Custom Postcard Printing UK: Sizes, Paper Stocks, Costs & Royal Mail Specs

Is a Postcard A5 or A6? (Standard UK Dimensions)

A standard traditional UK postcard is A6 (148mm x 105mm). It represents the classic format recognised across Britain, fits standard Royal Mail letter postal rates, and minimises direct mail handout expenses. While A5 (210mm x 148mm) is widely chosen for high-impact promo mailings and marketing flyers, it is twice the physical surface area of a traditional postcard.

Selecting between A6 and A5 fundamentally depends on your handout channel, artwork density, and postage budget. While British high street gift shops, holiday resorts, and museum archives almost exclusively produce A6, commercial brand marketers often weigh the extra visual punch of larger formats. On the Printways configurator, you can order both primary formats with single or double-sided full-colour printing. When planning your marketing campaigns, choosing between classic A6 postcard printing and high-visibility A5 postcard printing directly shapes both your brand presence and distribution spend.

*Note: Unenclosed A5 cards fall comfortably within Royal Mail's maximum Standard Letter dimensions (240mm x 165mm x 5mm, up to 100g), provided card weight remains under 100 grams.

Why does this distinction matter so much to your bottom line? A standard Royal Mail Letter stamp or wholesale direct mail tariff costs greatly less than a Large Letter. Both A6 and A5 unenclosed cards qualify as standard letters. However, once you enclose an A5 postcard inside an oversized rigid mailer or cardboard envelope exceeding 165mm in width, Royal Mail reclassifies the parcel as a Large Letter, right away doubling your postage bill.

Visual Prepress Diagram: UK Postcard Dimensions & Bleed

Royal Mail Letter Standard

Every professional postcard requires three essential boundary lines before slicing on industrial guillotine cutters:

Outer Bleed Edge (154 x 111 mm): 3mm excess area beyond cut line. Extend backgrounds fully to this edge.

Final Trim Line (148 x 105 mm): The exact finished size of an A6 British postcard after guillotine cutting.

Inner Safe Zone (142 x 99 mm): Keep all text, logos, and critical contact details 3mm inside the cut edge.

3mm Bleed Line (154 x 111 mm) Trim Cut Line: A6 (148 x 105 mm) Safe Quiet Zone (Keep Text Inside) A6 148 × 105 mm 

Printways Paper Stocks & Finishes: 300gsm Invercote to 450gsm Silk

Printways offers four dedicated paper stocks for postcards printing: traditional 300gsm Invercote (coated front, writeable uncoated back), 350gsm Silk, 350gsm Uncoated (100% writeable), and ultra-thick 450gsm Silk. Optional luxury finishes include single-sided matt, gloss, soft-touch velvet lamination, metallic gold or silver hot foil stamping, and high-build spot UV.

Unlike standard leaflets and flyers that use lightweight 130gsm to 170gsm gloss papers, commercial postcards require genuine cardstock rigidity. Printways configures its making lines made around heavy substrates to deliver cards that hold their shape through mechanical sorting machines and convey substantial premium weight in the hand.

Authentic Postcard Board

300gsm Invercote G

Solid bleached board with smooth coated photo front and raw absorbent back for pen writing.

Writeability: ★★★★★ 100% Pen Safe

Commercial Workhorse

350gsm Silk

Balanced satin finish on both sides. High rigidity for direct mail drops and package inserts.

Finishing: Matt / Gloss / Foil

Organic & Tactile

350gsm Uncoated

Porous, wood-free natural fibres. Inks absorb gently for vintage tones and instant ink stamping.

Ideal For: Stamp & Appointment

Ultra-Heavy Luxury

450gsm Silk

The thickest commercial cardstock available. Unbendable heft paired with spot UV and hot gold foils.

Rigidity: Maximum Industrial Heft

300gsm Invercote Authentic Postcard Board

The gold standard for classic postcards. Invercote is a solid bleached board with an ultra-smooth coated front designed for photo print and an uncoated, porous reverse. This allows you to apply full-colour imagery or lamination to the face whilst keeping the reverse fully natural and easy to write on with any ballpoint or ink pen.

Ideal for: Tourist souvenir cards, greeting notes, handwritten order thank-you slips.

350gsm Silk Commercial Workhorse

A dependable, versatile stock with a low-sheen satin finish on both sides. It offers excellent rigidity for direct mail marketing drops, package inserts, and promo vouchers. Compatible with single-sided gloss, matt, or soft-touch velvet laminations.

Ideal for: Direct mail campaigns, retail coupon drops, trade event hand-outs.

350gsm Uncoated 100% Writeable & Natural

An organic, tactile, wood-free paper stock with zero coating. Inks soak gently into the fibres, producing a warm, vintage aesthetic. Because it has no synthetic coating, both sides can be stamped, signed, or written on with fountain pens without drying delays.

Ideal for: Appointment reminder cards, loyalty stamp cards, artist prints.

450gsm Heavyweight Silk Ultra-Premium Luxury

The heaviest cardstock available in the Printways postcard line. giving immense structural heft, 450gsm silk cannot be bent easily by hand. It provides the ideal base for luxury retail mailings and pairs perfectly with high-build spot UV and metallic hot foil stamping.

Ideal for: High-end property brochures, VIP event invitations, luxury jewellery announcements.

Lamination Options & Special Embellishments

At Printways, protective laminations are applied to one side of the postcard to safeguard your cover art whilst preserving the writeability of the reverse. You can configure:

Essential Production Rule for Postcard Mailings: If your cards will be addressed by hand or run through a thermal inkjet address printer, order 300gsm Invercote or single-sided lamination (gloss, matt, or soft-touch to the front, uncoated to the reverse). If you laminate both sides, ballpoint pens and postal franking inks will slide across the plastic barrier and smear instantly.

How Can I Print Postcards? (A Step-by-Step UK Guide)

To print postcards, follow five key stages: prepare your print-ready artwork with 3mm bleed in CMYK at 300 DPI, select your preferred dimensions (such as A6 or A5) and cardstock (300gsm Invercote, 350gsm or 450gsm silk), format the reverse side for postal guidelines, approve your digital PDF proof, and schedule UK tracked dispatch.

Printing professional postcards is straightforward when you understand commercial prepress needs. Below is the precise workflow we employ at Printways to ensure dependable results from file upload to front door delivery.

1

Set Up Your Artwork File Correctly

Commercial printers use high-precision guillotine cutters to slice printed sheets down into individual cards. If your design extends exactly to the cut line, minor mechanical blade shifts will expose unsightly white paper slivers.

• Add 3mm Bleed: For an A6 card (148 x 105mm), your canvas must be 154 x 111mm.

• Maintain 3mm Safe Zone: Keep text and brand logos safely inside trim boundaries.

• Colour Profile: Convert RGB screen graphics to CMYK (Fogra39 or ISO Coated v2).

• Resolution: Set artwork to exactly 300 DPI. Never supply 72 DPI web graphics.

2

Configure Cardstock, Dimensions, and Finishes

Select your physical options on the Printways product configurator based on campaign objectives. For classic writeable direct mailers, select standard A6 on 300gsm Invercote or 350gsm silk with single-sided matt lamination. For unmissable luxury trade invites or executive announcements, select A5 on 450gsm silk with soft-touch velvet lamination and metallic gold foil finishes.

3

Design the Reverse Side for Royal Mail Compliance

If your postcard will be posted without an envelope, leave an unobstructed clear area of at least 50mm high by 80mm wide on the bottom right-hand side of the reverse. This zone is required by Royal Mail optical sorting cameras to apply transit barcodes and read reader addresses. Leave a 40mm x 40mm space in the top right-hand corner for a traditional postage stamp, printed PPI (Printed Postage Impression), or Royal Mail Mailmark® indicia.

Royal Mail Reverse Layout Specification Standard Letter Dimensions &. Optical Sorting Clear Zones

Unenclosed Postcard Rules 

Left Zone: Message Area

Unrestricted area for handwritten business mail, printed offers, promo QR codes, and company branding.

Uncoated writeable reverse prevents ink smearing

40 × 40 mm Postage Stamp / PPI / Mailmark®

50 × 80 mm CLEAR ZONE Keep Clear

Royal Mail Optical Transit Barcode & Recipient Address

Standard Letter Tariff Thresholds:

Maximum Dimensions: 240mm × 165mm (A6 & A5 unenclosed qualify).

Maximum Thickness: 5mm total depth (including any protective lamination).

Maximum Weight: Up to 100 grams for Standard Letter postal rate.

Substrate Rigidity: Must be at least 230gsm to pass mechanical sorting belts.

4

Upload Your Files and Check the Digital Proof

Export your artwork as a high-resolution, print-ready PDF (PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-4). At Printways, our prepress team inspects your uploaded file before plates are generated. If you lack in-house design software, our London professional design studio offers transparent fixed-fee design packages: £15 for quick artwork amends and £25 for complete asset layout.

5

Production and Tracked UK Delivery

Select your required turnaround: choose 1 Working Day for urgent dispatches or 3-4 Working Days for cost-effective standard production. High-volume runs proceed on Heidelberg litho presses. Your finished order is boxed securely and dispatched across the UK via tracked courier with timed delivery alerts.

Free Prepress Asset Downloads

Download Free Blank Postcard Print Templates

Save hours of prepress setup time. Use pre-configured blank templates featuring 3mm bleed margins, cut lines, and Royal Mail compliant reverse layouts for Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Canva.

Standard A6 (148 × 105mm) Large A5 (210 × 148mm) 300 DPI CMYK Guides

Configure Postcards Online Studio Design Setup (£25) 

How Much Does It Cost to Get Postcards Printed in the UK?

Postcard printing in the UK costs between £20 and £195 depending on volume and print technology. A short run of 100 A6 cards costs around £28 on digital presses (28p per card). Meanwhile, a high-volume run of 5,000 cards on litho presses drops to about £165, or just 3.3p per card.

Printways enables you to order batches starting as low as 25 units up to 5,000+ copies. It gives micro-businesses and commercial brands equal flexibility. Commercial printing operates on two distinct technologies:

• Digital Printing (Short Runs: 25 to 500 units): Uses electrophotographic toner or digital ink. There are virtually zero setup costs or printing plate needs. This makes quantities under 500 units cost-effective and rapid. However, unit costs remain relatively static as quantities rise.
• Lithographic Printing (Long Runs: 1,000 to 50,000+ units): Requires chemical aluminium plates, ink fountain calibration, and initial sheet-feed make-ready. While the initial setup represents a fixed cost, each subsequent card costs fractions of a penny to run at speeds exceeding 15,000 sheets per hour.

*Prices indicate realistic UK trade market estimates excluding VAT. Exact live pricing is calculated live in the Printways postcard calculator based on paper stock, lamination, and finishes.

How Much Does It Cost to Print 5000 Postcards?

Printing 5,000 standard A6 postcards in the UK typically costs between £155 and £195 + VAT. This breaks down to about 3.1p to 3.9p per card. Ordering 5,000 units takes advantage of industrial litho sheet runs. It gives over 85% cost savings per unit compared to short-run digital batches.

For growing British businesses, 5,000 postcards represents the golden crossover tier. At this scale, placing an order for custom postcard printing spreads fixed setup costs across thousands of impressions. Adding single-sided matt or gloss lamination to the front of 5,000 cards only increases the total bill by about £25 to £35. It gives exceptional luxury finish at minimal incremental expense. Need multipage marketing materials alongside your postcards? Compare our commercial stapled booklets and brochures for complete brand campaigns.

Direct Mail Postcard Campaigns: Variable Data & Royal Mail Mailmark®

Modern postcard marketing extends far beyond unaddressed blanket leaflet drops. With Variable Data Printing (VDP), Printways can merge your customer sheet directly into the printing cycle:

Dynamic Personalisation

Print unique reader names, localised store addresses, or tailored product top tips on every single card without slowing press speeds.

Personalised QR Codes

Generate individual tracking URLs and QR codes for each customer. This lets your marketing software to monitor exact scan rates and conversion ROI.

Royal Mail Mailmark® Indicia

Pre-print 2D data matrix barcodes and delivery postage marks. Qualifying business mailings unlock postal tariff reductions of up to 30% compared to standard stamps.

Do You Pay VAT on Postcard Printing in the UK?

Yes, printed postcards are standard-rated at 20% VAT in the UK. Under official HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Notice 701/10. Meanwhile, purely informative leaflets and flyers are zero-rated (0% VAT), any printed item designed with blank areas for writing, returning, or displaying as merchandise attracts standard 20% VAT.

Many UK business owners are surprised when their invoice includes VAT for postcards after previously buying zero-rated flyers. HMRC enforces strict guidelines: if a printed item is on thick cardstock (exceeding 230gsm) or features spaces designed to be written on (such as greetings, addresses, questionnaire check-boxes, or coupon cut-outs), it loses zero-rated leaflet status. As a VAT-registered business, you can reclaim this input tax via your routine quarterly HMRC VAT return. If your campaign requires matched envelopes or business mail items, browse our complete custom business stationery range.

Prepress Checklist: How to Guarantee Zero Print Defects

Before exporting your design file from Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, or Canva, run through our prepress verification steps:

3mm Bleed Applied

Extend all background imagery and solid colour blocks 3mm beyond the final page borders to ensure clean edge trims.

300 DPI Resolution

Check that all placed logos and photo assets maintain at least 300 effective DPI at 100% printed scale.

CMYK Colour Mode

Convert artwork from digital RGB to CMYK (Fogra39). Watch out for neon greens and electric blues that dull down on press.

Fonts Outlined & Embedded

Convert all text layers to paths or outlines, or embed font subsets within your exported PDF/X document.

Frequently Asked Questions About Postcard Printing

Can I write on the back of my postcards with a normal ballpoint pen?

Yes! When ordering 300gsm Invercote or Single-Sided Lamination (Gloss, Matt, or Soft-Touch front with an uncoated back), the reverse side remains fully raw, absorbent, and unvarnished. This allows instant, smudge-free writing with standard biros, ballpoint pens, fountain pens, gel pens, pencils, and Royal Mail rubber ink stamps.

Avoid double-sided film lamination if readers or staff need to write messages, sign business mail, or apply postal franking marks, as standard inks will sit atop the film barrier and smear.

What is the difference between 300gsm Invercote, 350gsm, 400gsm, and 450gsm card?

The cardstock determines both the tactile feel and functional writing properties of your postcard:

• 300gsm Invercote G: Solid bleached multi-layered board featuring an ultra-smooth coated front for vivid photography and an uncoated reverse made built for handwriting and rubber stamping. The traditional British postcard standard.
• 350gsm Silk / Uncoated: A rigid, balanced cardstock widely used for commercial mailings, takeaway menu cards, and promo counter handouts.
• 400gsm Silk: Noticeably thicker and stiffer than standard commercial flyers. It gives a high-quality feel for executive invitations and retail brand cards.
• 450gsm Heavyweight Silk: Our heaviest premium board, offering maximum rigidity and a substantial tactile weight that resists creasing. Perfect for luxury boutique swing cards, fine art prints, and VIP invitations.

Is lamination recommended for postcards sent through the post?

If your postcards are mailed unenclosed without an envelope, single-sided gloss or matt lamination on the front face is strongly recommended. During transit, automated Royal Mail sorting presses processes items across high-speed belts, pinch rollers, and barcode readers.

A bonded polypropylene laminate acts as an impenetrable shield against scuffs, scratches, fingerprint smudges, and conveyor friction marks. By applying film exclusively to the front, your design stays pristine whilst leaving the uncoated back free for addressing, franking, and handwritten notes.

What file formats do you accept for postcard printing?

Printways accepts high-resolution Print-Ready PDF files (PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-4 preferred). You can also supply Adobe Illustrator (.AI), Adobe Photoshop (.PSD), or uncompressed TIFF and JPEG images.

To ensure faultless print on commercial presses, verify your files against these four prepress standards:

• Resolution: Set images to exactly 300 DPI at 100% final output scale (avoid 72 DPI web assets).
• Bleed: Include 3mm bleed on all four sides (A6 canvas: 154 x 111mm. A5 canvas: 216 x 154mm).
• Safe Zone: Maintain a 3mm to 4mm margin inside the trim edge for text and critical brand marks.
• Colour Space: Save artwork in CMYK mode (Fogra39 or ISO Coated v2) rather than RGB.

How fast can my printed postcards be delivered in the UK?

Printways provides two delivery schedules across the UK mainland: 1 Working Day express turnaround and 3 to 4 Working Days standard turnaround.

Express orders approved prior to our midday production cut-off are printed and dispatched for next-day tracked courier delivery nationwide, serving London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. Specialist tactile finishes such as metallic foiling and raised spot UV require dedicated curing time and run on our 3-4 working day schedule.

Are Printways postcards recyclable and eco-friendly?

Yes, all of our standard uncoated, silk, and unlaminated postcards are 100% recyclable in standard UK household and commercial kerbside paper recycling collections.

Every paper stock in our catalog is sustainably sourced from FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) certified forests. This ensures responsible forestry management. Plus, our print facility operates chemical-free digital prepress workflows and employs eco-friendly vegetable-based inks to minimise environmental footprint. Cards coated with plastic film laminates require specialised separation recycling.

What are the Royal Mail rules and postage costs for sending unenclosed postcards?

Unenclosed postcards post at Royal Mail Standard Letter rates provided dimensions do not exceed 240mm x 165mm x 5mm and the item weighs under 100g. Both A6 (148 x 105mm) and A5 (210 x 148mm) fall safely within this category.

To prevent delivery delays or surcharge penalties, adhere to these postal layout rules:

• Paper Stiffness: Must be printed on rigid cardstock of at least 230gsm (Printways uses 300gsm to 450gsm, comfortably exceeding this threshold).
• Barcode & Address Zone: Reserve a clear, unvarnished zone of at least 50mm high by 80mm wide on the bottom right-hand side of the reverse for optical sorting cameras.
• Postage Mark: Leave a 40mm x 40mm space in the top right corner for a stamp, prepaid franking mark, or Royal Mail Mailmark® indicia.

What luxury finishes and embellishments are available for custom postcards?

Printways provides a complete suite of tactile finishing finishes on 350gsm, 400gsm, and 450gsm cardstocks:

• Single-Sided Gloss Lamination: High-shine reflective finish that enriches colour saturation, deepens dark tones, and shields cards in transit.
• Single-Sided Matt Lamination: sleek, glare-free satin finish offering modern elegance and subtle texture.
• Soft-Touch Velvet Lamination: Luxurious peach-skin micro-texture that feels very soft to the touch and resists scuffs.
• Metallic Gold & Silver Foil: Glistening hot-stamped foil accents applied over matt or soft-touch lamination to accentuate logos and headings.
• Raised Spot UV (High Build): Clear, tactile gloss polymer applied selectively to artwork highlights, producing a striking 3D raised relief effect.

What is the minimum order quantity (MOQ) for custom postcards at Printways?

The minimum order quantity for custom postcard printing at Printways is only 25 copies.

Our advanced digital printing presses make low-volume print runs commercially feasible for small businesses, independent craft creators, boutique designers, and wedding couples without onerous setup charges. Order quantities scale flexibly through 50, 100, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, and 10,000+ copies with automatic tier pricing on the product configurator.

Can I see a proof of my artwork before my postcards are printed?

Yes, Printways generates a free automated digital PDF proof during your online order workflow for print postcards online.

The instant screen proof allows you to inspect trim cut lines, safe margins, orientation, and content positioning before authorizing production. In addition, our London prepress technicians review every incoming file for resolution (300 DPI), colour mode (CMYK conversion), and bleed allowance. If our preflight check discovers any file issues, our production team contacts you right away before your order proceeds to press.

UK Commercial Print Specialist • ★★★★★ 5.0 Rating (400+ Verified Customer Reviews)

Ready to Configure and Order Your Postcards at Printways?

Choose from standard A6 and A5 sizes, authentic 300gsm Invercote, 350gsm or 450gsm silk, single-sided gloss, matt, soft-touch velvet lamination, and metallic foils. Benefit from free automated artwork proofs, instant online pricing from 25 to 5,000+ copies, and rapid 1-day UK dispatch.

Configure Postcard Printing UK on Printways.co.uk → | Email: sales@printways.co.uk | Call: 0203 239 3969 | Printways Limited, London N13 4BS