Postcard Size
Beta
Small enough for a mailbox, big enough to get noticed.
It checks the size and the stock against the USPS rule, and tells you what the piece actually mails as.
Mailing verdict
Too small to mail on its own
USPS will not carry a piece under 5 x 3.5 in. This one needs to go inside an envelope.
- Trim size (finished)
- 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 in
- In millimetres
- 63.5 x 63.5 mm
- Document size with bleed
- 2 3/4 x 2 3/4 in
- Pixels at 300 DPI
- 825 x 825 px
- Stock thickness
- 0.014 in
- Aspect ratio
- 1.00
4OVER4 asks for 1/8 in of bleed on standard print and 1/4 in on large format. This page uses the standard figure because the configurator marks this product as standard print.
On the address side, leave the bottom 5/8 in clear across the full width. That strip belongs to the address block and the barcode, and anything you put there gets overprinted.
What each size mails as
| Size | Inches | On 14pt card | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 x 2.5 in | 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 | Too small to mail on its own | 1.00 |
| 3 x 3 in | 3 x 3 | Too small to mail on its own | 1.00 |
| 3 x 4 in | 3 x 4 | Too small to mail on its own | 1.33 |
| 4 x 4 in | 4 x 4 | Too small to mail on its own | 1.00 |
| 4.25 x 5.5 in | 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 | Qualifies for the USPS postcard price | 1.29 |
| 4.25 x 5.5 in | 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 | Qualifies for the USPS postcard price | 1.29 |
| 4 x 6 in | 4 x 6 | Qualifies for the USPS postcard price | 1.50 |
| 4 x 6 in | 4 x 6 | Qualifies for the USPS postcard price | 1.50 |
| 5 x 5 in | 5 x 5 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.00 |
| 4.25 x 6.25 in | 4 1/4 x 6 1/4 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.47 |
| 3.5 x 8.5 in | 3 1/2 x 8 1/2 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 2.43 |
| 5 x 7 in | 5 x 7 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.40 |
| 5 x 7 in | 5 x 7 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.40 |
| 6 x 6 in | 6 x 6 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.00 |
| 4 x 9 in | 4 x 9 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 2.25 |
| 5.5 x 8.5 in | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.55 |
| 5.5 x 8.5 in | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.55 |
| 6 x 8 in | 6 x 8 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.33 |
| 6 x 8 in | 6 x 8 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.33 |
| 6 x 8 in | 6 x 8 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.33 |
| 6 x 9 in | 6 x 9 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.50 |
| 6 x 9 in | 6 x 9 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.50 |
| 6 x 11 in | 6 x 11 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.83 |
| 6 x 11 in | 6 x 11 | Mails as a letter, not at the postcard price | 1.83 |
| 10 x 7 in | 7 x 10 | Mails as a flat | 1.43 |
| 6 x 12 in | 6 x 12 | Mails as a flat | 2.00 |
| 11 x 8.5 in | 8 1/2 x 11 | Mails as a flat | 1.29 |
| 12 x 8 in | 8 x 12 | Mails as a flat | 1.50 |
| 15 x 7 in | 7 x 15 | Mails as a flat | 2.14 |
| 12 x 9 in | 9 x 12 | Mails as a flat | 1.33 |
| 12 x 11 in | 11 x 12 | Mails as a flat | 1.09 |
BetaThis is in beta, so some things may not work yet. We’d love your feedback.Send feedback
What the Standard Postcards configurator says about size
- Sizes
- The configurator offers 14 sizes for this product. Every one of them is listed above, exactly as the configurator lists it.
- Custom size
- This product takes a custom size. The configurator accepts 2.5 to 6 in on the width and 2.5 to 11 in on the height, in steps of 0.1 in.
- Press limits
- On top of the product limits the press bounds apply: the shorter side must be 1.5 to 22 in and the longer side 1.5 to 28 in. The configurator turns the size the same way round before it checks, so 11 x 2.5 and 2.5 x 11 are the same size to it.
- If it is out of range
- This custom size is currently not available for this product. Please select a different combination (switch between width and height values) or try selecting another product from the Print Products Menu. Contact us if you have a Custom Order.
Enjoying this tool?
You might also like Standard Postcards
Picked a size? It is a postcard we print, ready for the mail.
Standard PostcardsFrom $16.484.9·247 reviewsShop now About the postcard size + mail check
Pick a size and it tells you, honestly, whether it qualifies for the USPS postcard price or gets charged as a letter or a flat.
Only a rectangular card between 3.5 x 5 and 4.25 x 6 inches, and between 0.007 and 0.016 inches thick, gets the USPS postcard price. Anything larger mails as a letter, and anything larger again as a flat.
The USPS postcard rule, stated correctly
Most size guides say a postcard has to be 4 x 6 in to get the postcard price. That is not the rule. The rule, in the USPS Domestic Mail Manual at 201.1.2, is a window: the piece must be rectangular, at least 3.5 x 5 in and at least 0.007 in thick, and no more than 4.25 x 6 in and no more than 0.016 in thick.
So a 4 x 6 in card qualifies. So does a 4.25 x 6 in card, which is the largest that does. So does a 3.5 x 5 in card, which is the smallest. A 5 x 7 in card does not, and neither does anything bigger.
What the oversized sizes actually cost
A card that is over 4.25 x 6 in but still under 6.125 x 11.5 in and under 0.25 in thick is mailed as a letter. Over that, it is a flat, which costs more again. Neither is a penalty, they are just different products, but the difference matters at ten thousand pieces.
There is a second trap. A machinable letter has to have an aspect ratio between 1.3 and 2.5, length divided by height. A 5.5 x 8.5 in card is 1.55, which is fine. A near-square card fails it and pays a nonmachinable surcharge.
Thickness and the address side
The thickness minimum is real. A 14pt card clears 0.007 in comfortably; ordinary text-weight paper does not, and the post office will not carry it at the card price. If you are printing a card to mail, print it on card stock.
Leave the bottom right of the address side clear. USPS wants the bottom 5/8 in across the full width free of anything but the address block and the barcode. Artwork there gets overprinted.
Common questions
Questions about postcard size
What size is a standard postcard?
4 x 6 inches is the most common. 5 x 7 and 6 x 9 inches are the other two standards, and both mail as letters rather than at the postcard price.
What size postcard gets the USPS postcard rate?
Any rectangular card from 3.5 x 5 in up to 4.25 x 6 in, and from 0.007 in to 0.016 in thick. 4 x 6 in is the common size inside that window. Anything larger mails as a letter.
Can I mail a 5x7 postcard?
Yes, but it is charged as a letter, not at the postcard price, because it is over the 4.25 x 6 in maximum. It is still well inside the letter maximum of 6.125 x 11.5 inches.
What are postcard dimensions with bleed?
A 4 x 6 in postcard is set up as a 4.25 x 6.25 in document, with 0.125 in of bleed on every edge and all text kept 0.125 in inside the trim.
How thick does a mailing postcard have to be?
At least 0.007 inches. Standard 14pt or 16pt card stock clears that easily. Ordinary text-weight paper does not, so it cannot be mailed at the postcard price.
Explore more
Where to go next
Envelope Sizes
The envelopes 4OVER4 prints, matched to whatever you are mailing.
Flyer Size
Letter, half, quarter, 4x6, 5x7, legal and tabloid flyers with the right bleed on each.
Business Card Size
Standard, square, round, oval and rounded-corner cards, with the bleed and safe zone drawn on each.
Rack Card Size
Rack cards, menus, door hangers and table tents, with the sizes and the dies.