USPS Marketing Mail: Current Prices and What Businesses Need to Know

Direct mail is still one of the most reliable ways to reach local customers, and for most business mailings the best value is USPS Marketing Mail. It used to be called Standard Mail. If you are planning postcards, flyers, newsletters or catalogs, here is what you need to know before you print.

What is USPS Marketing Mail?

USPS Marketing Mail is the Postal Service's bulk mail class for material that does not have to go First-Class. Businesses use it for advertising, flyers, circulars, postcards, newsletters, catalogs and small parcels. It costs less per piece than First-Class Mail, in exchange for meeting a few requirements and allowing a bit more time for delivery.

A few key differences from First-Class Mail:

• It is bulk only. There is no single-piece Marketing Mail postage. All Marketing Mail prices are bulk prices.
• It is for promotional and informational content. Personal correspondence, handwritten or typewritten letters, and bills or account statements must go First-Class.
• Delivery is not as fast as First-Class, so plan your mail date with some cushion, especially for events and sales.

The basic requirements

• Minimum quantity: each mailing must be at least 200 pieces or 50 pounds of mail.
• Permit: you need a USPS business mailing permit and must pay the annual mailing fee, unless you use Every Door Direct Mail Retail (more on that below). Many businesses mail under their printer or mail house's permit instead of keeping their own.
• Weight: letters and most pieces must weigh less than 16 ounces. USPS recently allowed heavier limits for some flat-size pieces, so check current rules for heavier catalogs.
• Preparation: pieces must be sorted and prepared the way USPS specifies, which is where presort and automation come in.

Nonprofit organizations that are authorized by USPS can mail Marketing Mail at lower nonprofit prices. That takes a separate application and approval.

Letters, flats and postcards

Postage is based heavily on the shape of your piece, so size decisions at the design stage can save real money.

• Letters are pieces up to 11-1/2 inches long, 6-1/8 inches high and 1/4 inch thick. They are the least expensive shape to mail.
• Flats (large envelopes, catalogs, big self-mailers) are bigger than letter size in at least one dimension, up to 15 inches long, 12 inches high and 3/4 inch thick.
• Postcards: unlike First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail has no separate postcard price. Cards are mailed at letter or flat prices depending on their size.

A small change in size can move a piece from one category to another. That is why it pays to talk with your printer about postal sizes before the design is finished.

Presort and automation, in plain English

USPS gives lower prices when mailers do some of the work for them.

• Presort means the mail is grouped by ZIP Code before it goes to the Post Office, so USPS has less sorting to do.
• Automation pricing applies to pieces that can run through USPS sorting machines. These pieces carry an Intelligent Mail barcode and use addresses that have been checked and standardized.

Getting automation rates means paying attention to design details like address placement, clear space for the barcode, and how a self-mailer is folded and sealed. A shop that does mailings regularly can handle list cleanup, barcoding and sorting for you.

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)

Every Door Direct Mail lets you reach every address on the mail carrier routes you choose, without buying a mailing list or printing names on each piece. It is popular with restaurants, contractors, real estate agents, churches and other local businesses.

• EDDM pieces are USPS Marketing Mail flats, so they must be flat-size (think large postcards and folded flyers).
• EDDM Retail does not require a mailing permit. You pick routes with the USPS online tool, and each mailing must be at least 200 pieces and no more than 5,000 pieces per ZIP Code per day.
• EDDM Retail pieces have a weight limit of 3.3 ounces.
• Larger EDDM mailings can be entered at a Business Mail Entry Unit using a bulk permit, with no volume cap.

Current USPS Marketing Mail prices

These are the USPS prices in effect since July 12, 2026, taken from the official USPS price list (Notice 123). They are per-piece prices before any extra discounts. Nonprofit prices require USPS authorization.

Letters and letter-size postcards (up to 3.5 oz)

Flats: large postcards, flyers, newsletters and catalogs (up to 4 oz)

Other prices worth knowing

• EDDM Retail (no permit needed): $0.260 per flat, up to 3.3 oz.
• Annual Marketing Mail mailing fee: $390 per 12-month period, if you mail under your own permit.
• Heavier pieces: letters over 3.5 oz and flats over 4 oz pay a per-piece price plus a per-pound price.
• Extra discounts: USPS takes a little more off for Full-Service Intelligent Mail barcodes (half a cent per piece) and for dropping mail at a destination facility closer to the delivery area.
• For comparison: a single First-Class Forever stamp letter (1 oz) is $0.82, and a First-Class postcard stamp is $0.65.

USPS has recently changed mailing prices about once a year, most recently on July 12, 2026. Before you set a budget, check the current Notice 123 price list or ask us for an estimate based on your piece and quantity. Your final postage depends on size, weight, sort level and how much of your list qualifies for each rate.

How AC Graphix can help

From designing a postcard that fits postal sizes to printing and getting it in the mail, we can help you plan a direct mail project that makes sense for your budget. See how we handle production and distribution, or contact us to talk through your next mailing.

Frequently asked questions