Mailpiece Design Guidance & Information

MailPiece Design Tips

If you do not wish to have Cornerstone design your materials, we have some minor but helpful thoughts to assist with creating a finished and winning design. We offer these points because up to one out of every seven to eight items, not designed by Cornerstone, arrives at our offices with a design flaw of some kind. Please allow us to help you:

Contact Us Before You Print: ather than give you the 1001 non-intuitive USPS rules and regulations, just show your assigned Project Manager your mailpiece prior to having it commercially printed (if you do not use our services for printing). We will review your pre-press artwork (a) to ensure optimal USPS deliverability as well as adherence to USPS postal regulations governing discounted mailings and (b) to avoid any mis-design aspects that could interfere with attainment of postal and automation discounts.

Special Non-Profit Org Requirements: There is a 100% chance that our non-profit rate presentment for you will be audited by the USPS. For example, your full name and street address must match exactly to the USPS files. The Non-Profit name must be displayed very specifically. Please have your Project Manager review your artwork so that we may give you the Mailer's thumbs up and prevent any heartach at the time of presentment.

Printing Using High-Glass Finish/Paper Coatings: Many inkjet inks used for addressing will not dry on coated paper stocks (plastic, high gloss, some satin, matted, non-acqueous, etc.). Please check with us before choosing a stock.

USPS Craves Uniformity: All mail pieces must be of identical weight, identically trimmed, printed on the same color of paper stock, folded/tabbed the same, etc. We take uniformity so seriously, the we do not even accept any materials printed/handled by either Staples or Office Depot for any reason.

Paperstock Colors: Always use a light-color paper stock. Dark paperstock colors, and some "bright" colors, such as red, orange, dark blue, may be incompatible with USPS regulations for attaining automation discounts.

CRST Terms and Conditions: If you received an estimate from us, you also may have received a Terms and Conditions document. Please review this carefully and feel free to ask a representative from Sales, Customer Service or Project Management explain this document in further detail.