American Mailing Center DBA American Printing & Mailing Center YOUR COMPLETE DESIGN, PRINTING & MAILING SPECIALISTS From design to printing, to finishing ... each detail is handled with you in mind. Every project we do has the singular touch of personalized service so the finished product meets and exceeds expectations. Put the eagle to work for you today!
Welcome • Products • Services • Mailing Info • Samples • FAQs & Support • Contact Us
What size should my piece be? It totally depends on what you are looking for. Here are some of the standard piece sizes for business cards, postcards, mailers and newsletters. Business cards are typically 3-1/2" x 2" - set either landscape (long) or portrait (tall). If you are going to have color to the edge of the card, we call it a "full bleed" and this requires an extra 1/8" around your piece for the color to go off the edge. All cards should have a margin inside of the standard of at least 1/8" up to 1/4". Business cards are printed either with flat inks or raised using thermography. A business card with gradients or screens (percentages of a color) should always be printed flat to keep the images as they were intended to look. Postcard sizes the Post Office prefers are no larger than 9" wide x 6" tall. Your best options are for 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" or 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" because this allows us to run more on each sheet of stock. Other standard sizes for mailers, newsletter or flyers are usually 8-1/2" x 11" (letter size) which are either tri-folded or folded in half, or 8-1/2 x 14 (legal size), or 11" x 17" which are preferable for larger newsletter formats and they are folded in half and half again if they are not stuffed into envelopes but are used as "self-mailers". Self-mailers are less expensive because they do not require envelopes to mail them. We tab them at the top (fold is always on the bottom by Postal standards), and then label them using your mailing list. SPECIAL NOTES: "Full bleed" (color that goes to the edge of the stock) on any piece can cost more because these have to printed on larger stock and cut to the actual size. "Margins" or "gripper" are required in any printing process that is not "full bleed" and should be at least 1/4" to 3/8" of space around your piece. This is used by offset presses and digital machines for pulling the paper into the unit. Continued ...

American Mailing Center DBA

American Printing

& Mailing Center

YOUR COMPLETE DESIGN, PRINTING & MAILING SPECIALISTS

From design to printing, to finishing ... each detail is handled with you in mind. Every project we do has
the singular touch of personalized service so the finished product meets and exceeds expectations.

Put the eagle to work for you today!

Welcome • Products • Services • Mailing Info • Samples • FAQs & Support • Contact Us

What size should my piece be?

It totally depends on what you are looking for. Here are some of the standard piece sizes for business cards, postcards, mailers and newsletters.

Business cards are typically 3-1/2" x 2" - set either landscape (long) or portrait (tall). If you are going to have color to the edge of the card, we call it a "full bleed" and this requires an extra
1/8" around your piece for the color to go off the edge. All cards should have a margin inside of the standard of at least 1/8" up to 1/4". Business cards are printed either with flat inks or raised using thermography. A business card with gradients or screens (percentages of a color) should always be printed flat to keep the images as they were intended to look.

Postcard sizes the Post Office prefers are no larger than 9" wide x 6" tall. Your best options are for 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" or 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" because this allows us to run more on each sheet of stock.

Other standard sizes for mailers, newsletter or flyers are usually 8-1/2" x 11" (letter size) which are either tri-folded or folded in half,
or 8-1/2 x 14 (legal size), or 11" x 17" which are preferable for larger newsletter formats and they are folded in half and half again if they are not stuffed into envelopes but are used as "self-mailers". Self-mailers are less expensive because they do not require envelopes to mail them. We tab them at the top (fold is always on the bottom by Postal standards), and then label them using your mailing list.

SPECIAL NOTES: "Full bleed" (color that goes to the edge of the stock) on any piece can cost more because these have to printed on larger stock and cut to the actual size. "Margins" or "gripper" are required in any printing process that is not "full bleed" and should be at least 1/4" to 3/8" of space around your piece. This is used by offset presses and digital machines for pulling the paper into the unit.

Continued ...