Most postcards land in the recycle bin within seconds. The few that don't survive because of three things in this order: who sent them, what they said, and how they felt in the hand. zprintz can't help with the first two — but the last one is a stock decision, and it's the cheapest lever you have. This is a tour of the postcard paper stocks we carry and what each one does well.
The short version
Pick the lightest stock that survives mailing without folding. For direct-mail postcards that need USPS pricing, 10pt with an aqueous coat is the floor. For a premium hand-feel — real-estate "just sold" cards, wedding save-the-dates, hospitality menus — 16pt is the sweet spot. For gift-card and door-hanger feel, go 18pt or above.
10pt — direct mail and high-volume drops
10pt is the thinnest stock USPS will accept for automated postcard rates. With an aqueous coat it stays flat through the mail and resists ink smudging. Sound depends on what you stack against — a single 10pt card sounds papery; a 500-card EDDM bundle reads as a brick.
Use it when: the recipient will look at the card once, the message has to land in three seconds, and unit cost matters more than feel.
13pt — the unsung work card
13pt sits in the gap between mail-economy 10pt and premium 14pt+. It comes in two flavours that print very differently: enviro uncoated (warm off-white, soft, takes a pen) and linen uncoated (subtle textured weave, no coating, harder to smudge than smooth uncoated).
Use 13pt enviro when you want the card to read as sustainable without saying so out loud. Use 13pt linen when you want texture you can feel with your fingertip — the texture survives full-bleed colour because the linen pattern is mechanical, not printed.
14pt — the default premium stock
The most common premium postcard stock in North American trade printing. We carry it in four finishes:
- 14pt AQ — aqueous coat. Subtle sheen, scratch resistant, doesn't take a pen.
- 14pt Matte / Satin AQ — same stock, lower sheen. Reads as paper, not plastic. Best for editorial design.
- 14pt UV high gloss — heavy gloss coating that amplifies colour saturation. Photo-forward postcards.
- 14pt writable AQ / UV C1S — one-side-coated. Coated front for print, uncoated back so a recipient can write on it.
16pt — the upgrade most people notice
The thickness jump from 14pt to 16pt is the smallest you can perceive by hand. Anything thicker than 16pt starts to read as "card" instead of "postcard". We carry 16pt in AQ, matte/satin AQ, UV, and matte silk lamination. Silk lamination is the premium tier — the surface is rubbery rather than papery, and it's effectively water-resistant.
18pt — postcards that double as keepsakes
18pt is where postcards stop feeling like correspondence and start feeling like product. Gloss lamination and matte silk lamination are both available. The matte-lam-with-spot-UV variant is the standard finish for real-estate listing cards and high-end hospitality branding.
Specialty stocks
- Kraft — uncoated brown stock, recyclable look, takes ink darker than expected. Great for handmade and food brands.
- Pearl paper — metallic shimmer baked into the paper, not printed on top. Wedding stationery, event invitations.
- Metallic foil — gold or silver foil stamping on any base stock. Used for accents, not full coverage.
- Durable — tear- and water-resistant synthetic stock. Loyalty cards, contractor leave-behinds.
What to ask before you order
- Will this be mailed? If yes, confirm the stock + finish combo is USPS-eligible at the rate you want.
- Does anyone need to write on it? If yes, you need an uncoated stock or a C1S (one-side-coated) variant.
- Will it sit in sunlight or humidity? If yes, lamination meaningfully outlasts AQ or UV coatings.
- How long does it need to look new? Three weeks in a wallet calls for a different stock than a six-second mailbox glance.