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Printing guide
Postcard sizes: the standard dimensions
The standard postcard size is 4 by 6 inches, which is 102 by 152 millimeters. We print 4 by 6 and 5 by 7, and custom sizes such as 5.5 by 8.5, 6 by 9 and 6 by 11 inches. A 4 by 6 postcard is 1,200 by 1,800 pixels at 300 pixels per inch, and the print file should be 4.25 by 6.25 inches so it carries a 0.125 inch bleed on every side.
Standard postcard size chart
Sizes are width by height in inches, with millimeters for files built outside the US. The notes say which sizes fit the USPS card size limits, which the next section explains.
| 4 x 6 in | 102 x 152 mm. The standard postcard. Real estate, event reminders, thank you cards. Inside the USPS card size limits |
|---|---|
| 4.25 x 5.5 in | 108 x 140 mm. Quarter of an 8.5 x 11 sheet. Inside the USPS card size limits |
| 5 x 7 in | 127 x 178 mm. A little more room for a photo and a message. Larger than the USPS retail card limit |
| 5.5 x 8.5 in | 140 x 216 mm. Half of an 8.5 x 11 sheet. Larger than the USPS retail card limit |
| 6 x 9 in | 152 x 229 mm. The largest size USPS allows at the card price, and only in a presorted mailing of 500 or more. Does not meet the EDDM flat size rule |
| 6 x 11 in | 152 x 279 mm. A long mailer size. Priced as a letter by USPS, and long enough for EDDM |
| 6.5 x 9 in | 165 x 229 mm. Tall enough to qualify as an EDDM flat |
| 8.5 x 11 in | 216 x 279 mm. Large postcard or flyer. Mails as a flat |
Which postcard sizes mail at the USPS postcard price
USPS gives postcards their own price class, called the card price, and it only applies to cards that meet size and thickness limits. A card that does not meet them is priced as a letter or a flat instead. We do not list postage prices here because they change. The USPS price list is the place to look them up.
For single cards mailed with stamps or at the post office counter (USPS calls this retail mail), the Domestic Mail Manual (section 101, 6.2.2) says each card claimed at card pricing must be "Rectangular", "Not less than 3-1/2 inches high, 5 inches long, and 0.007 inch thick" and "Not more than 4-1/4 inches high, or more than 6 inches long, or greater than 0.016 inch thick". Section 6.2.1 adds: "Ineligible cards are subject to letter-size pricing."
For presorted or automation First-Class Mail, which USPS calls commercial mail and which needs at least 500 pieces in one mailing and a yearly USPS presort mailing fee (a mail house can send it for you), section 201 (1.2.1) allows a larger postcard: "Not more than 6 inches high, or more than 9 inches long, or greater than 0.016 inch thick for each postcard." Cards more than 4-1/4 inches high or 6 inches long must be at least 0.009 inch thick, and the aspect ratio (length divided by height) must be 1.3 to 2.5. USPS makes one exception: four identical 4.25 x 5.5 cards cut from one 11 x 8.5 sheet still qualify, even though 5.5 / 4.25 = 1.294. A 14 pt card is about 0.014 inch thick, so it sits between the minimum and the maximum. A 16 pt card sits right at the 0.016 limit, so ask before you pick it for a mailing.
| 4 x 6 in | Card price with stamps and in a presorted mailing of 500 or more. Ratio 6 / 4 = 1.5 |
|---|---|
| 5 x 7 in | Over 4.25 high, so letter price with stamps or at the counter. Card price only in a presorted mailing of 500 or more cards, on stock at least 0.009 thick. Ratio 1.4 |
| 5.5 x 8.5 in | Same as 5 x 7. Ratio 1.55 |
| 6 x 9 in | At the card limit for a presorted mailing of 500 or more. Ratio 1.5 |
| 6 x 11 in | Longer than 9, so not a card. It fits the letter limits (11.5 long, 6.125 high), so it mails as a letter. Ratio 1.83 |
| 8.5 x 11 in | Taller than 6.125, so it mails as a flat. USPS flats top out at 15 x 12 inches |
EDDM postcard sizes
Every Door Direct Mail Retail (EDDM) mails as a flat, not a card, so it has its own size rule. The Domestic Mail Manual (section 143, 2.5) says EDDM-Retail flats "must weigh no more than 3.3 ounces and must have a length greater than 10-1/2 inches long, or a height greater than 6-1/8 inches high, or a thickness greater than 1/4 inch thick."
That is why a 6 x 9 postcard does not qualify: 9 is not more than 10.5 and 6 is not more than 6.125. A 6.5 x 9 card clears the height rule. A 6 x 11 card clears the length rule. USPS also says the mailing must be a saturation mailing with simplified addresses, with 200 or more pieces or 50 or more pounds, up to 5,000 pieces per day per 5-digit ZIP Code. EDDM flats cannot carry personal information or handwritten matter. Rules change, so check the USPS pages listed at the end before you commit to a size.
Pixel sizes and the file size with bleed
Pixels at 300 pixels per inch are inches times 300. The file size with bleed is the trim size plus 0.125 inch on each side, which is 0.25 inch more in each direction. That is the same bleed our guide on what is bleed in printing uses.
| 4 x 6 in | 1,200 x 1,800 px trim. File with bleed: 4.25 x 6.25 in, 1,275 x 1,875 px |
|---|---|
| 4.25 x 5.5 in | 1,275 x 1,650 px trim. File with bleed: 4.5 x 5.75 in, 1,350 x 1,725 px |
| 5 x 7 in | 1,500 x 2,100 px trim. File with bleed: 5.25 x 7.25 in, 1,575 x 2,175 px |
| 5.5 x 8.5 in | 1,650 x 2,550 px trim. File with bleed: 5.75 x 8.75 in, 1,725 x 2,625 px |
| 6 x 9 in | 1,800 x 2,700 px trim. File with bleed: 6.25 x 9.25 in, 1,875 x 2,775 px |
| 6 x 11 in | 1,800 x 3,300 px trim. File with bleed: 6.25 x 11.25 in, 1,875 x 3,375 px |
| 6.5 x 9 in | 1,950 x 2,700 px trim. File with bleed: 6.75 x 9.25 in, 2,025 x 2,775 px |
| 8.5 x 11 in | 2,550 x 3,300 px trim. File with bleed: 8.75 x 11.25 in, 2,625 x 3,375 px |
Picking a postcard size
If the card will be mailed at the card price, 4 by 6 is the safe pick. If it will be handed out, left on counters or mailed in an envelope, size is a design choice, and a 5 by 7 or a 5.5 by 8.5 gives a photo more space. If you plan an EDDM mailing, start from 6.5 by 9 or 6 by 11 so the size qualifies before you design.
Whatever the size, the back of a mailed card needs clear room for the address, postage and barcode. Keep text and photos out of that area, and ask us before you set up the file so the layout matches the USPS rules for the address panel.
We print postcards in 4 by 6, 5 by 7 and custom sizes on 14pt gloss or matte card, full color on both sides, at our shop in Encino. Send the file as a PDF at the size in the last table.
USPS pages used in this guide
Retail card rules: pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/101.htm (6.2). Commercial card and letter rules: pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/201.htm (1.1 and 1.2). EDDM-Retail flats: pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/143.htm (2.5). Flat limits: pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/101.htm (2.1).
Quick answers
People also ask
4 by 6 inches, or 102 by 152 mm. It is inside the USPS limits for the card price.
1,200 by 1,800 pixels at 300 pixels per inch. With a 0.125 inch bleed the file is 4.25 by 6.25 inches, which is 1,275 by 1,875 pixels.
USPS says 4.25 by 6 inches for a card mailed with stamps or at the counter. For presorted mailings of 500 or more cards, it allows up to 6 by 9 inches, at 0.016 inch thick or less. Check the current rules before you print.
EDDM-Retail mails as a flat. It must be longer than 10.5 inches or taller than 6.125 inches. 6.5 x 9, 6 x 11 and 8.5 x 11 qualify. 6 x 9 and 4 x 6 do not.
4.25 by 6.25 inches, which is the card plus 0.125 inch of bleed on every side. Keep text at least 0.125 inch inside the trim line.
With stamps or at the counter, no: USPS limits retail cards to 4.25 inches high, so a 5x7 is priced as a letter. In a presorted mailing of 500 or more cards, USPS allows up to 6 x 9 on stock at least 0.009 inch thick. Ask us or USPS.
Yes, we print postcards in custom sizes as well as 4 by 6 and 5 by 7. Tell us the size before you build the file.
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