Postcard & Greetings Card Printing: Sizes, Stocks & Uses for Business

Postcards and greetings cards are the heavyweight cousins of the flyer: printed on 300–400gsm board, they survive the letterbox, sit on mantelpieces, and get kept. Businesses use them as direct-mail pieces, thank-you cards in parcels, appointment reminders and retail products.

Standard sizes

Format	Size	Use
A6 postcard	105 × 148mm	direct mail, parcel inserts, promo cards
A5 postcard	148 × 210mm	bigger-impact mailers, art prints
A6 folded card (from A5)	105 × 148 folded	greetings, thank-you, invitations
A5 folded card (from A4)	148 × 210 folded	retail greetings cards
Square cards	120–148mm sq	premium look — note: costs more to post (Royal Mail Large Letter pricing)

Stock and finish

300–350gsm is the floor for anything called a "card"; 400gsm for premium. Finish per the lamination guide: matt laminate the image face and leave the writing side uncoated — a fully laminated card can't be written on, which defeats a greetings card. For folded cards on heavy stock, creasing is essential to prevent cracked spines.

Business uses that quietly work

• Parcel thank-you cards — e-commerce's cheapest loyalty tool; add a discount code and it's measurable
• Appointment/reminder cards — salons, dentists, trades ("your next service is due…")
• Direct-mail postcards — no envelope to open means the message is seen even on the way to the bin; pair with the leaflet distribution principles (one offer, one code, one deadline)
• Retail cards — local scenes and artwork sold in-store; short digital runs make testing designs cheap

Envelopes

Folded cards need envelopes one size up: C6 envelopes for A6 cards, C5 for A5. Coloured or kraft envelopes lift perceived value for pennies; printed envelopes carry branding before opening.

Artwork notes

Standard file setup rules apply — 3mm bleed, CMYK, 300dpi — plus for folded cards: build on the flat sheet (front + back as one canvas), mind the fold line, and keep the writing panel clean.

FAQs

What GSM should a postcard be? 300gsm minimum to feel like a card rather than a flyer; 350–400gsm for premium mailers (GSM guide).

Can you print small runs of greetings cards? Yes — digital printing makes runs of 25–100 per design viable, which is how retail designs get tested before committing to volume.

Do square cards cost more to post? Yes — square formats exceed Royal Mail's standard-letter dimensions and post at Large Letter rates. Factor that into direct-mail budgets.

Do you print postcards in Ipswich? Yes — postcards and folded cards with envelopes, quoted by size, stock and quantity: minutemanpressipswich.co.uk, 01473 933888, Tacket Street (IP4 1AU).