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Our friends at Clampitt Paper have us thinking about the material that makes mailing possible. Every year, Clampitt puts together several Paper School events aimed at informing their clients on the subject of paper selection.
It shouldn’t be surprising that the paper stock you choose can have a big impact on your mailing. It is, after all, what the mail is made of. While there are several kinds of paper out there, many of them are specialized for different uses. As a mailer, you can use these differences to your advantage, both to maximize the efficiency of your mail, and to impress your customers.
The physical characteristics of different papers affect how well they mail. For postcards, you need something that is stiff enough to run through postal machinery without getting torn up, but is also lightweight enough to not drive up your postage costs unnecessarily. Some papers are sold by thickness instead of weight. While having a consistent thickness is important, inconsistent weight is literally a dealbreaker. When your mail is entered at the post office, the piece count is always verified by weight. Even tiny variations in the weight of individual pieces can add up to a big difference when you’re mailing thousands of them, and if your mailing doesn’t weigh what it is supposed to you will lose any postage discounts from mailing in bulk.
Choosing a paper stock can seem overwhelming at first, thanks to the variety in the market. But you can narrow your selection by knowing which papers work best for your specific needs. And those details can help you produce a successful mailing campaign.