Canada Post Letter Size: What Is It And How Can It Help You Save Money For Your Business?
Sending postal mail is a challenge to modern businesses that entirely depend on digital communication channels. Some companies back down from using postal mail for their marketing or communication as soon as they hear the mailing rates can change. It applies even if you use the wrong Canada Post letter size for business letters.
But is the Canada Post standard letter size that crucial? And what is the best way to ensure that you always use the appropriate size letter for your business? These are some of the questions that burden businesses, and here we provide an answer to all of them.
What Is The Standard Canada Post Letter Size?
Canada Post offers a variety of postal mail services to its customers. It provides specialized services for individuals and business organizations.
The mailing service uses letters of different sizes across its numerous postal services. Defining a single Canada Post letter size for your business letter is not possible. The mailer size can vary from one postal service to another.
However, most business organizations and individuals use Canada Post Lettermail or Letter-post services for their marketing and communication needs. You will likely need only these Canada Post services for sending your business mailers. Both services are similar, including their Canada Post letter size or dimensions.
What Is Canada Post Lettermail Service?
Canada Post Lettermail service is one of the most cost-effective ways to send your business letters in Canada. It is ideal for sending business correspondence, billing statements, invoices, and even personal messages. The Canada Post letter mail size can vary depending on your correspondence type.
Examples of Lettermail include letters, postcards, self-mailers, and similar communications. Business organizations can send quarterly, semi-annually, or annual reports via Canada Post Lettermail. That’s not all. You can also send invoices and receipts via Lettermail. It means there is a Canada Post letter mail size for sending each of these printed materials.
Besides the items we discussed above, you can also send CDs, DVDs, flexible magnets, Etc using the Canada Post Lettermail service. So, the Canada Post letter mail size is also perfect for sending tiny promo materials like flexible magnets.
Types Of Canada Post Lettermail
Canada Post Lettermail falls into two categories: Standard Lettermail and Others. The “Other” category of Canada Post Lettermail includes Oversize and Non-standard Lettermail. As you can guess, the Canada Post Oversize Lettermail size differs from the Standard Lettermail size.
The Canada Post letter size varies between these postal mail services. So, you must understand the distinction between different types of mailers. Below, we briefly discuss the Canada Post Lettermail types you can use for business correspondence.
Standard Lettermail
Canada Post Standard Lettermail includes any mailers that meet a specific size requirement put forward by Canada Post. Suppose the Post letter size is outside the limits set by the postal service provider. In that case, it can become Non-standard or Oversize mail.
Other Lettermail
As we discussed, the Other Lettermail includes both Non-standard and Oversize Lettermail. These mailers do not qualify as Standard Lettermail because the Canada Post letter size of Other Lettermail differs. However, your business mailer must remain within the maximum size requirements of Canada Post to consider it an Other Lettermail.
Canada Post Letter Size For Lettermail
Canada Post has a size and weight specification for all mailing services, including the Lettermail service. As we discussed above, there are two primary categories or types of Canada Post Lettermail – Standard and Other Lettermail. The standard Canada Post letter size for both types of Lettermail is different.
Canada Post Letter Size And Weight For Standard Lettermail
According to the standards set by Canada Post, a Standard Lettermail must not weigh more than 50 grams. Canada Post also specifies the minimum and maximum Post letter size for Standard Lettermail. The following table shows the size range for Canada Post to consider your mailer as a Standard Lettermail.
| Canada Post Letter Size For Standard Lettermail | |||
| Dimension | Length | Width | Thickness |
| Minimum | 140 mm (5.6 inches) | 90 mm (3.6 inches) | 0.18 mm (0.007 inches) |
| Maximum | 245 mm (9.6 inches) | 156 mm (6.1 inches) | 5 mm (0.2 inches) |
Imagine that the letter size on your business mailer exceeds the maximum limit specified by Canada Post. In that case, Canada Post will automatically assume your mailer as a Parcel. You may have to pay much larger postage for the mail.
For a standard-size mailer, you only need to use a single stamp for sending the mailer. Use Standard Lettermail for sending your business mailers because it is the most cost-effective way to send letters. It would be best to take special care to maintain the Canada Post letter size below the maximum allowable limit for Standard Lettermail.
Canada Post Letter Size And Weight For Other Lettermail
Other Lettermail includes both Non-standard and Oversize Lettermail. The benefit of using Other Lettermail for sending you business mailers is that you can send mail weighing as high as 500g. As you can expect, the maximum Canada Post letter size for Other Lettermail is also higher than Standard Lettermail.
The maximum allowable weight for Other Lettermail is significantly higher than Standard Lettermail. You can use Other Lettermail for your business correspondence if you have something relatively heavy to send. As the Canada Post letter mail size increases, the price also increases.
Individually, the price difference may seem insignificant. But if your business sends bulk mail, the cost difference between sending Standard Lettermail and Other Lettermail can be significantly big. The following table shows the maximum and minimum Canada Post letter size allowable for Other Lettermail.
| Canada Post Letter Size For Other Lettermail | |||
| Dimension | Length | Width | Thickness |
| Minimum | 140 mm (5.6 inches) | 90 mm (3.6 inches) | 0.18 mm (0.007 inches) |
| Maximum | 380 mm (14.9 inches) | 270 mm (10.6 inches) | 20 mm (0.8 inches) |
It is worth noting that Other Lettermail also has a minimum weight requirement. A Non-standard Lettermail must weigh at least 3g, and an Oversize Lettermail must weigh at least 5g. It is critical to note the weight and Canada Post letter mail size requirements.
Suppose your business mailer exceeds the Canada Post letter mail size requirement mentioned above. In that case, Canada Post will no longer consider your mail as a Lettermail, and you may need to pay much higher postage for your mailers.
What Are The Requirements For Sending Canada Post Lettermail?
Canada Post puts forward a set of requirements for sending Lettermail for your business. These additional requirements are beside the Canada Post letter size standard discussed above. It involves specifics about the Standard Lettermail envelopes and self-mailers. For instance, Canada Post requires you to seal all sides of the envelope or self-mailer you send as Lettermaill.
You may have to pay higher postage for some of your business mailers if you do not enclose them in an envelope. The different or higher mail price applies to brochures, newsletters, and folded printed materials not enclosed within an envelope. You must know the Canada Post letter size you want to use so that you can pick the appropriate envelope for it.
The Sag Test
Those who use Canada Post Lettermail must also ensure that it does not sag more than 22 mm at the center when placed on two levels.
You can place the two supports less than 10 mm from the right and left edges of the mailer. The Canada Post letter size you choose can influence the sag, and you may have to pay a higher postage. It is always best to use standard mail sizes to avoid such issues.
The Graphics Placement On The Mailer
One of the best ways to attract the attention of the mail recipient with your business mailer is to use graphics to make it stand out. You can also try using an odd Canada Post letter size to make it more appealing, but the graphic element typically works better.
But Canada Post requirements stop you from going wild with the graphics on your business Lettermail. One of the requirements for Standard Lettermail is the positioning of graphics. According to Canada Post, you can only place the graphics or printing if it’s less than 19mm high.
The distance is measured from the letter’s right edge and along the bottom of the letter. You can not print anything, including graphics, in the letter area reserved for postage. Using business mailers with Canada Post standard letter size is essential to assess where you must not print anything.
That’s not all. Besides abiding with all the requirements from Canada Post, including the Canada Post standard letter size, you must also ensure the Lettermail has secure wrapping. The wrapping helps you prevent undesirable situations such as the following.
- Prevent loss or damage to the mailer item.
- Prevent your mailers from damaging the postal equipment,
As discussed above, Canada Post letter size requirements and the additional requirements. There are some regulatory requirements for Standard Lettermail. These regulatory requirements apply specifically for mailers you pay for via postage meter or postal indicia.
How To Ensure The Right Canada Post Letter Size For Your Business Mailers?
There are a few ways to ensure that your business organization always uses the right Canada Post letter size for its mailers. One is always to check the mailer you send manually, but it is not practical to do that. There are better approaches than a manual approach for bulk mailing your business letters.
Print And Mail Automation
It is best to automate the process to ensure your business letter is the correct size for Canada Post. Print and mail solution like PostGrid always uses standard-size mailers or materials for your business mail.
Manually checking the Canada Post letter size for your business mailers is not practical. You can only sometimes match your letter size with the standard size when sending a letter to your customers or business partners. And it’s not just about picking the right size for your business mailers.
Advanced print and mail automation tools like PostGrid streamline all aspects of your business mailers. It includes everything from using the right Canada Post letter size to printing standardized addresses. As a result, Canada Post Can quickly process your mailers and send them to their destinations.
It significantly speeds up your mailing process, and the delivery time for your postcards and other mailers is minimal. Furthermore, automation ensures no manual error in your mailing process. Even manually measuring the mailer’s dimensions and ensuring it has the Canada post standard letter size can go wrong sometimes. A tool like PostGrid eliminates all such risks.
PostGrid even gives you access to a FREE template gallery and editor to design your business letters. You can also upload an original design template and use it to print and mail business letters. Bulk mailing letters and ensuring the Canada Post standard letter size are accessible using PostGrid. You can use a CSV file with the recipients’ addresses and a letter template to quickly send bulk mail.
Do you want to learn how you can send your business letters with the accurate Canada Post letter size using automation? Talk to our experts now!
