Postcard pricing online is close to useless at face value, because almost every printer quotes the printing and hides the shipping until checkout. Paper is heavy. On a 1,000-piece order that gap can be sixty dollars.
So here is the honest version: our full ladder, and what four printers actually charge for the same job delivered to a real address.
Our prices, shipping included
Every number below is 16pt card stock, full colour on both sides, gloss or matte, with free FedEx Priority Overnight shipping. There is no separate setup charge and no per-side charge.
| Quantity | 4″ × 6″ | Each | 5″ × 7″ | Business cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | $49 | $0.49 | $59 | $29 |
| 250 | $79 | $0.32 | $99 | $39 |
| 500 | $119 | $0.24 | $159 | $49 |
| 1,000 | $189 | $0.19 | $259 | $69 |
What the same job costs elsewhere
On 6 September 2026 we configured three competitors to match exactly what we sell — 4×6, 16pt, full colour both sides — and entered a South Jersey delivery address so the shipping was real rather than hypothetical.
| 500 4×6, 16pt, both sides | Shipping | Delivered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Blast USA | included | $119 | |
| UPrinting | $98.33 | $22.25 | $120.58 |
| PrintPlace | $108.50 | $30.05 | $138.55 |
| Vistaprint (14pt, list price) | $145.99 | free over $100 | $145.99 |
Prices checked 6 September 2026 and subject to change — promotions in particular move constantly. Vistaprint's standard postcard is 14pt rather than 16pt.
Where cheap really is cheaper
We are not the cheapest and we will not pretend otherwise. Trade-style printers that sell direct — GotPrint is the obvious one — print 500 4×6 for around $62 before shipping. If you have a print-ready PDF, no deadline and no questions, they will cost you less than we will and you should use them.
What that price does not include is anyone looking at your file. No proof, no layout, no phone call when the resolution is too low, and ground transit on top.
The per-piece maths that actually matters
Contractors get stuck comparing $0.19 against $0.24 a card and miss the real number. One roof, one repaint, one seasonal contract pays for every postcard in the box several times over. The question is not what the card costs, it is how many doors it reaches.
| Order | Cost | Break-even |
|---|---|---|
| 500 4×6 postcards | $119 | One job of any size |
| 1,000 4×6 postcards | $189 | Still one job |
What changes the price
- Size. 5×7 costs roughly a third more than 4×6 because fewer cards come off a sheet.
- Quantity. The jump from 100 to 500 is the biggest per-piece saving on the ladder.
- Nothing else. Both sides, gloss or matte, and shipping are in every price we quote.
Two things that do cost more at most printers and do not here: printing the back, and having a human lay the card out for you.