Key takeaways
- USPS postage is the floor: $0.82 to stamp a one-ounce letter, $0.78 metered. Paper, printing and envelopes sit on top.
- Online letter services listed a one-page black-and-white letter at about $0.90 to $1.50 when we checked competitors in March 2026. Postmarkr charges $2.05, with printing, envelope and postage included.
- Printing a letter at a copy shop and stamping it yourself costs about half as much in cash as Postmarkr. It leaves you the trip to the shop and the envelopes to fold, stuff, address and stamp.
- For campaigns, compare cost per response as well as cost per piece. A piece that costs more to send can cost less per reply.
A one-page letter costs $0.82 in postage if you print and stamp it yourself, about $1.00 to $1.16 if you print it at a copy shop and stamp it yourself (envelope extra), and $2.05 if Postmarkr prints and mails it. Campaign mail runs $0.260 to $0.65 per piece in USPS postage before printing, and the lower rates require a minimum quantity. The tables below show current USPS postage (opens in new tab), the prices mail services publish, what copy shops charge per page, and the work each route leaves with you.
How much does USPS postage actually cost?#
Postage is the floor — the minimum you'll pay no matter how you send mail. Everything else (printing, platform fees, envelopes) sits on top.
Mail type | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
First-Class letter (stamped) | $0.82 / 1 oz | Retail rate at the Post Office |
First-Class letter (metered) | $0.78 / 1 oz | Metered or precanceled stamp |
First-Class postcard | $0.65 | Rectangular cards up to 4.25 × 6 inches; other USPS size and thickness requirements apply |
Marketing Mail (bulk letter) | $0.395 | Automation 5-digit; requires 200+ pieces and USPS permit |
EDDM Retail | $0.260 / piece | Eligible flat-size pieces; 200–5,000 per ZIP per day, with the carrier-route minimum exception |
Certified Mail | $5.55 + postage | Fee only: add $0.78 one-ounce metered postage for $6.33 total |
Certified + Return Receipt | $10.98 | $0.78 one-ounce metered postage + $5.55 Certified + $4.65 hardcopy Return Receipt |
All rates from USPS Notice 123 (opens in new tab), effective July 12, 2026. Stamped and metered letter postage are identified separately; extra-service fees are added to postage.
The key distinction: postage only covers delivery. If you print and mail it yourself, add the cost of paper, envelopes, and toner or ink, plus the time it takes to print, fold, stuff, address, and stamp each letter. Enter your own preparation time and hourly value in the mail cost calculator to see what that adds. That's where online platforms earn their fee — they handle everything after you upload a document. For the broader staffing and overhead calculation, see our in-house mailroom cost breakdown.
For more on USPS rate structure, see our First-Class Mail rates guide and EDDM postage breakdown.
How do direct mail platform prices compare?#
These are the prices each provider published when we checked in March 2026; Postmarkr's prices are current. Where a provider does not publish a price, the table says so. Check the provider's own pricing page before you order. Letters come first, then postcards.
One page, black-and-white | One page, color | |
|---|---|---|
USPS, mailing it yourself | $0.78 metered postage | $0.78 metered postage |
Postmarkr | $2.05 | $2.52 |
Click2Mail | $0.90-$1.20 | Not publicly listed |
LetterStream | $1.15-$1.50 | Not publicly listed |
DocuSend | $1.28 first page | Not publicly listed |
Letters. The USPS row is postage only. None of these charges a monthly fee, and all are self-serve.
Provider | 4x6 postcard | Monthly fee | Self-serve |
|---|---|---|---|
USPS postage | $0.65 postage | $0 | Yes (Post Office) |
DOPE Marketing | $0.69-$0.99 | $250 | No (sales call) |
PostcardMania | $0.20-$0.50 (volume) | Varies | No (sales call) |
Click2Mail | $0.50-$0.70 | $0 | Yes |
Postcards. Prices as published in March 2026. PostcardMania's range is its quoted volume pricing; confirm with them whether it includes postage. Postmarkr does not offer postcards.
A note on Lob: Lob is an API for developers building mail into their own software, and its pricing varies by volume and contract; Lob's documentation (opens in new tab) explains the model. If you want to send mail without writing code, see our Lob alternatives comparison.
What these prices cover: the prices for Postmarkr, Click2Mail, LetterStream, DocuSend, and DOPE Marketing include printing, postage, and delivery. You upload a document or design, pay, and the platform handles everything else. The USPS rows are postage only: you do the printing, folding, stamping, and mailing yourself, unless a printer or mail house does that part for you; the section below shows how to compare all three routes.
Postmarkr pricing: a one-page black-and-white letter is $2.05, a one-page color letter is $2.52, and a two-page black-and-white letter is $2.26. Each total includes printing, the envelope, First-Class postage and processing, and every address is verified against USPS before printing. USPS scan updates appear when available. Postmarkr mails letters only; it does not offer postcards. For your own page count and color, estimate your letter's total in the mail cost calculator.
To weigh these services on more than price, see our mailing service comparisons and reviews.
Print shop, mail house, or online service: compare mailing costs#
Does your printing quote include mailing? If your PDF and recipient list are ready, compare three complete prices: an online letter service's per-letter total, printing alone plus mailing the letters yourself, and the printer's printing-and-mailing quote. If you need specialty paper, finishing, or a physical proof, ask the printer about those services too.
What you pay and what you still handle#
The job is held constant: 100 one-page black-and-white letters, sent First-Class, from a finished PDF and a usable recipient list. Only who does the work changes.
Cost line | Postmarkr | Print-only quote, you mail it | Printer or mail house fulfills |
|---|---|---|---|
Document and recipient list | You supply both | You supply both | You supply both |
Printing | Included | Your print quote | Confirm included in the quoted total |
Paper and envelope | Included | Whatever the quote leaves out; ask whether paper and envelopes are in the price | Confirm included, and which stock |
Postage, 100 letters | Included in the per-letter price | 100 × $0.82 = $82.00 with stamps, or 100 × $0.78 = $78.00 metered plus whatever a postage meter or online postage account costs you | Confirm included, and on which mail class and rate |
Address preparation and USPS verification | Verified against USPS before printing | You, or a list service | Confirm whether the quote includes it |
After it is mailed | Your dashboard shows processing milestones, with USPS scan updates when available | First-Class postage covers delivery; proof of delivery is a USPS extra service with its own fee (Certified Mail and Return Receipt are in the postage table above) | Confirm what the provider reports back |
Cash total | $205.00 | Print quote + applicable postage + only the supplies and services the quote excludes | The quoted total, once the checklist confirms what it includes |
Work you still handle | Upload the PDF and enter or upload the addresses | Collect the printing, check the list, fold, stuff, address, stamp, and take the batch to USPS | Send the file and the list, approve the proof, confirm minimums and preparation requirements |
USPS rates effective July 12, 2026. Postmarkr's $205.00 is the current checkout total for 100 one-page black-and-white letters; nothing is added at checkout. To compare, add only the costs your print quote excludes. For self-mailing, use the postage rate you will actually pay. For fulfillment, confirm that the quote covers the same documents, recipients, and mail class. Then weigh the complete cash total against the work each option leaves with you.
What a quote has to state before you can compare it#
A quote you can compare names all of these. If one is missing, ask before you sign.
- The mail class, and who buys the postage.
- Paper and envelope stock, and whether they are in the price.
- Who prepares the address list, and whether addresses are checked against USPS before printing.
- Any presort, permit, or minimum-quantity requirement the price depends on.
- Turnaround and the date the mail actually enters USPS.
Printing at a copy shop and mailing it yourself#
For a small batch you do not need a printer's quote at all. You can have the letters printed at a copy shop, then put them in envelopes and stamp them yourself. Here is that route for 25 one-page black-and-white letters, next to Postmarkr.
Where | Black-and-white printing | 25 letters, printed and stamped | What you still do |
|---|---|---|---|
Office Depot / OfficeMax | from $0.18 per page | $4.50 printing + $20.50 stamps = $25.00, plus envelopes | Go to the store to print or collect the order, then fold, stuff, address and stamp 25 envelopes and mail them |
FedEx Office | from $0.23–$0.24 per page (two store pages) | $5.75–$6.00 printing + $20.50 stamps = $26.25–$26.50, plus envelopes | The same |
Staples | from $0.34 per page | $8.50 printing + $20.50 stamps = $29.00, plus envelopes | The same |
The UPS Store | No published price; each store is individually owned and quotes its own | Ask your store for a quote | The same, unless your store's quote covers the mailing too |
Postmarkr | $2.05 per letter, with printing, envelope and postage | $51.25 | Upload the PDF and enter or upload the addresses |
Copy-shop prices are each retailer's published starting price for black-and-white printing, checked September 30, 2026: Office Depot / OfficeMax (opens in new tab), Staples (opens in new tab), and FedEx Office (opens in new tab) store pages for Dallas (opens in new tab) and Seattle (opens in new tab). The UPS Store (opens in new tab) does not publish a per-page price. Your store may charge more. Stamps are 25 × $0.82 = $20.50. Envelopes, sales tax and the trip are not included.
In cash, the copy shop costs about half as much: $25.00 to $29.00 plus envelopes, against $51.25. What it leaves with you is the trip, the line, and 25 envelopes to fold, stuff, address and stamp. If your time is worth more to you than the difference, that is what a service is for: you send from your desk, with no envelopes or stamps to buy, nothing to fold, each address checked against USPS before printing, and a record of what was mailed.
The shop is the right call when you need the pages in your hands today, when the letter needs an ink signature or an enclosure, when it has to go by Certified Mail, or when it has to be handed to USPS today. Postmarkr does not offer Certified Mail.
For how to send a file to each of these shops, see how to mail a letter without a printer.
Still working out the numbers? Estimate your letter cost for your own page count, color, and sides. The calculator gives the Postmarkr total and lets you set your own do-it-yourself minutes per letter and hourly value against it.
Document ready? Send Your First Mail. One letter or a batch, no subscription.
What hidden costs should you watch for?#
Here's what else to budget for beyond the per-piece price.
Address verification and cleansing. Bad addresses waste postage. Some platforms include USPS address verification free (Postmarkr does). Others charge $0.01-$0.05 per address or require you to clean your list separately. USPS returns roughly 4.37 billion pieces of mail annually as undeliverable (FY 2023, USPS PostalPro) — address verification prevents your mail from joining that pile.
Design fees. DOPE Marketing includes design work with their $250/month platform fee. PostcardMania bundles design into campaign pricing. Self-serve platforms (Postmarkr, Click2Mail, DocuSend) expect you to bring your own PDF. If you need design help, budget $50-$200 per template from a freelancer.
Mailing list acquisition. If you don't have a recipient list, you'll need one. Targeted mailing lists cost $0.05-$0.25 per address depending on filters (industry, geography, demographics). EDDM sidesteps this entirely — you choose postal routes, not individual addresses.
Cancellation penalties. DOPE Marketing's terms require 14-day written notice and payments are non-refundable. PostcardMania campaigns may involve contracts. Pay-per-piece platforms like Postmarkr, Click2Mail, and LetterStream have no cancellation penalties because there's nothing to cancel.
Return mail costs. When mail is returned as undeliverable, you've already paid full postage and printing. That is the reason to verify addresses before anything is printed.
Why does cost per response matter more than cost per piece?#
This section is about mail sent to get a response, such as offers and campaigns. If you are sending invoices, notices, or statements, the print-quote comparison above is the section to use.
For a marketing campaign, cost per piece is only one input. Define a qualified response before launch, track it to the campaign, and follow the result through to a sale or acquired client.
Measure | Calculation or input |
|---|---|
Campaign cost | Data, design, printing, postage, platform fees and follow-up. |
Qualified response rate | Qualified responses divided by pieces sent, using a defined response window. |
Cost per qualified response | Total campaign cost divided by qualified responses. |
Cost per acquired client | Total campaign cost divided by acquired clients. |
This table uses your campaign records, not assumed response rates by mail format. Use the same qualified outcome and attribution window when comparing campaigns.
A higher-cost piece can have a lower cost per qualified response if it produces enough additional qualified responses. Test that with your own results; price alone does not establish which format performs better.
If a campaign produces no qualified responses, report the spend and that outcome rather than calculating a finite cost per response. A response is not a sale, so also track acquisition cost and revenue or contribution.
For legal or compliance correspondence, choose the mailing method required by the applicable rule or agreement. A marketing response rate is not the basis for choosing that service.
Learn more about how direct mail fits into your marketing mix in our direct mail strategy guide.
Frequently Asked Questions#
What's the cheapest way to send direct mail?#
For postcards, USPS EDDM Retail postage is $0.260 per eligible flat-size piece, excluding printing and preparation; a standard 4×6 postcard does not qualify. For letters, doing it yourself costs $0.78-$0.82 in postage plus paper and envelopes. Printing at a copy shop adds a published starting price of $0.18 per page at Office Depot / OfficeMax (opens in new tab) or $0.34 per page at Staples (opens in new tab) (checked September 30, 2026). A service removes the printing, the folding and the trip. Click2Mail listed around $0.90 a letter in our March 2026 check, and Postmarkr charges $2.05 with printing, postage, and processing included. If you plan to print postage yourself, the Stamps.com comparison explains how that differs from paying a service to print and mail the letter.
How much does it cost to mail 1,000 postcards?#
USPS postage alone is $650 (First-Class at $0.65 per piece). Through a platform with printing included, 1,000 postcards cost $690-$990 with DOPE Marketing, which also charges $250/month before any mail costs, or $500-$700 with Click2Mail. PostcardMania quotes $0.20-$0.50 per piece at high volumes. Postmarkr does not currently offer postcards.
Is direct mail more expensive than email?#
Mail adds printing, production and postage costs; email has its own data, platform and operating costs. Compare the full cost for the same qualified business outcome. A generic channel response rate cannot predict which option will be more profitable for your campaign. The direct-mail-versus-email guide explains how to compare both channels.
What's the difference between first-class and marketing mail pricing?#
First-Class Mail costs $0.78/letter (metered) and delivers in 1-5 business days. USPS Marketing Mail starts at $0.395/piece (automation 5-digit origin-entry letter) but requires a minimum of 200 pieces, a USPS permit, and presorted automation formatting. Marketing Mail takes 3-10 business days. For small volumes, First-Class is simpler. For 200+ pieces, Marketing Mail saves roughly 50% on postage.
Do direct mail platforms charge monthly fees?#
Some do, some don't. DOPE Marketing charges $250/month before any mail costs. PostcardMania varies by campaign. Postmarkr, Click2Mail, LetterStream, and DocuSend charge no monthly fee — you pay per piece. Compare the monthly fee plus usage charges against the pay-per-piece total for your actual mailing pattern.
Updated October 2026. USPS rates are those effective July 12, 2026. Postmarkr letter pricing and availability were corrected in September 2026. The print-quote comparison and the copy-shop comparison were added in September 2026; copy-shop prices were checked September 30, 2026. Competitor pricing retains its March 2026 research basis.