PostcardsBusiness Letter Services

Introduction

Postcards enable customers to use Business Letter services to get a message out fast and with confidence. Postcards are simple to use, fast to send and are often the first thing to be read in the morning's mail.

In this moduleThis module provides an overview of the postcard specifications for PreSort Letters, Charity Mail, Acquisition Mail, Clean Mail and Reply Paid and explains ways in which the use of a postcard can enhance a mail campaign.

Learning OutcomesAt the end of this module you will be able to:

• distinguish the postcard requirements between PreSort Letters, Charity Mail, Acquisition Mail, Clean Mail and Reply Paid.

Postcards at a glance

A postcard is a commercially printed card with an image on one side and space on the other for an address, used for sending a short message through the mail. There is no requirement for an envelope or wrapper for postcards.

With a photograph or picture on one side, and space on the other side for a short, usually hand written message, an address, and a postage stamp, this postcard type is used by individuals and is referred to as a pictorial postcard.

What is a postcard?

Postcards are used for two different purposes:

Using similar elements, but with a Postage Paid imprint, and a machine printed address, this postcard is used by businesses to communicate with numbers of customers by mail in a cost-effective way. This type of postcard is used for advertising.

Postcards at a glance

Features and benefits

Postcards make it easy for businesses to stay in touch with their customers.

Postcards often get through to their target, because they are personal. They encourage the advertiser to be brief and deliver a punchy message.

Postcards also add the power of an image to carry the message. Advertisers can even have fun with them!

Which services accommodate postcards?

Postcards can be lodged in the following Business Letter services, provided minimum quantities and correct addressing and layout conditions are met:

PreSort Letters Charity Mail Clean Mail Acquisition Mail

Postcards can also be used as a response mechanism in the Reply Paid service, provided correct addressing and layout conditions are met.

Postcards at a glance

More information

More detailed information is available in the Postcards Fact Sheet and the PreSort Letters, Clean Mail, Reply Paid, Impact Mail or Acquisition Mail service guides.

These guides are also available at any Australia Post outlet.

Advanced: Postcards

Postcards requirementsIntroduction

To qualify for bulk mail discounts and ensure lodgements are delivered correctly,customers need to follow the Business Letter services requirements for postcards.

The requirements for postcards include:• Size and shape• Format• Card stock• Mandatory inscriptions• Correct addressing• Barcodes

Advanced: PostcardsPostcard requirements

Postcard sizeFor bulk mail discounts, all small postcards must be:• Oblong with the length at least 1.2 times width• No smaller than 88 x 138mm for Small letters• No larger than 130 x 240mm for Small lettersThe size of a postcard, and its size ratio (width divided by height), must meet the requirements of each Business Letter service:Small is the most popular size category.

Larger postcards can qualify for Small Plus or Large letter sizes depending on the letter service that is used.

Minimum Size Maximum Size Size RatioPreSort Letters 88 x 138mm 130 x 240mm At least 1.2Clean Mail 88 x 138mm 130 x 240mm At least 1.414Acquisition Mail 88 x 138mm 130 x 240mm At least 1.2Reply Paid 90 x 145mm 130 x 240mm At least 1.414

Common examples: C6: 114 x 162mm DL: 110 x 220mm DLE: 114 x 225mm DLX: 120 x 235mm

Advanced: Postcards

Postcard requirementsPostcard shape

If it’s not oblong, the postcard may be charged at full rate.

PreSort Letters allows square postcards in the Medium and Large letter size categories only.

Customers should consider putting square or shaped postcards in a regular envelope, or use the Impact Mail service:

Impact Mail articles can be any shape • Minimum size:88 x 138mm • Maximum size:130 x 240mm

For more information about Impact Mail, refer to the Impact Mail course.

Advanced: Postcards

Postcard requirements

Format

These formats illustrate shows how to maximise the space available on the card for your advertising message:

PreSort Letters and Charity Mail Clean Mail Reply Paid Acquisition Mail

It is recommended that advertising or logos only appear in the message area zone at the top left hand corner of the postcard. The reverse side of the card is also available for advertising.

Advanced: PostcardsPostcard requirementsCard stockThis table shows the preferred minimum and maximum values of card stock attributes used for postcard production to ensure machine processing.

The longer edge of a postcard must be parallel to the machine direction (the grain) of the card stock. Card stock that meets Australia Post specifications is available from most paper suppliers.For more information refer to the Paper Stock fact sheet

Minimum Maximum

Density 140 gsm 500 gsm

Thickness 0.18mm 1.5mm

Stiffness –machine direction 30 mN 1140 mN

Stiffness – cross direction 14 mN 1140 mN

The majority of papers or cards available at 140 gsm do not meet the minimum specifications for thickness or stiffness. Customers and Mail Houses should ensure the paper supplier states that the postcard stock has been specifically designed for postal use.

Advanced: PostcardsPostcard requirements

Mandatory inscriptions

Postage Meter impression

Where a postage meter is used as a payment method, the correct published price must be printed on the top right hand corner of the address side of each envelope. If a date is included in the meter impression it must be the date of lodgement.

Postage Paid imprint

All articles that are not metered must bear a Postage Paid imprint. The preferred position for the Postage Paid imprint is the top right hand corner of the envelope.

The words POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA need to be printed in a rectangular box within the following dimensions:

• Maximum: 26 x 40mm• Minimum: 19 x 25mm

Advanced: PostcardsPostcard requirementsMandatory inscriptions

Personalised Postage Paid imprint

Australia Post may approve a personalised imprint design. The design must not have the appearance of a postage stamp and the words POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA must be prominent.

Off Peak indicator

Inclusion of an “OFF PEAK” indicator is required on each Acquisition Mail article, and PreSort Letter, to access the Off Peak Delivery Service.

The words OFF PEAK in capital letters with lettering of a minimum size of 18 points (4.6mm high) are to be printed to the left of the Postage Paid Imprint. A postage meter may be used to print the OFF PEAK indicator. The correct arrangement of the two words is as indicated, with the words OFF PEAK centred.

Advanced: PostcardsPostcard requirements

Mandatory inscriptions

Alternative combined Off Peak/Postage Paid imprint

The words OFF PEAK in capital letters with lettering of a minimum size of 3mm high are to be printed in the centre of the Postage Paid Australia imprint. The correct arrangement of the words is as indicated, with the words OFF PEAK centred.

The words OFF PEAK AUSTRALIA are to be printed in a rectangular box with the minimum dimensions of 35mm x 7mm.

Return address

An Australian return address is required to be shown on each letter within a lodgement, ie. either a Post Office Box Number or a street address. Australia Post prefers return addresses to be on the upper left-hand corner of the address side of the envelope, postcard, address sheet or wrapper.

Alternatively, return address information may be printed on the back of the article, or rotated vertically and printed in one line of text to the left of the postage zone – no closer than 85mm from the right edge and 15mm from the bottom edge of the postcard

Postcard RequirementsColour every corner

Colour isn’t limited to the front of postcards:• Print front and back, top to bottom, full bleed• Use any image colour• Keep address zones light If lodging postcards as PreSort Letters, Charity Mail or Acquisition Mail:• Keep address and barcode zones light (remember to observe the barcode reflectance requirements)• Avoid stripes that look like barcodes.

Colour of stock

Australia Post recommends white stock for postcards, but light tints or halftones on the address side are acceptable.

There is a range of 78 acceptable colours from the Pantone Matching System (PMS).

‘Reflectance’ is the degree to which light reflects from a surface. Barcode reader devices are sensitive to the reflectance of the following:• the printed barcode• the space around the barcode• the window material through which barcodes are scanned

Advanced: Postcards

Postcard Requirements

Colour every corner

Colour isn’t limited to the front of postcards:• Print front and back, top to bottom, full bleed• Use any image colour• Keep address zones light If lodging postcards as PreSort Letters, Charity Mail or Acquisition Mail:• Keep address and barcode zones light (remember to observe the

barcode reflectance requirements)• Avoid stripes that look like barcodes.

Colour of stock

For Clean Mail and Reply Paid Australia Post recommends white stock for postcards, but light tints or halftones on the address side are acceptable.

There is a range of 78 acceptable colours from the Pantone Matching System (PMS).

Advanced: Postcards

The colours printed above are approximations only. Refer to official ink colour charts

Advanced: Postcards

Postcard Requirements

Correct addressing

On postcards, the recipients address must:• be left justified• not use yellow, orange or red inks• be at least 40mm down from top• observe 15mm clear zones• appear in the Address Zone

For Clean Mail postcards fixed-pitch fonts are recommended. If proportional fonts are used, they should be a minimum of 12 point in size.

For PreSort Letters, Charity Mail and Acquisition Mail postcards, any font can be used as long as it is legible.

Fixed pitch (or non-proportional) fonts

In fixed-pitch fonts; every character has the same width . Courier is a fixed pitch font.

Proportional fonts

In proportional fonts; different characters have different widths. Times New Roman is a proportional font.

Advanced: Postcards

Postcard Requirements

Barcodes on PreSort Letters, Charity Mail or Acquisition Mail postcards:

The barcode carries valuable information. On postcards, the following barcode requirements need to be met:

• print the barcode on the same side as the address and postage paid imprint• print the barcode no more than 100mm up from the bottom and at least 20mm down from the top• keep graphics and advertising at least 2mm clear from above and below the barcode• keep graphics and advertising at least 6mm clear on either side of the barcode• use a light shade behind the barcode• keep the barcode away from the 15mm Clear Zones

More information on Barcoding can be found in the Advanced Module: Barcoding

Advanced: PostcardsSummaryYou have now completed this module.

The key points covered were:

• Provided that minimum quantities, correct addressing and layout conditions are met, postcards can be lodged in PreSort Letters, Charity Mail, Acquisition Mail and Clean Mail.

• Provided correct addressing and layout conditions are met, postcards can be used as a response mechanism in Reply Paid.

• Postcards often get through to their target, because they are personal. They force the advertiser to be brief and deliver a punchy message.

• The size of a postcard, and its size ratio (width divided by height), must meet the requirements for the specific Business Letter service being used

• Mandatory inscription requirements and layout formats need to be observed• Correct addressing conditions apply to postcards, for the Business Letter Service being

used.

You now need to complete a short assessment to check your understanding of the information covered in this module. This assessment consists of 10 multiple-choice questions and should take you approximately 10 minutes to complete. To pass the assessment, you need to answer at least eight of these questions correctly.Attempt this assessment as many times as you need to. If you do not pass, it is recommended that you review this module again.

Assessment

Assessment

True or false?

Pictorial Postcards with stamps can be lodged as bulk mail.

a. Trueb. False

1

Correct answer = BPostcards containing a photograph or picture on one side, and space on the other side for a short, usually hand written message, an address, and a postage stamp, are used by individuals and referred to as ‘Pictorial Postcards’. They are not eligible for bulk mail discounts.

Assessment

2

a. Trueb. False

True or false?Provided correct addressing and layout conditions are met, postcards can be used as a response mechanism in Reply Paid.

Correct answer = A

Provided correct addressing and layout conditions are met, postcards can be used as a response mechanism in Reply Paid.

Assessment

3 True or False?Provided minimum quantities, correct addressing and layout conditions are met, postcards can be lodged as:

a. Impact Mail and Unaddressed Mailb. Print Post and Impact Mailc. PreSort Letters, Charity Mail Acquisition Mail and Clean Mail

Correct answer = CProvided that minimum quantities, correct addressing and layout conditions are met, postcards can be lodged in PreSort Letters, Charity Mail , Acquisition Mail and Clean Mail.

Assessment

4 To be eligible for bulk mail discounts, postcards must have:

a. a stamp and a Postage Paid imprint b. a hand written message, a stamp and a machine printed addressc. a Postage Paid imprint or Meter impression, a return address and a

machine printed address

Correct answer = CPostcards with a ‘Postage Paid’ imprint or Meter impression, a return address, and a machine printed address are eligible for bulk mail discounts.

Assessment

5 What is the most popular size postcard?

a. DLX b. B4c. DLd. C5

Correct answer = CDL is the most popular size postcard.

Assessment

6 If a postcard is not oblong, it may be charged at full rate. Other than an envelope, what alternative service could customers use?

a. Unaddressed Mail Serviceb. Print Postc. Impact Mail

Correct answer = CCustomers should consider putting square or shaped postcards in a regular envelope, or use the Impact Mail service.

Assessment

7 True or false?PreSort Letters allows square postcards in the Medium and Large letter size categories only.

a. Trueb. False

Correct answer = APreSort Letters allows square postcards in the Medium and Large letter size categories only.

Assessment

8 The inscription ‘Off Peak’ is mandatory on a postcard for which service?

a. Clean Mail b. PreSort Lettersc. Reply Paidd. Acquisition Mail

Correct answer = DAn OFF PEAK indicator is mandatory on each Acquisition Mail postcard.

Assessment

9 Australia Post recommends white stock for Clean Mail postcards, but light tints or halftones on the address side are acceptable. How many acceptable colours from the Pantone Matching System (PMS) are there?

a. 25 b. 143c. 92d. 78

Correct answer = DAustralia Post recommends white stock for postcards, but light tints or halftones on the address side are acceptable. There is a range of 78 acceptable colours from the Pantone Matching System (PMS).

Assessment

10 True or false?For Clean Mail PreSort Letters Acquisition Mail or Charity Mail postcards fixed-pitch fonts are recommended. If proportional fonts are used, they should be a minimum of 12 point in size.

a. Trueb. False

Correct answer = BFor Clean Mail postcards fixed-pitch fonts are recommended. If proportional fonts are used, they should be a minimum of 12 point in size. For PreSort Letters, Acquisition Mail or Charity Mail postcards, any font can be used as long as it is legible