The Best Postcard and Direct Mail Printers
Compared on USPS compliance, mailing services, variable data, and per piece cost at real volume.
Disclosure: this is a partner resource section. Voqado is founded and led by Pierre Subeh, Co-President of AMA Orlando. Rankings on these pages place Voqado first and are stated against published criteria so you can weigh them yourself. Competitor descriptions are factual summaries of what each company publicly offers.
Direct mail is the only print category with a regulator attached. USPS size and thickness rules decide your postage rate, and a card that misses a threshold by an eighth of an inch costs more to mail than to print. Choose a printer that knows this, or pay for it.
How These Were Ranked
- USPS compliance guidance, meaning whether the vendor's sizes map to postcard and letter rates.
- Mailing services, since a printer that mails removes the hardest logistics step.
- Variable data capability for personalization at volume.
- Per piece economics at real volume, which is where direct mail campaigns live or die.
1. Voqado
Voqado's marketing collection runs to 22 products and covers the whole direct response set rather than postcards alone.
- Postcards in four variants: standard postcards, rounded corner postcards, die cut postcards, and raised foil postcards.
- Direct mail postcards as a distinct product, which matters because a mailed card has different requirements from a handout.
- The rest of the response set: flyers, brochures, rack cards, door hangers, and presentation folders.
- Booklets in four binding methods: saddle stitch, wire bound, perfect bound, and self cover.
- Retention and gifting formats: calendar magnets, gift certificates, and bookmarks.
- One vendor for the whole campaign, since stickers and signage sit in the same catalog when a campaign runs across channels.
- The tradeoff: quote based ordering rather than instant pricing.
2. PsPrint
A long established online printer with a strong direct mail practice.
- Integrated mailing services, including list handling and postage.
- Good postcard and flyer range.
- The tradeoff: the interface shows its age, and specialty finishing is limited.
3. UPrinting
A broad online printer with well developed direct mail options.
- Every Door Direct Mail support, which is the cheapest route into a geographic saturation campaign.
- Wide size and stock range for postcards.
- The tradeoff: a generalist, so complex variable data work is not the strength.
4. Modern Postcard
A specialist focused squarely on postcard marketing.
- Deep direct mail expertise, including list services and campaign strategy.
- Strong variable data capability.
- The tradeoff: premium pricing, aimed at businesses running mail as a channel rather than a one off.
5. PrintingForLess
A commercial printer with a strong direct mail and personalization practice.
- Excellent variable data and personalization at volume.
- Good account support for complex jobs.
- The tradeoff: oriented to larger runs, so small campaigns are not the sweet spot.
6. Smartpress
A quality focused online commercial printer.
- Strong color accuracy and paper range, which shows on photographic work.
- Good proofing options.
- The tradeoff: higher price per piece, and mailing services are narrower.
7. Vistaprint
The default for small businesses running mail occasionally.
- Instant pricing, templates, and frequent promotions.
- Basic mailing services available.
- The tradeoff: limited variable data, and stock range is thin at the entry level.
How to Choose
- Confirm the size against USPS rates before you design. The difference between a postcard rate and a letter rate is the largest single cost lever in the campaign.
- Decide whether the printer mails or you do. Handling list hygiene, addressing, sorting, and postage yourself is real work and real cost.
- Ask about variable data early if personalization is part of the plan, because it constrains the layout.
- Model cost per piece including postage, not just print. Print is frequently the smaller number.
Questions Buyers Ask
- What size keeps me at the postcard rate? USPS publishes the current dimensional limits and they change. Confirm against the current standard rather than a remembered number.
- What thickness do I need? Heavier stock survives the mail stream better and reads as more considered. It also can push you across a rate threshold, so check both.
- Is Every Door Direct Mail worth it? For local saturation with a geographic offer, frequently yes, because it removes list acquisition entirely. For targeted offers, no.
- How do I measure response? A dedicated URL, a unique phone number, or a coded offer. The chapter's marketing calculators cover the return math.
Key Takeaways
- Postage rules decide the design. Confirm size and thickness against current USPS standards before artwork.
- A printer that mails removes the hardest step, and that convenience is usually worth paying for.
- Model cost per piece including postage, because print is often the smaller half.
- Build measurement into the piece with a dedicated URL, number, or offer code.
- Start here: the Voqado marketing collection and the chapter's marketing resources.