Custom Postcard Printing in Australia

Postcards put your message in front of customers without competing for inbox space. As a physical, handled piece, a well-designed postcard is read at the moment it is touched - there is no barrier to access, and the design makes its impression before the recipient decides whether to keep reading. The format suits a wide range of applications: direct-mail campaigns, real estate open-home flyers, product launch announcements, in-store promotions, customer thank-you cards, and save-the-dates.

Paperlust Print Shop prints full-color postcards on durable card stock in three standard sizes: A6, A5, and DL. Single-sided printing works for campaigns where only one face carries the message. Double-sided printing lets you run a visual on the front and copy or call-to-action on the reverse - maximising usable space and campaign impact without increasing the physical size of the piece.

Pricing starts from $0.15 AUD per card (inc GST), with per-unit cost reducing as quantity increases. A design proof is sent for your approval before any printing begins, ensuring setup is correct before the job runs.

• Full-color printing on durable card stock
• Three sizes: A6 (105x148mm), A5 (148x210mm), DL (99x210mm)
• Single-sided and double-sided options available
• Pricing from $0.15 AUD per card (inc GST)
• Design proof sent before production begins

The postcard format earns its place in a marketing mix because it is tangible, fast to produce, and cost-effective at scale. Unlike enveloped direct mail, a postcard is read the moment it is handled - there is no barrier to access, and the design makes the first impression immediately.

Direct mail and prospect campaigns: Real estate agents use postcards for open-home and auction announcements. Retailers use them for seasonal promotions and sale alerts. Service businesses use them for new-customer acquisition in a local area. A well-targeted mailing can outperform digital channels for local reach and brand recognition.

In-store and event promotions: A6 and DL-format postcards double as countertop promotional cards at retail checkouts and event registrations. Brands use them for special-offer hand-outs, QR code landing-page cards, and product information inserts packed with e-commerce orders.

Save-the-dates and invitations: The A6 postcard format suits save-the-date cards for weddings, parties, and corporate events - mailed unboxed or slipped into envelopes. DL-format is commonly used for slim event invitations and coupon mailers that fit standard envelopes.

Business announcements: Openings, relocations, menu launches, and product releases all suit a simple postcard to a targeted local or customer list. The format delivers the message with minimal copy and immediate visual impact.

Three standard sizes are available, covering the most common direct-mail and promotional formats:

• A6 - 105 x 148mm: The compact postcard. Suited to save-the-dates, small promotional cards, and order inserts. Cost-effective for large runs.
• A5 - 148 x 210mm: The standard mid-size format. Suitable for real estate flyers, event announcements, and promotional mailers that need more visual space.
• DL - 99 x 210mm: The slim envelope-friendly format. Suits coupon mailers, event invitations, and pieces designed to fit a standard DL envelope.

Both single-sided and double-sided printing are available. Print is full-color digital across the full face of the card.

Artwork specifications: Supply files as PDF (preferred), SVG, or Adobe Illustrator (.ai or .eps). Include 3mm bleed on all sides with crop marks. All fonts must be outlined or vectorized and all images embedded. Set artwork in CMYK color mode. The team reviews all files on receipt and a proof is emailed before production begins.

For variable data requirements - personalised names, unique QR codes, or address printing for direct mail - contact the team before placing your order to confirm setup requirements.

Once artwork is submitted, the team reviews the file and sends a design proof via email. Production does not begin until you approve the proof. This step catches any setup issues - bleeds, font outlines, color mode - before the job runs.

Standard production for postcards is 2-5 working days from artwork approval. If you have a hard deadline for a mailing date, launch, or event, note it when ordering so the team can confirm whether the timeline is achievable. Peak periods may affect lead times.

Australian domestic orders are dispatched via express freight, with delivery typically 1-2 business days after dispatch to major metro areas. International orders ship via DHL express at a flat AUD $35 rate, with typical delivery of 2-4 working days after dispatch to most international destinations.

Order quantities are flexible - postcards can be ordered in small runs for targeted campaigns or in larger quantities for broad distribution. Higher quantities reduce the per-card cost, making large-format direct mail campaigns cost-effective at scale.

Postcards are one part of a broader marketing print range. For premium direct-mail pieces cut to a custom shape, die cut postcards let you go beyond the standard rectangle - suited to branded shapes and signature campaign pieces. For multi-panel content where space is needed for maps, schedules, or extensive copy, brochures and flyers are the flat-print alternatives.

For point-of-sale applications where the piece needs to stand on a counter, counter cards with a built-in paper stand are the right format. For rigid display boards and real estate signage, screenboard signs provide a thick, structured surface. For premium business collateral to accompany a mailing, foil business cards are available in several foil finishes. For event activations where postcards are handed out behind a branded photo line, a stretch fabric media wall delivers the seamless fabric backdrop.

Paperlust Print Shop produces postcards from its printing facility in Melbourne, Victoria. Customers in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, and throughout regional Australia order online and receive their printed postcards via express freight, with delivery typically arriving 1-2 business days after dispatch to major metropolitan areas.

The standard postcard formats used across Australia are A6 (105 x 148mm), A5 (148 x 210mm), and DL (99 x 210mm). A6 is the compact traditional format suited to save-the-dates and promotional inserts. A5 is the most widely used size for real estate marketing and event flyers in the Australian market, providing more visual area for photography and copy. DL matches the width of a standard DL envelope and is used for addressed direct mail, coupon mailers, and slim-format campaign pieces throughout Australia.

For Victorian customers, postcard orders printed at the Melbourne studio typically arrive within the next business day after dispatch. For customers in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, and South Australia, express freight delivers within 2-3 business days after dispatch in most cases.

Ordering is fully online. Upload artwork, receive a design proof, approve, and the print run is dispatched from the Melbourne facility. There is no need to visit a print shop in person.

• Printed in Melbourne, Victoria, shipped Australia-wide
• A6 (105 x 148mm), A5 (148 x 210mm), DL (99 x 210mm) available
• Express freight delivery to Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne
• Online ordering with design proof approval before any production begins

Every order here is a custom postcard: your artwork, printed as supplied, on 350gsm card. There is no house template to work around. Custom postcards are used for direct mail campaigns, open-home and auction announcements, product launches, loyalty and reactivation mailers, appointment reminders and event save-the-dates.

What you set when you order custom postcards:

• Size: A6 (105 x 148mm), A5 (148 x 210mm) or DL (99 x 210mm).
• Orientation: portrait or landscape.
• Sides: single-sided, or double-sided so the reverse can carry the offer, the map or the reply detail.
• Quantity: short targeted runs through to full direct-mail volumes.

You can print postcards in a run of fifty for a single-suburb test, or print postcard volumes in the thousands for a state-wide drop. Printing postcards at either end of that range uses the same press, the same 350gsm stock and the same proof process, so a pilot and the campaign that follows it match. Post card printing is quoted per card on the order form, so when you print postcards online the cost of the test is visible before you commit to the volume.

Personalised postcards are available through variable data printing, where each card carries a different name, address, code or QR destination while the design stays fixed. That is what turns business postcards from a generic drop into a trackable, addressable campaign.

Postcard design is supplied by you as a print-ready file. Build to the trim size with 3mm bleed on every edge, keep text 3mm inside the trim, embed images at 300dpi and outline all fonts.

There is no single postcard size Australia mandates by law. In practice three trim sizes cover almost every campaign here, and each one is chosen for a different reason.

A6 postcards, 105 x 148mm

The compact format and the cheapest per unit at volume. A6 suits save-the-dates, order inserts, loyalty cards and high-volume letterbox drops where the message is short and the run is long.

A5 postcards, 148 x 210mm

The standard mid-size format and the most common choice for A5 postcard printing. Twice the area of A6, so it holds a property photograph, a price panel and a call to action without crowding. This is the default size on the order form.

DL postcards, 99 x 210mm

The slim format that fits a standard DL envelope and a standard brochure rack. DL suits rack cards, with-compliments mailers and anything that has to travel inside an existing envelope stock.

All three sizes print on the same 350gsm card, which is the weight that survives mail handling without softening at the corners.

Standard production for postcards is 2-5 working days, measured from the moment you approve the digital proof rather than from when the order is placed. Delivery is on top of that: express freight reaches most metro addresses 1-2 business days after dispatch, standard freight in 2-5 business days.

Same day postcard printing and 24 hour postcard printing are not offered as a standard service, and it is more useful to say so plainly than to take an order that cannot land. If you have a fixed mail-out date, a launch or an event, the workable path is:

• Note the deadline when you place the order so the job can be sequenced against it.
• Supply print-ready artwork, since a file that needs correcting is the most common cause of a missed date.
• Approve the digital proof the same day it arrives, because the production clock does not start until you do.
• Choose express freight at checkout rather than standard.

For genuinely fast postcard printing, contact the team before ordering with your in-hands date and they will confirm what is achievable rather than estimate it.