Custom Full 4 Color Direct Mail Marketing Postcards

Direct Mail Marketing: How This Works

PostcardBuilder™ is a local print shop in Minneapolis Minnesota that specializes in fast, short-run full color printing and direct mail services at affordable prices.

Hours of Operation

Mailing Specialists are available Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm CST
For 1 or 2 day service, orders must be checked out online before 5pm

Quick Links:

Price Calculator
Graphic Templates and Specifications
Upload Your Files
Design Service
Design a Postcard Online
Your Customer List
Purchasing a List
Standard Vs First Class Postage
Proofing and Checkout Process
Printing Process
Shipping
Mailing Verification
Going Green
Satisfaction Guarantee
Hours Of Operation

PRICE CALCULATOR

For most orders, you can get your pricing and quote right online using our pricing calculator. Simply click on "Pricing." Make sure you are looking at the correct product; you can always change the product by clicking on the dropdown under "Change Product" above the calculator. Select your specifications and then click on the "Update Options" button to get the updated price.

For mailings you will need to enter quantities into both the "Printing Quantity" and the "Postage Quantity." You can always print more than you mail, though you can't mail more than you print!

GRAPHIC TEMPLATES AND SPECIFICATIONS

Graphic templates and specifications can be found by clicking the link below.

Click here for Graphic Templates and Specifications.

All product graphic specifications are also found in the "Pricing" section of the website. Click on "Pricing" and select the desired product. Once that product is selected, you can see the graphic specifications. At the bottom of the page you can download a template that you can use in Adobe or other graphic software.

UPLOAD YOUR FILES

If your graphic files are ready to print, click on "Upload." Then select the correct product. This will take you to the Pricing Calculator (alternately, you can click on "Pricing.") Enter the correct printing specifications and quantities. Remember to click on the "Update Options" button!

Only when you have selected a quantity in the pricing calculator can you proceed to upload your files. Click on the "Upload" link.

You will be requested to log-in or register. Once you have logged-in, simply follow the procedures to attach graphics and begin the upload process. You can upload both graphic and mailing list files.

Once your files are uploaded, we will check both your graphic and list files. You will get a final proof and checkout link back within 4 business hours. To complete the order, go through the online checkout process.

DESIGN SERVICE

Mailings: We offer FREE design for any postcards or mailings printed and mailed through PostcardBuilder™! We simply ask for a minimum order of 500 cards.

We offer a very affordable graphic design service. In most cases we charge one flat price per piece designed. We allow up to 5 revisions and have a full money-back guarantee. Each product (business card, postcard, etc.) has a design level and price assigned to it:

$25 Level 1: Business Cards; Envelopes; Letterhead; Revisions to Past Graphics
$50 Level 2: Postcards; Folded Cards; Rack Cards; Door Hangers
$75 Level 3: Posters; Folded Mailers; Table Tents
$100 Level 4: Brochures; Pocket Folders
$150 Level 5: Booklets; Catalogs

To get started, you will need to supply a description along with text, logos and any graphic files. We offer free stock images from www.fotolia.com - just let us know the photo ID.

Our designers can also create other advertising graphics. At an affordable rate of $50 per hour, we can produce logos, print ads, banner ads, in-store displays and more. You will be amazed at how fast and creative they can be. For a fraction of the cost of an advertising agency, it's worth it to try us first.

To order graphic design, click on "Design Service" and complete the online form. Once you send your form, a graphic designer will contact you within 4 hours for details.

DESIGN A POSTCARD ONLINE

If you're the do-it-yourself type and want to avoid design charges, you can use our "Build Your Own" process. Simply click on the "Build Your Own" link and follow the instructions. You can design your own postcard online with our free photos and templates. You can add text, logos and other graphics.

Once you proof your card, you can upload a mailing list (if you're doing a mailing) then proceed to the checkout process. With our 24 hours service, you can finish your mailing now and have the printed cards in the mail tomorrow!

Finally, if you design your own card online yourself, you can mail the first card to yourself for FREE.

YOUR CUSTOMER LIST

The best source for new business is always past customers. Your customer list is gold and should be cherished, updated and continually added to. We automatically clean every list. Steps include:

CASS Certification. We make sure your addresses exist in the Postal Services national database of addresses. This software corrects any obvious mistakes in the address and appends the 4 digit zip code and barcode. For any mailings that are going out Standard Class, all addresses must be CASS certified and we will exclude non-CASS certified addresses. For First Class mailings we will include non-CASS certified addresses that look to be deliverable - this is a judgment call that we make on your behalf and you can request a list of non-mailed addresses.

Delete Duplicates. Next we delete any duplicates in your list. For both businesses and residential mailings, we delete any close matches between First Name, Last Name and Address. This means that a husband and wife or roommates at the same address will each get a mailing. You can request to have us mail only one postcard per household.

NCOA. Finally, we run your list against the Postal Services National Change Of Address database to update any movers in your database. You can accept the changes or request to have any households that have moved outside of you trade area to be deleted.

PURCHASING A LIST

PostcardBuilder™ is a reseller for a variety of nationally-recognized list compilers including Acxiom and Compass. We can help you with counts and costs, and save you up to 50% on retail prices. Feel free to call us and speak to a Print & Mail Specialist or simply order online. To order online, click on "Mailing Lists" and follow the selection process. You can save your selections and combine with printing and mailing services, or simply purchase the list. Lists will be e-mailed to you in an Excel format.

List Accuracy. While the lists are updated continually with new information, they are never 100% accurate. For a business list you should expect 5 - 15% of your address will be undeliverable. For residential lists you should expect 3 - 10% of your addresses will be undeliverable. We guarantee 95% deliverability when you purchase a list and do your mailing through PostcardBuilder™. For residential lists, addresses will include "OR CURRENT RESIDENT" so that your postcards will still be delivered to a household even if the homeowner name is incorrect.

Occupant Lists. An alternative to purchasing a residential list with homeowner names, is to purchase an Occupant List of addresses only and mail to "Our Neighbor At." This list can target renters, homeowners or both and can target neighborhoods by average income. With the occupant list you will be able to saturate an area affordably, saving as much as $0.10 cents on each mail piece. Call us and speak with a Print and Mail Specialist for more information. Again, we guarantee 95% deliverability when you purchase a list and do your mailing through PostcardBuilder™.

STANDARD VS. FIRST CLASS POSTAGE

First Class Mailing. The Postal Service standard for First Class Mailings is 1 to 3 days. Though they do not guarantee delivery in that time, the Postal Service has a 93% + delivery record. We recommend that you send any dated materials First Class: limited time offers, invitations, trade show mailings, sales, etc. Our mailings originate from Minneapolis, Minnesota. We always recommend that you plan for another 2 days in the process, so plan your delivery around a 3 to 5 day delivery.

Standard Class Mailing (Bulk Mailings). The Postal Service standard for Standard Class Mailings is 5 - 10 days. Again the Postal Service does not guarantee delivery in that time and they do not track or publish delivery statistics. First Class mailings always take precedence over Standard Class mailings so that if there is a lot of First class mail, Standard Class mailings can sit on the dock. We are not responsible for dated materials mailed Standard Class.

PROOFING

We always require a proof approval prior to printing. Once we have your files, we will e-mail you a checkout link. Click on that link and you will see your proof online. This is a low-resolution image on the Internet used to proof for text and image placement. READ YOUR TEXT BACKWARDS to make sure you catch typos and misspellings.

Hard Copy Proofs: In addition to an online proof, we can send one hard copy proof of your project for a $20 fee excluding folders, envelopes, banners, magnets and large format projects. Your hard copy proof will be sent via US Mail or UPS Standard Ground at no additional charge in 1 or 2 business days. You can then review your hard copy proof, log into your account, approve the online proof, and your job will be sent to print for completion in one or two business days.

Color: Color fidelity warranted by PostcardBuilder is consistent with industry standards for "pleasing color." PostcardBuilder offers no guarantee of "match-print" or "match-product" color fidelity. PostcardBuilder cannot prevent slight color shift throughout an order. PostcardBuilder does not guarantee color will match the preview as it appears on a customer's monitor, as we cannot compensate for a color variance on each customer's monitor. We do ask all custom uploaded files to be designed in CMYK, and uploaded in CMYK. You may also upload in RGB if you choose, however the color will be converted to CMYK and and may not be as accurate.

Checkout Process Once you have reviewed and approved your proof you can move to the next step which is checking out the order. If you are having us mail your card, you will also be asked to approve your cleaned mailing list. We will not expect you to check every name in every row, but spot-check. Does this look like your list? We do expect you to check the column headers and the general information under each heading. Is there missing data? Are the Business names there? Did you want Titles? Once you have approved your graphics and list, you can select quantities, Postage class, UPS shipping class, then check out using a credit card. We prefer a credit card, but in the event that you need to send a check, you will need to call us and set up billing. We will need to receive any payments prior to mailing

PRINTING PROCESS

PostcardBuilder™ uses multiple print technologies - Digital Variable Printing and Offset Printing. Shorter run orders are printed on an Indigo Digital Press. Larger orders are printed on a more traditional Heidelberg Offset Press. The quality on both presses is consistent and we use the press that is most convenient for your order. You may request a specific print technology to be used, but additional costs may be incurred. Feel free to call us to discuss preferences.

HP Indigo Digital Press - This press allows us to "batch" multiple jobs together to maintain our extremely low costs at low volumes. The digital press also allows us to print your mail pieces and address them at the same time. Our digital press is the latest generation HP Indigo 5000. The print quality of cards off the digital press is consistent with the quality on the offset press.

Heidelberg Digital Imaging Offset Press - Heidelberg is the standard for quality in the printing business. With our larger orders, postcards are printed on the offset press then addressed with our digital press. While the digital press maintains low prices and low volumes, the offset press allows us to maintain our extremely low prices at higher volumes.

UPS SHIPPING

We ship from Minneapolis 55414. If you live in the Twin Cities area you can also pick-up your order at:

PostcardBuilder™
815 14th Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414

See the UPS chart below for UPS Ground delivery times from Minneapolis MN 55414

MAILING VERIFICATION

How can you be assured that all of your mail pieces have been printed and mail?

Postal Office Verified. Each mailing must have associated paperwork that shows quantities, weights and costs. The Postal clerk verifies these quantities and date stamps your receipt. This paperwork is available only upon your request. Please note that smaller mailings are "batched" together with other smaller mailings. Your report may show your mailing among others.

Seed Mailings. Seed mailings are self-addressed postcards used to verify that the mailing passed through the Postal system and were actually delivered. PostcardBuilder™ "seeds" every mailing and dates when each seed mailing is delivered to our office. We do not communicate this information, but you can call us at any time to find out when our seed mailing was delivered. Keep in mind that we mail in Minnesota and live in Minnesota; if you are outside Minnesota, your mailing will take longer to be delivered. Seed your own mailing. We do no do that for you, so you must add your own seed address(s).

GOING GREEN

PostcardBuilder™ uses paper stocks and printing technology that show a concern for the environment.

Paper from Sustainable Forestry. Our primary paper is a NewPage Productolith 12pt Stock that is SFI Certified. This means that the paper and paper mill has been certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and that the paper stock was produced from trees harvested from areas that promote sustainable forest management. For more information please go to www.sfiprogram.org. Finally, all of our stocks and coating are recyclable.

HP Indigo Printing Technology. PostcardBuilder™ is an HP Print Solutions Partner. Our primary press is an HP Indigo Digital Press. The press uses less ink and less energy than traditional presses. In addition, the press produces less paper waste due to the "print-on-demand" technology. We only print what we ship or mail, no overruns or "make-readies".

SATISFACTION GUARANTEE

PostcardBuilder™ offers a limited satisfaction guarantee. PostcardBuilder™ offers full color printing at an affordable cost with fast next day delivery. We work with our clients to insure that graphic files are correct and printable. We will let you know if they are not. We provide the best quality mailing lists and work with your mailing lists to insure the best possible delivery rate. That said, this is what we guarantee:

Graphic Design Service. If you don't like what we design and don't feel that you can work with our designers to finish your project, then we will refund your money.
Printing Only. You are responsible for proofing your graphics. If you are not satisfied with the final printed product, we will work with you to provide a reasonable solution. The solution may be to completely re-print, provide a refund or partial refund, or to provide a credit for future orders. Our goal is to be reasonable.

Printing Only. You are responsible for proofing your graphics. If you are not satisfied with the final printed product, we will work with you to provide a reasonable solution. The solution may be to completely re-print, provide a refund or partial refund, or to provide a credit for future orders. Our goal is to be reasonable.

Printing and Mailing. Once a piece is mailed, there is no way to get them back. We do everything we can to insure that your pieces are printed and mailed correctly. In the event that you are not satisfied with the service, we will work with you to provide a reasonable solution. The solution may be to completely re-print and mail, provide a refund or partial refund, or to provide a credit for future orders. Again, our goal is to be reasonable.

Mailing Lists. We provide mailing lists from some of the top nationally recognized compilers. As noted above, mailing lists are never 100% correct; delivery rates vary from 85% to 92%. We guarantee 95% deliverability when you purchase a list and do your mailing through PostcardBuilder™. In other words, if you purchase a list and do a mailing through PostcardBuilder™ and received more than 5% returned as a result of miss-addressed cards, PostcardBuilder™ will refund the Postage and printing costs for the cards returned over the 5%.

Hours of Operation

Mailing Specialists are available Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm CST
For 1 or 2 day service, orders must be checked out online before 5pm