Die-Cuts Are a Great Way to Ensure Your Mail Stands out and Reinforces Its Message
Two things off the bat to consider are costs and timing. First, die-cuts add costs, so it's not something to suggest on every campaign. Second is the time factor, die-cuts do add time to the production of the piece, so this needs to be worked into the schedule. If you have the budget and time for producing a die-cut piece, then the issues become production related. Is the piece mail-able? This is the biggest question. You can indeed mail almost any shape for a fee. But in political mail, it is best to stay within the guidelines of standard mail for costs and time. For letter-sized self-mailers the panel that is designed with the die-cut must be securely sealed and be the non-addressed portion of the piece. For the letter sized die-cut flap, a glue line seal is required along the shape of the die-cut. If a flat, the piece such as an 11 x 17 one folds to final size 8.5 x 11, one full size panel must hold the address and the fold on die-cut panel should be as large as possible. The paperweight should be strong enough to withstand sorting machinery. Depending on your mailing list and what level of service your flat standard mail qualifies for, you may not need to secure the shaped die-cut. As always, the USPS has many regulations, so check with your production manager and/or your mailer for confirmation that the piece is set up correctly before printing it.