Get creative with your mail panel in an automation-friendly way

Questions about mail panels are constantly buzzing around our office. What size should the panel be? Can it have a background color or pattern? Can the indicia be inside the mail panel or should it be outside of it? Is there any way to make the mail panel interfere less with the postcard design?

Throughout our years in direct mail design and production, we’ve narrowed down a few answers to these questions that will hopefully help you in your direct mail design.

How big does the mail panel need to be?
The mail panel must be a minimum of 4” wide by 2” high, and should be anchored at the right-hand side of your piece, usually towards the bottom. This room is needed in order to inkjet on the address and barcode in a font size that is readable by USPS postal equipment. By leaving this room, you ensure that your mail piece will qualify for the lowest automation rate, which could save you a lot of money. If you fail to provide enough room, your mail piece may need to be addressed using labels, which doesn’t exactly produce the most professional look, and you may be charged extra as the piece may not be able to be automated.

Can the postage be inside this 4” x 2” mail panel?
We recommend leaving the entire 4” x 2” mail panel clear for addressing, and therefore recommend moving the postage area or indicia just above the top right corner of the mail panel.

Does my mail panel have to be shaped like a rectangle?
The mail panel does not have to be rectangular in shape, but whatever shape you choose you absolutely MUST ensure that there is 4” x 2” clear of space to add the address.

Does the mail panel have to be white in color?
The mail panel does not have to be white and can be a very light tint of a color. If you choose to tint your mail panel, it should be no more than 8% screen. If the color gets darker than 8%, there is a risk that the color will get too dark and will not contrast with the address that is inkjet on. If the address does not contrast enough, it will not be able to be read by USPS equipment.

Can I put a pattern in my mail panel?
Much like the rule about color, you can use a pattern, but it must not interfere with the address or barcode area. This means it must follow the same rule of 8% tint and it should not be high in contrast or contain vertical lines that would interfere with reading the barcode.

How can I make the mail panel less interruptive to my design?
This is a popular question, and we believe that the most discreet way of formatting a mail panel is to stretch a 2” strip across the entire bottom of the piece. This method is a little more elegant and doesn’t interrupt the flow of content as much as a 4” x 2” rectangle, however you will lose a little more page real estate.