How to Save Money on Postage
If your business regularly sends letters or direct mail campaigns, you’ll know postage is the single biggest area where you can save money on your bulk mail. Stamping and franking is time-consuming and costly, and once it becomes impractical you need a better solution: The Direct Mail Company’s bulk postage discounts achieve the lowest postal costs for UK and international mailings, guaranteed cheaper than stamps and franking for volumes of 500+ items. This article explains how the savings work, how collections operate, and the address specifications your mail must meet to qualify.
| Quick Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Minimum volume | 500+ letters in one mailing |
| Guarantee | Cheaper than stamping and franking your mail |
| How it works | DSA carriers (Citipost, Whistl, UK Mail) sort your mail before Royal Mail delivers it |
| Collections | Same-day courier, with one-off, daily or weekly collections available |
| Addressing | We can apply addresses and the discounted postage indicia for you |
| Contact | 0333 038 3797 or sales@thedirectmailcompany.co.uk |
Save Money With Bulk Postage Rates
If your business is looking at sending more than 500 letters in one go, we can help you save money on postage. Fill in the quotation form below with your requirements, and one of our sales team will get back to you with a quote within minutes – see how much you could save on your postage today.
How Do We Get Postage Cheaper Than Stamps and Franking?
The Direct Mail Company is a professional mailing house offering 5-star customer service and specialising in cheap bulk postage rates. If you currently stamp or frank your mail, we guarantee to be cheaper, making us a great alternative to Royal Mail for letters. Due to the high volume of mail we send each year, we secure the lowest possible rates on bulk postage by using third-party DSA carriers such as Citipost, Whistl and UK Mail. These companies complete the sortation for Royal Mail, leaving Royal Mail no sortation work to do – which is how we access lower postage rates than franking and stamping. It is simply more cost-effective to send your mail in bulk at these rates.
How Do Collections Work?
Whether you have a one-off mailing or would like daily or weekly collections from your address, we can help you save money on your postage. Our same-day courier collects your mail and brings it directly to us, and we are happy to apply the addresses and the cheaper postage indicia for you.
Bulk Postage Address Specifications: The Machine-Readable Checklist
If you apply your own addresses, your bulk postage collection must adhere to the specifications below – failure to do so could incur additional postage charges, and we reserve the right to pass on charges where the wrong mail specification has been declared. Contact your account manager if you’re unsure whether your mail is machine-readable.
- Machine-readable fonts only – Use generic, sans-serif fonts such as Arial, OCR, Calibri, Tahoma or Verdana. No handwriting, italics, bold, or serif fonts (those with small lines, strokes or tails).
- Uppercase postcodes – Every character of the postcode must be uppercase, with no exceptions. All other address fields should be title case.
- One line per address element – Each line of the address on its own line, with the postcode as the final line, no blank lines between address lines, and the whole block left-justified.
- No punctuation – None is permitted in the address, except within job titles.
- Straight labels – Address labels must be applied straight, with less than 5% skew. It is generally better to print the address directly onto the envelope.
- Character spacing – A fixed pitch of 10 to 12 characters per inch (or 10–12 point size), with clear vertical gaps of at least 0.25mm between adjacent characters.
- Line spacing – Uniform spacing between all address lines of at least 1mm and no more than 4mm.
- Clear zone – A white clear zone of 5mm all around the address, with nothing else infringing on the address area.
- Flexible mailpacks – The mailpack must pass an S test: card-backed or rigid envelopes cannot be machine processed.
Saving Money on Postage: Frequently Asked Questions
How can my business save money on postage?
Send in bulk through a mailing house: from 500+ items, DSA-sorted bulk postage is guaranteed cheaper than stamping or franking your mail.
Why is bulk postage cheaper than franking?
DSA carriers like Citipost, Whistl and UK Mail complete the sortation before handing mail to Royal Mail, and that saved sortation work is returned as a postage discount that beats franked rates.
Do I have to deliver my mail to you?
No – our same-day courier collects from your address, as a one-off or on a daily or weekly schedule, and we can apply the addresses and postage indicia for you.
What happens if my addresses aren’t machine-readable?
Mail that doesn’t meet the machine-readable specifications – correct fonts, uppercase postcodes, straight labels, proper spacing and a flexible mailpack – can incur additional postage charges, so check with your account manager first.
What is the minimum volume for bulk postage savings?
500+ items in one mailing qualifies for our guaranteed-cheaper bulk postage rates.
How do I get a postage quote?
Fill in the quotation form above, call 0333 038 3797, or email sales@thedirectmailcompany.co.uk – our sales team replies within minutes.
