- Brief the chip inches before the art.
- Address side stays clear. Postage is separate.
- No invented postcard dollar. Quote the form.
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Answer first: the best postcard brief is short enough that a designer and a printer cannot disagree. Size chip, one claim, one next step, and a clear address side. CheapFAST postcard printing then shows a packed print total with free ground to your door when air stays closed. We do not invent a postcard dollar. Stamps are not in that number.
Take Lila who sent a designer a paragraph that said make it pop and eco. The file came back as a square with no address zone. She rewrote the brief to inches, one offer, and a blank address side, exported PDF Print, and quoted the live form. The second file mailed. The first file was a mood, not a brief.
Brief fields that matter
| Field | Write this | Not this |
|---|---|---|
| Size | The form chip in inches | Postcard-ish |
| Claim | One sentence | Five benefits |
| Next step | One URL or phone | Three QR codes |
| Address side | Keep the zone empty | Full-bleed photo |
| Postage | Separate budget | Assumed free because Ground is free |
Eco language without a fake stock
If the client wants a recycled or lighter sheet, select a stock the form actually lists. Notes do not invent an eco coating. If the chip is not there, say so in the brief. A brief that promises a paper we do not sell creates a reprint argument. Quote the listed chip and read FREE ground and the packed total.
EDDM is a different form. If the brief says every door, open EDDM postcards. Do not write EDDM on a regular postcard note.
What the designer delivers
PDF Print at the chip, bleed on, type inside safety, address side clear. Not a social JPG. Not a shared link. One owner exports. The printer quotes after that file exists. Changing the claim after the quote means a new PDF and a new glance at the total.
Scenario: two audiences, one photo
Take an agent with a farm list and a past-client list. Two briefs if the offer differs. Two forms if one drop is EDDM and one is stamped. One photo can be shared. One note that says use the right list cannot. Postage stays off both print totals. See the mailing compliance guide before the drop.
One mistake that wastes a brief
Writing make it eco and pop with no inches is the expensive mistake. Another is covering the barcode zone because the photo was pretty. Another is treating free Ground as free postage. Flyers from $40.34 are not postcards. Cards from $36.53 are not the mailed piece.
How many words the brief needs
One page. Size, claim, next step, quantity, mail class, stock chip if listed, and who approves. Mood boards can sit behind that page. They do not replace it. The client signs the live form screenshot plus the postage estimate, not the mood board.
Read the brief out loud to the client in under a minute. If you need a second page to explain the mood, the brief is not ready. Inches, claim, next step, quantity, mail class, listed stock or none. That is the minute. Then the form. Then the postage line. Design hours start after that minute, not before.
Keep the signed screenshot with the PDF. When someone asks what we approved, you have the chip and the total, not a memory of a meeting. Reorders start from that pair. They do not start from the mood board.
Brief rejection list
Send the brief back when it says postcard-ish, make it pop, or any eco paper you cannot click. Send it back when the address side is a full-bleed photo. Send it back when postage is described as included because ground shipping is free. Those three rejects prevent the reprints that mood boards cause. A one-page brief with inches, one claim, one next step, quantity, and mail class is enough to quote.
After approval, the producer screenshots the live form. The designer does not email a new link the night before press. One PDF. One total. One postage line. If the client changes the offer, stop and export again. Plates do not read Slack.
What eco is allowed to mean
Eco in a brief may mean fewer words, a listed stock, or a smaller quantity that matches a real list. It may not mean a paper the form does not sell. Write the stock name you clicked, not a forum name. If the client wants a claim you cannot print, say no before design hours pile up. The brief protects the designer and the printer from a mood.
Quantity belongs in the brief. A cleaned mailing list plus a small spare for spoils. Not the whole city. Postage sits in its own line so an eco paper conversation cannot hide a stamp bill. FREE ground only brings the carton to the office that will meter. Seeds to your own address are part of the count. They are not free extras.
Handoff from designer to quote
The designer delivers one PDF Print. The producer opens the postcard form, confirms inches, and screenshots print, FREE ground, and the packed total. The client signs that screenshot plus the postage estimate. A mood board signature does not approve print. If the photo changes, recheck the address zone before anyone pays.
Two offers mean two briefs. A farm EDDM drop and a past-client stamped drop do not share a note. Open EDDM postcards for the farm. Open postcards for the stamped list. Flyers from $40.34 are handouts. Do not brief them as mail. Cards from $36.53 are leave-behinds. Three lines, three forms, no blended eco package.
What should a postcard design brief include?
The exact size chip in inches, one claim, one next step, quantity, and a note that the address side stays clear. Say which stock chip is actually on the form if stock matters. Do not write make it pop with no inches. Quote CheapFAST after the PDF exists. We do not invent a postcard dollar on this page. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip matches the number you approved.
Does an eco brief change the price?
Only if you select a different listed stock. Notes do not invent recycled coatings. Open the postcard form, click a real chip, and read the packed total with FREE ground. If the eco paper is not listed, the brief must not promise it. Postage stays a separate column. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip matches the number you approved.
Is postage in the postcard quote?
No. FREE ground ships the carton to you. Stamps, meters, and permits are extra. Write both numbers. Do not average them into one postcard price. EDDM uses the EDDM form, not a note on this one. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip matches the number you approved.
Can the designer send a Canva link?
No. Export PDF Print at the chip and upload the file. Share links change after the quote. Soft JPGs fail. The brief should say PDF Print so the designer does not deliver a social square. Check the address zone after every photo swap. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip matches the number you approved.
How is this different from a flyer brief?
Flyers from $40.34 with FREE ground as of 2026-09-18 are handouts. Postcards need a mail side. Do not brief a flyer and write mail it. Open the postcard form for mailed cards. Size chips differ. Notes do not crop letter into a postcard. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip matches the number you approved.
Who approves the brief?
Name one client approver. They should see the claim, the size, the print total, and the postage estimate. A group chat is not approval. When the claim changes, export again and re-read the form. Plates follow the PDF, not the chat. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip matches the number you approved.
What if we mail EDDM?
Open EDDM postcards and brief that size and those rules. Do not brief a stamped postcard and hope a note converts it. Artwork still needs the clear zones that mail scanning expects. Quote that form separately. Ground to your office is still not postage. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip matches the number you approved.
Where do I start?
Write the one-page brief, export PDF Print, open postcard printing, and read the packed total. Pay Later is available on checkout when an agency bills later. Keep postage in a second line the client can see. Re-read the live packed total the morning you buy so the chip matches the number you approved.
Related: postcard mailing checklist or circle prospecting postcards.