Free design proof on every custom order: no templates, no stock SKUs
Flat post cards are a single fixed size (5" x 7") printed on sturdy, uncoated-friendly cardstock with no fold, no flap, and no envelope required. That simplicity is the appeal: they work equally well as a save-the-date, a store announcement handed to walk-in customers, or a simple mailer, without the design and printing decisions that come with choosing between six different postcard sizes. What goes on the card is entirely up to the order: blank on one side for a handwritten note, or fully printed front and back.
A flat card is exactly what it sounds like. A single, unfolded piece of cardstock, printed at 5" x 7" with square or rounded corners, and no fold line anywhere in the design. That distinguishes it from a folded greeting card of the same footprint, and from a smaller standard postcard: a 5" x 7" flat card is roomier than the typical mailing postcard while still staying rigid enough to stand up on a shelf or counter without bending.
Because the format skips the size decisions that come with a fully custom postcard order, it's a fast, low-friction choice for pieces where the content matters more than the dimensions. A save-the-date, a simple event announcement, a thank-you card, or a leave-behind handed out at a retail counter. Cardstock typically runs 14pt to 16pt, enough weight to feel substantial in hand without adding unnecessary cost, and printing can be single-sided (leaving the back blank for a handwritten note or address) or full color on both sides.
Finishing choices do most of the work in setting the card's tone at this fixed size. A gloss or UV coating gives the printed side a bright, high-contrast finish suited to photography-driven designs; a matte finish reads as quieter and more restrained, often preferred for invitations, condolence cards, or anything meant to feel understated rather than promotional. Rounded corners are a small but noticeable upgrade that softens the card's edges without changing anything about the printing process underneath.
Because a flat card is a blank canvas rather than a fixed-content product, it shows up across a wide range of uses: businesses hand them out as simple announcements or thank-you notes, event planners use them for save-the-dates ahead of a full invitation suite, and retailers use them as an at-counter giveaway that doubles as a small piece of branding. When a project needs a size other than 5" x 7", or postal-compliant dimensions for direct mail, a fully custom post card is the better starting point. This format is built for simplicity at one dependable size.
A postcard travels through a mechanised postal system unprotected by an envelope, which is a harsher journey than most printed pieces face. Most postal services set a minimum stiffness for that reason. Cover weights from 300gsm upward survive it and arrive looking intended rather than battered; lighter stock arrives curled at the corners, which undoes the impression before it is read.
Is there a minimum thickness for mailing? Most postal services set one. Check your carrier's requirement before ordering. An under-thickness card can be surcharged or refused.
The reverse of a postcard is a shared surface: your message on one half, the address and postage on the other, with a dividing line between them. Postal systems reserve specific areas for the address block and machine-readable barcodes, and printing into those zones can slow a mailing or get it rejected. That constraint is fixed, and it should shape the layout from the start.
Can I print across the whole back? No. The address block and barcode area must stay clear. We mark those zones on your proof.
The two sides often want different treatments, and they can have them. A gloss or matte coating on the image side protects it through the post and lifts the color. The address side frequently needs to stay uncoated, because postal barcodes and handwritten additions both need a surface that accepts ink, and gloss rejects pen entirely.
Can one side be gloss and the other uncoated? Yes, and on a mailed postcard it is usually the right answer: gloss for the image, writable for the address.
Beyond cutting, the practical work is getting the run mail-ready: addresses printed as variable data straight onto the card, sorted into mailing sequence where the postal rate requires it, and corners rounded where a square corner would bend in transit. Doing all of that in one place removes the handover where mailings most often stall.
Can you address and mail them for us? Yes. Addresses printed from your spreadsheet, sorted, and handed to the postal service. It is usually cheaper than labeling by hand.
A single fixed size on sturdy cardstock. No fold, no flap, no envelope. Being one size is the point: it is large enough to carry a real image and a substantial message while staying comfortably within normal postal handling. It removes the size decision entirely, which for a straightforward mailing is a simplification rather than a limitation.
Why only one size? Because it removes a decision that rarely matters. 5 x 7 carries a real image and mails normally, which covers most jobs.
Check your carrier's minimum thickness before choosing. A postcard that fails it can be surcharged or refused, whatever it looks like.
Gloss or matte on the image side, uncoated on the address side. It is the finish that suits a mailed postcard best, because the two faces genuinely need different things from their surfaces.
A small radius so corners do not bend in mechanised sorting. Square corners on a mailed card are where damage starts, and the fix costs almost nothing.
Names and addresses printed directly onto the card from your spreadsheet, in mailing sequence. It removes labeling entirely and generally costs less than the labor it replaces.
A raised gloss or metallic element on the image side. On a card that arrives unprotected in a stack of post, a finish that catches light is what stops it being sorted straight into the bin.
Same family, genuinely different jobs. Your current selection is highlighted.
| Post card | From | Size | Order it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Post Cards | $170 | 5″ × 7″, one fixed size | A straightforward mailing, no size decision |
| Custom Post Cards | $170 | A range of standard sizes | Size should follow the postal rate |
Because it removes a decision that rarely earns its complexity. 5 x 7 is large enough for a real image and a substantial message while staying within normal postal handling, which covers the majority of postcard jobs.
On the stocks we run it at, yes. Most postal services set a minimum stiffness for unenveloped mail, which is exactly why this format runs on cardstock rather than a lighter sheet.
If you specify an uncoated or split finish, yes. A gloss coating on the address side rejects pen entirely, which is a common and frustrating discovery after a run has been delivered.
No, and that is the point. A postcard mails naked, which is cheaper and means the message is seen without anything being opened. The trade is that anyone handling it can read it.
Pricing for flat post cards starts at $170 and moves with quantity, size, material and finish rather than sitting on a fixed list. Setup is shared across the run, so the per-unit price drops steeply as the quantity rises: the gap between a few hundred and a few thousand is usually the significant one. Send the size, quantity and what it has to do and you get a firm figure back, not a range.
There is a practical minimum rather than a hard one. Every run carries artwork checks, a proof and a press setup, so a very small quantity of flat post cards prices poorly per unit even though we will still make it. If you are ordering a small batch, ask for pricing at two or three quantities at once: the curve usually shows that a modest increase costs very little more in total.
The clock starts when you approve the proof, not when the order is placed, which is the part most people are surprised by. You get a proof first: a digital proof of both faces with the postal clear zones marked. If we are addressing the run, we proof sample records from your list so you can check the field mapping before the whole file is printed. Turnaround after approval depends on the finish: anything laminated, foiled or die-cut adds a stage that cannot be compressed without causing problems later. Tell us the date you actually need them and we will work backwards from it rather than quoting a generic lead time.
Print-ready artwork with bleed and a safe margin, supplied as a PDF, AI or EPS. Photographic elements should be supplied at the resolution the finished size needs, not the resolution that looks sharp on screen. If your file is not print-ready, say so when you order. We would rather fix it before the proof than after the run.
Yes. 5″ × 7″, one fixed size is the standard build, and the dimensions around it are yours to set. A size that sits efficiently on the press sheet often costs no more than a standard one, while an awkward proportion that wastes half the sheet does. Ask before you commit and we will tell you whether a small change to the dimensions saves a disproportionate amount.
In most cases they are the same product under a different name: the trade uses several terms for it depending on the region and the supplier. What actually defines this one is the build: 5″ × 7″, one fixed size. Order it when a straightforward mailing, no size decision. If you have seen it called flat post cards printing elsewhere, describe what it has to do rather than which name you found, and we will match the specification.
Yes. We provide free samples, and on flat post cards it is worth asking for one, because the difference between cover weight and heavy cover is obvious in the hand and invisible on a screen. Most orders run on heavy cover, but ask for whichever you are weighing up. You also get a free design proof before anything goes to press, so nothing is printed that you have not seen.
The usual choices are split coating, rounded corners, variable data addressing. Finish is not decoration on this product so much as a decision about how long it survives and how it reads in the hand, so it is worth choosing against the job rather than the budget. Tell us where the finished piece ends up and we will say which finish is doing real work and which is only adding cost.
Yes, and that is what almost every order here is. Nothing in this catalogue is a stock item: flat post cards are manufactured to the specification you give us, with your artwork on them. Send your logo as vector artwork where you have it, since that scales to any size without softening. If all you have is a low-resolution file, tell us and we will say what it needs before it reaches the press.
Yes, and a repeat run is simpler than the first one. We keep your approved specification on file, so a reorder skips the setup decisions and goes straight to production. If nothing about the artwork or the specification has changed, there is nothing to re-approve. Tell us the previous order and we will match it rather than starting the specification again.
Yes. Regalo Print has been producing custom commercial print for businesses across the USA and Canada since 2008, and every order ships tracked. The tracking number reaches you the day the job leaves, not the day it arrives. If you are working to a fixed date, say so when you order so the production schedule is built around the delivery date rather than the other way round.
