Direct Mail Letters
See Direct Mail Letters in action
Direct mail letters up close: 4 sizes from 8.5" x 11" to 11" x 17", 4 stocks from uncoated to gloss cover, 9 folds for your envelope, from $238.73 for 500.
- From $238.73 per 500 letters, with the per-letter price sliding from about 48 cents down toward 7 cents as the run climbs to 25,000.
- 4 sizes, from the standard 8.5" x 11" letter up to 11" x 17", with 8.5" x 11" as the default and custom sizes made to order.
- 4 stocks: 100# Gloss Text, 100# Silk/Matte Text, 70# Uncoated Text, and a heavier 100# Gloss Cover, all printed full color.
- 9 folds, including half fold, trifold, and z-fold, so each letter folds down to fit the envelope you mail it in.
- 6 business day standard turnaround with a 4-day rush, printed 4/0 or 4/4 and rated 4.8 out of 5 across 25 reviews.
Put Your Whole Pitch in the Mailbox
Custom direct mail letters are the long form of direct mail advertising printing: a full page sales letter, appeal or notice, printed full color and folded for an envelope. You choose from 4 sizes, 4 stocks and 9 folds, in runs of 500 to 25,000.
Where a postcard flashes a headline, a direct mail letter makes the full case. It carries the whole pitch, the sales offer, the fundraising appeal, the renewal notice, then folds down to slip inside an envelope and land in a mailbox, printed full color on one side or both, on the stock that fits the message. Runs of 500 start at $238.73, rated 4.8 out of 5 across 25 reviews, from a press that has run more than 10 billion pieces.
A full 8.5" x 11" page holds the offer, the reasons and the reply details, where a postcard holds a headline and a phone number. Want the letter to match your stationery? Browse the full range on letterheads printing, or stay here and build yours from the choices below.
A first run of 500 letters costs $238.73, enough to test one version of the letter on part of your list. A donor or customer list of 8,000 costs $779.35, under 10 cents a letter. The tiers below give the total at each of the 20 steps up to 25,000.
What Are Direct Mail Letters
Direct mail letters are printed letters made for mailing campaigns, produced full color in 4 sizes from 8.5" x 11" up to 11" x 17", on any of 4 paper stocks. Businesses reach for them when a postcard is too small to make the case: sales letters, fundraising appeals, renewal and billing notices, welcome packs, and announcements. Because a letter folds to fit a standard envelope, it arrives looking personal, the way important mail should. If a matching letterhead belongs in the same campaign, the Letterheads print on coordinating stock, and specialty pieces like Hotel Stationery round out the set.
For custom direct mail, you set the size (8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14", 9" x 12", 11" x 17" or a custom size up to 11" x 17"), one of the 4 stocks, 4/0 or 4/4 ink, flat or one of 9 folds, and a quantity from 500 to 25,000. Standard production is 6 business days. Upload your letter as a print-ready file, or build it on the blank template for your size.
What Size Should a Direct Mail Letter Be
Pick the size by the envelope you mail in. The standard 8.5" x 11" letter is the default and folds neatly into a #10 or 6" x 9" envelope. Step up to 8.5" x 14" legal when the letter runs long, or reach for 9" x 12" and 11" x 17" when a bigger sheet works as a self-mailer or holds more copy and imagery. All 4 sizes, both ink options, and the full stock list are grouped below exactly the way the live configurator presents them, so you know what you can change before you change it. You can also set a custom size to order up to 11" x 17".
Three choices decide how a mailed letter reads.
Pick a stock that fits the message
Stock sets the feel the moment the envelope opens. The 100# Gloss Text keeps color crisp and photo-friendly, the 100# Silk/Matte Text softens the sheen for copy-heavy letters, and the 70# Uncoated Text reads like classic letter paper, the closest to a typed personal note. When you want a heavier, more substantial piece, the 100# Gloss Cover steps the weight up. All four print full color. Choosing between the two softer sheets? Read matte vs uncoated paper and how each one takes ink.
Fold it to fit the envelope
A flat sheet is not a mailable letter until it folds. There are 9 folding options, including a half fold for a simple two-panel piece, a trifold that tucks into a #10 envelope, and a z-fold that opens like an accordion, plus six more for self-mailers and specialty layouts. Match the fold to your envelope first, since it drives how the letter reads when it lands.
Design it without a designer
Start from a layout in the letterhead design templates so the letter carries your logo and address block at the top, then set the colors and copy in the online editor. Keep the body in one readable column and put the reply details where the fold will not cut through them.
Already have your artwork? Skip the editor and download a press-ready blank instead. Each blank direct mail letter template is built at the real trim size with the bleed and safe margin already drawn in, so your design never crowds the cut or the fold. Grab the size that matches your order below, drop your art in, and upload.
Press-Ready Blank Templates
How Much Do Direct Mail Letters Cost
Direct mail letters start at $238.73 per 500, about 48 cents a letter, and the per-letter price keeps dropping as the quantity climbs toward 25,000. A run of 4,000 is $472.41, 8,000 is $779.35, and a full 25,000-letter drop is $1,716.60, which works out to under 7 cents a letter. So how many does your campaign actually need? Drag the slider below to set your count and watch both the run total and the true per-letter cost update live, then find the point where one more step up barely moves the budget.
Wally gets your whole campaign in the mail
Why 500 direct mail letters for $238.73 land in the right envelopes.
500 direct mail letters start at $238.73, about 48 cents each, and the price drops toward 7 cents a letter at 25,000. Pick a size, choose one of 9 folds so each letter fits its envelope, print full color on one side or both, and Wally sends your campaign out the door.
Can You Print Both Sides and Add a Fold
Yes to both. For ink you choose 4/0, full color on the front with a blank back to keep the cost down, or 4/4, full color on both sides when the reverse carries an offer, a map, a coupon, or a reply section. For shape you add one of 9 folds so the finished letter fits its envelope, from a simple half fold to a trifold or z-fold. With 4/4 and a trifold, one 8.5" x 11" sheet can carry the letter on one side and a reply form on the other. For a heavier stationery piece in the same campaign, the Church Letterhead is another option on coordinating stock.
How Do Direct Mail Letters Compare to Our Other Stationery
Weighing a mailing letter against a letterhead, hotel stationery or a church letterhead for the same campaign? The chart below lines up direct mail letters against their closest siblings so you can compare the starting price on each before you choose.
See How a Finished Letter Lands
Look at how each letter places its logo, its body copy and its fold lines in the prints below. Every one was printed in-house, across different sizes, stocks and folds. Tap any print to see it larger.
Real Letterheads Our Customers Printed
How Fast Can You Get Direct Mail Letters
Direct mail letters print on a 6 business day standard turnaround, and when a mail date sneaks up you can move to a 4 business day rush. Before anything prints, you choose how to check the file: go straight to production to save time, request a free online proof to approve the layout on screen, or order a next-day hardcopy proof to hold the real printed piece first. 99.8% of 4OVER4 orders arrive on time and 82% ship early, so you can plan a campaign drop date and trust it. For the wording of the letter itself, see our article on the direct mail advertising request.
See the Rest of Our Stationery
Direct mail letters are one stop in a much larger lineup, and you can scan the full print product range any time. For a matching letterhead, hotel stationery or a heavier stock, each card below opens its own product page with its starting price.
More From High-Quality Letterheads
Print Your Direct Mail Letters Today
At 4OVER4.COM, quality comes first, and it is backed by five guarantees and 25+ years of printing since 1999. Whatever size, stock, ink, or fold you pick, these direct mail letters are built to land in a mailbox looking like mail worth opening. Ordering by the hundreds for a real campaign? The price drops the more you print. Print your direct mail letters today.
Direct Mail Letters: Frequently Asked Questions
How many direct mail letters do I have to order at once?
The minimum run is 500 letters, starting at $238.73, which works out to roughly 48 cents a letter. The per-letter price slides toward about 7 cents as the run climbs to 25,000, so a larger mailing costs far less per household.
What sizes do these letters come in?
There are 4 sizes, from the standard 8.5 by 11 inch letter up to 11 by 17 inches, with 8.5 by 11 set as the default. Custom sizes are made to order if your envelope or insert calls for something different.
Which fold should I pick so the letter fits my envelope?
There are 9 folding options, including half fold, trifold and z-fold. A trifold on an 8.5 by 11 sheet is the usual choice for a standard business envelope, while a half fold suits a larger outer envelope or a heavier stock.
What paper are direct mail letters printed on?
Four stocks are available: 100# Gloss Text, 100# Silk/Matte Text, 70# Uncoated Text, and a heavier 100# Gloss Cover. Uncoated text reads like a typed personal letter, while the gloss and silk stocks suit a letter carrying product photos.
Can I print on both sides of the letter?
Yes. Letters run 4/0, full color on the front with a blank back, or 4/4, full color on both sides. Use 4/4 when the appeal needs a second page of copy, a reply section, or terms on the reverse.
How fast can a mailing be printed?
Standard turnaround is 6 business days, with a 4 day rush when the drop date is tight. A proof option is available in the order form so you can check the offer and the reply details before the run prints.
Questions about Direct Mail Letters? See answers
