- If 100 lb is not a chip, notes do not create it.
- Quote the live postcard form. No invented dollar.
- Postage is separate from print and from Ground.
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Answer first: 100 lb cover is a stock choice, not a magic mail pass. If the CheapFAST postcard printing form shows that stock, select it and read the packed total. If it does not, do not write 100 lb in the note and hope. We do not invent a postcard dollar or a 100 lb upcharge on this guide.
Take Chris who specified 100 lb because a blog said mail likes cover. The form he opened sold a different cover chip. He selected the enabled stock, re-read FREE ground and the packed total, and stopped arguing with a note field. The mail class still needed its own postage budget.
When thicker stock helps
| Job | Thicker cover | Thinner stock |
|---|---|---|
| Mailbox handling | Often feels sturdier | Can curl or crease |
| Handout at a table | Nice, not required | Often enough |
| Full-bleed dark art | Ask if the chip holds ink | Show-through risk |
| Price | Read the form after you click it | Read the form after you click it |
How to specify stock without lying
Open postcards. Set size first. Open the paper or cover list. If you see the weight you need, select it. Read print, FREE ground, packed total. If you do not see 100 lb, pick the closest enabled chip or stop. Notes do not invent weights.
Ground free is about shipping the carton to you. It is not a stock discount and not postage.
Mail class still rules
A thick card can change postage. That change is at the post office, not in our FREE ground line. Confirm weight and size with current postal rules yourself. We print the chip you selected. See the mailing compliance guide before you drop a thousand.
Scenario: two stocks, one photo
Take a photographer who quoted the enabled cover and a lighter chip for the same image. The thicker chip cost more print. Ground stayed FREE on both when Ground was selected. He kept the thicker chip because the lighter one showed through. The form, not a blog, set the dollars.
EDDM is not a stock note
Every Door Direct Mail has its own size and stock rules and its own form at EDDM postcards. Do not order regular postcards and write make them EDDM on 100 lb. Open the EDDM path if that is the drop.
One mistake that wastes thick-stock budgets
Ordering a weight the form does not sell is the expensive mistake. Another is covering the address zone because the stock felt premium. Another is assuming free Ground means the post office carries it free. Fix the chip. Then the file. Then postage.
Related floors that are not postcard stock
Flyers from $40.34 and cards from $36.53 with FREE ground as of 2026-09-18 are other products. Do not average them into a 100 lb postcard rumor.
Ink coverage on the listed chip
A heavy photo can show through a light listed stock and sit fine on a heavier listed stock. Quote both if both are on the form. Look at a sample if you have one. Do not invent a third weight in the note because a forum said 100 lb. If 100 lb is the name of a listed chip, select that name and read the total. If it is only a forum name, it is not a CheapFAST promise.
Mail class still owns postage. Tell the client the print total and the postage total as separate lines. Thick paper that changes the stamp is their meter conversation. Our FREE ground line does not move because they picked a heavier listed cover. It moves only if they open air or the form stops showing FREE.
Reorder from the job folder label you copied off the form, then still open the form. Retired chips do not come back because a PDF name mentions them. Select what is enabled today. Accept that packed total. Clear the address zone. Then upload.
Reorder the chip you can see
Write the stock name from the form onto the job folder, not the blog name 100 lb, unless those words are exactly what you clicked. Next season, select that same listed chip and re-read the total. If the list renamed the weight, you are in a new quote, not a broken promise. Notes will not restore a retired chip.
Keep one mailed sample. If it scuffed, move to a listed upgrade and accept the new print line. If it survived, do not pay for a heavier chip you cannot select. Address clarity still beats weight. A thick card with type in the barcode zone is still a failed drop.
Feel test without a fake weight
If you can hold a sample of the enabled cover, do that before you scale. Blogs that say 100 lb is the only mail stock go stale and may not match our chip list. The form is the list. Select a listed weight. Read the new packed total. Ground stays FREE when Ground is selected. The print line moves. That is expected.
Show-through on a dark full-bleed back is a reason to move up a listed cover, not a reason to type 100 lb into notes. If the darker chip is not listed, stop or accept the listed one. Do not discover the mismatch after checkout.
Postage can move when stock moves
Thicker paper can change the stamp. That is a post office question. Write it in the postage column. Do not hide it inside FREE ground. FREE ground only ships the carton to your door. See the mailing compliance guide before the drop. Address zones still matter more than weight. A perfect cover with art in the barcode area still fails.
EDDM has its own form. Do not order regular postcards and write 100 lb EDDM. Open EDDM postcards and read that packed total if the drop is carrier-route.
Two quotes, one photo
Quote the lighter listed chip and the thicker listed chip the same morning. Keep the photo identical. Pick with your eyes and the two totals. Do not average them. Do not average in flyers from $40.34 or cards from $36.53. Those are other products. Pay Later is for the payer, on checkout, not in the art note.
Name the PDF with the stock you selected so a later reorder does not silently switch chips. Re-read the form anyway. Lists change. Notes do not freeze last year's weight.
Do you print 100 lb cover postcards?
Only if that weight is a chip on the live postcard form the morning you order. Select it and read the packed total. If it is not listed, notes do not create it. We do not invent a 100 lb price on this guide. Pick an enabled stock or wait. Gray chips are not for sale.
Does thicker stock include postage?
No. Stock changes the print line when you select it. FREE ground ships the carton to you. Postage is a separate post office or meter receipt. A thicker card can even change the stamp. Confirm mail class yourself. Do not hide postage inside a stock conversation.
Will 100 lb guarantee delivery?
No. Stock is feel and durability. Delivery depends on address quality, mail class, and postal rules. A perfect cover weight with art in the barcode zone still fails. Clear the address side. Export PDF Print. Then quote. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip on the form matches the number you approved.
Is ground free on thick postcards?
Yes on Ground when the form shows FREE, including rural ZIPs. Air prices from the ZIP after you open it. Stock does not turn air into free ground. Leave the ZIP closed unless you clicked air. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip on the form matches the number you approved.
Should I use EDDM for 100 lb cards?
Only on the EDDM form, and only if that form enables the stock and size you need. Notes on regular postcards do not invent EDDM. Read that form's packed total separately. Do not assume a cover weight from this page exists there.
Can I write the weight in the note if the chip is missing?
No. Production runs enabled chips. A note that says 100 lb on a lighter chip is how you get the lighter chip and an argument. If the weight matters, wait until the form lists it or pick the closest enabled cover and accept that total.
What file matches a thick card?
The same PDF Print rule: exact inches, bleed, address side clear. Thickness does not fix a soft JPG. Keep type out of the barcode zone. Open the file on a second device before you upload so the plate matches the stock you selected.
Where do I start?
Open postcard printing, set size, open the stock list, select a real chip, and read the packed total with FREE ground. Pay Later is available on checkout when you need it. Budget postage in another column. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip on the form matches the number you approved.
Related: postcard mailing checklist or circle prospecting postcards.