and more rigid in the hand than 14pt
- Feel and brand impact are the point - postage is identical to 14pt at the same size
- Best for high-value offers, donor asks, and premium brands where each impression matters
- Leave the lower-right address zone clean: the barcode clear zone (about 4.75 x 0.625 in) is checked in preflight
- UV or matte coatings pair with 16pt for an unmistakably high-end finish
- Reorders start from your saved artwork, sized to the exact product it ran on
Ready when you are. Choose your options, see the price and order online — no account needed, and a proof is emailed before anything prints.
Questions
16pt Postcards FAQs
What is the cheapest way to mail a postcard?
At volume, a presorted Marketing Mail letter-size postcard (6x9 or 6x11) usually beats the First-Class card rate. We price both from your actual list so the comparison is real, not a rule of thumb.
What postcard sizes can you print and mail?
From 4x6 up through 6x11 as standard, plus custom trims. Size drives the postage class, so we help you pick the size that hits your budget and your in-home date, not just the one that looks biggest.
Can you print today and mail tomorrow?
Postcards are the fastest product on the floor. Exact dates depend on quantity and the day's schedule, so tell us the in-home date you need and we work backward from it.
Do you check my artwork before printing?
Yes. Preflight verifies size, bleed, resolution, and the USPS address and barcode zones, and flags problems before production, not after.
Can each postcard be personalized?
Yes. Variable data can change the image, the offer, and the recipient details on both sides in the same press pass, which is how targeted and split-test drops are produced.
Do you provide the mailing list?
We can supply consumer, business, new-mover, and saturation lists by geography or selection, or process a list you already own with CASS, NCOA, and deduplication before it mails.
Related
Often ordered together
Business Cards
Standard 3.5 x 2 in cards on heavy cover stock - the exact stocks and finishes are listed under At a glance.
14pt Postcards
High-volume postcards for political, nonprofit, commercial, and constituent mail.
Print + Insert
Printed letter or insert package, matched to an envelope and inserted, addressed and mailed as one job.
Why this is not the cheapest price you will find
Every job goes through the same checks, however small it is. We are a USPS Full-Service certified mail service provider, and the judgment that comes with that is applied to a 500-piece order the same way it is to a 500,000-piece one.
- Your artwork is checked before it prints. Size, bleed, resolution, color space, and on a mailpiece the address and barcode clearances that decide the postage rate.
- A proof is emailed and nothing prints until you approve it. No job goes to press on an assumption.
- If it mails, the postage is planned, not discovered. Piece shape, list quality, presort and entry point are what set that bill, and they are decided before anything is printed.
Ready to print?
Configure your 16pt postcards, see the price and order online. Card payment, proof by email, no account needed.
See Price & OrderNo artwork yet?
Lay it out in Plavidian Studio™ in your browser at the right size and bleed, then send it straight into the order.
Design OnlineNeed something different?
A size or stock that is not listed, unusual finishing, or a mailing program that needs planning? Send the specs and a person will price it.
Request a Custom Quote