If you are advertising your business, making announcements for an upcoming event, or keeping in touch, you can use postcards. They are a great solution for your communication needs. They can be printed at a lower cost than brochures and flyers and mailing them costs less too! If you are looking for a new means of communication, here are some reasons to look at postcard printing.

Before beginning, you need to make two major decisions. You need to decide the size you want your postcards to be and if you will send them by mail. One these decisions have been made, it is time to start creating the postcards.

The United States Postal Service has specific dimensions for postcards. The sizes that can be sent as postcards are as follows: the height must be at least 3-1/2 inches but not more than 4-1/4 inches, and the length must be at least 5 inches but not more than 6 inches. If the item is smaller than the minimum dimensions, it cannot be mailed. If the item is larger than these dimensions, it does not qualify for postcard postage, but must pay the price of a first class letter.

Remember, if you plan to mail your postcards, they must have a space for an address and stamp. This space must be located on the right hand side of the postcard. Make sure the space in the upper right hand corner is clear for a stamp and there is sufficient space for the address.

You can always send your postcards within an envelope, but make sure you can find an envelope to fit the size you have chosen. You do not want to design your postcards only to realize they cannot be mailed.

Once you have made the decisions about mailing the cards and their size, this is when the design process can begin. It does not matter if you are using these postcards to advertise a business or for a personal matter, always remember to keep it simple. You have lots of options when designing a postcard. You could use full color, or all the colors you want on both sides, or just a few simple colors, or black and white only. There is also the choice of paper. You could choose to use a plain paper or one that is glossy. Be sure to select a paper choice that is heavy weight, like that of card stock. These special options will affect the price. Using full color for both sides and using a specialty paper will increase the costs.

Always list the basic information the people receiving the postcard need. If you are advertising your business, in a few words describe what you do. Consider adding a promotion of some sort, such as a first time visitor discount or a free item giveaway with the postcard. The same principles apply for events or personal contacts. Make sure to list the date, time, and location of the event.

Try to grab attention with your postcards. Always give your contact information: email address, website, and phone number. If you are feeling adventurous, you could try at home postcard printing. Your word processing program should have templates available for presentation folder. But make sure your printer is able to print on specialty paper. If doing it yourself is not an option, you can call your local printer to help you with your printing needs.