DIY Postcard Printing: Is It Worth the Investment?

As a business owner, you always have to be mindful of the bottom line. You understand that marketing is crucial to your success, yet it often requires a significant investment. Direct mail marketing, however, is attractive because it is both impactful and cost-effective.

It’s not surprising that many business owners try to DIY their postcard printing to save time and money. Unfortunately, DIY printing is often counterproductive. It’s difficult to get the results you want, and you can waste a lot of time and money in the process.

Is DIY postcard printing a good idea?

Essentially, the answer is no. At first glance, DIY postcard printing seems to have several noteworthy advantages. However, these do not hold up upon closer inspection.

A lot goes into high-quality, professional, and impactful postcard design and printing. It’s not as simple as typing a few words, selecting a couple of colours, and then clicking print. Effective postcard design requires time and an in-depth knowledge of design principles. Moreover, quality printing involves understanding standard sizes, materials, coatings, DPI, and colour modes.

DIY printing promises to save you time by allowing you to design your own postcard without leaving the office. Unfortunately, this method rarely delivers the desired results, and the quality is just not comparable to professional methods.

You run the risk of problems with the colour hues, distorted images, improper cropping, low resolution, and more. In the end, you are forced to spend more time tweaking and reprinting the postcards. This negates any potential time savings from doing it yourself.

Furthermore, DIY printing requires monetary investment. You have to buy the paper, ink, and potentially even the printer itself. When the postcard doesn’t come out as you had hoped, you have to invest even more of your hard-earned cash into additional supplies.

Ultimately, you waste time and money by attempting to design and print your own postcards. The postcards almost always look “cheap” and unprofessional. Plus, you could have been spending your time on other important tasks.

5 Factors to Consider in Postcard Printing

1. Size

Direct mail postcards can be printed in a variety of sizes. Smaller postcards like 4” x 6” and 5” x 7” are most cost-effective and, therefore, common. You can use a less common size like 6” x 9.5” or 6” x 12” to stand out in the mailbox; however, these can be more expensive to print.

It’s important to pick a size that has enough space for your main message and is appropriate for the intention of your piece. If you need to include a lot of information, then a larger postcard is likely best.

However, you should keep your message as concise and straightforward as possible to avoid overwhelming readers with too much information.

2. Thickness

Direct mail marketing is a tactile experience. Readers are able to hold these pieces and interact with them. Consequently, factors like weight and texture are very important in postcard printing. You should always consider how a postcard will feel in the hands of the recipient.

You should pick a cardstock that is durable yet thin enough to mail. It should also feel high quality.

For example, 14-point cardstock is most commonly used for direct mail postcards. It’s thin enough to carry, but sturdy enough not to be damaged in the mail. You can also choose 10, 12, and 16 point thicknesses.

3. Coating

The coating affects how your postcard looks. It can also offer some protection and increase durability. Matte, semi gloss, and high gloss are three types of coatings.

Matte postcards have a smooth, non-glare, and satin-like surface. This type of finishing has a muted sheen that suits subdued colours and pastels. It also works well on black-and-white designs since colours can seem “flat” in certain lighting. Text can be easier to read on matte postcards.

Gloss has a luminous glow and an attractive shine that brings out bright colours. It makes postcards look professional, polished, and vibrant. Colours pop and appear more contrasted. The UV coating also makes glossy postcards more resistant to external markings.

Lastly, high gloss provides the brightest shine, which helps colours to really pop. Plus, it’s the most water-resistant out of the three coating types.

4. Colours and typography

When designing your postcard mailer, it’s very important to consider how colours and font types will look once printed. For instance, fonts that are too small or complex are very difficult to read. Colours also affect readability.

Avoid typefaces that are tiny, crowded, complex, or fancy. Since postcards are relatively small mail pieces, many business owners hope to use tiny typefaces to include as much information as possible. However, this is counterproductive. If no one can read your message, it doesn’t matter what the message is.

Using the right colours can make your postcard stand out and demand attention. If you use too many colours, though, your mailer will look visually cluttered and overwhelming. This is particularly true for bright, vibrant, and contrasting colours.

Additionally, designing and printing in different colour modes will lead to a printing disaster. You should always design and print in CMYK, not RGB!

5. Quantity

Printing in bulk is highly economical. The higher the quantity, the lower the price per unit. Postcards, in general, are the most cost-effective form of direct mail advertising. This is because postcards tend to be smaller and do not require an envelope. Furthermore, standard-weighted postcards have lower printing, paper, and transportation costs.

Fortunately, Troi Mailing Services offers cost-effective postcard printing services in Toronto to help your small business get the most out of its direct mail marketing budget. Call us today to learn more about printing in bulk.

Contact Troi Mailing Services for Postcard Printing in Toronto

DIY postcard printing comes with more risks than advantages. There are no quality control guarantees, and the final results are often underwhelming. DIY postcards tend to look cheap and unprofessional, so they are a poor representation of your business.

When you work with Troi Mailing Services, your business receives high-quality and professional postcard printing. Instead of wasting time and money on lacklustre results, you can focus on your business operations and get a better end product.

At Troi Mailing Services, we use high-quality materials and printers to deliver the best results. Your direct mail postcards will stand out among the competition and make a positive impression on consumers.

To learn more about postcard printing in Toronto, call Troi Mailing Services at 1-866-486-0423 or contact us here.