Information about print messages

To ensure that printing, packaging and dispatch run smoothly, print messages must comply with Deutsche Post AG's standards for automated letter delivery. Failure to comply with these standards may result in letters being undeliverable. See automated mail delivery (in German).

Always check the final layout of your print mailing using the Letter DIN A4 (PDF) / Postcard DIN A6 (PDF) / Postcard DIN lang (PDF) / Postcard DIN lang in envelope (PDF) / Postcard Maxi (PDF) button. The editor preview may ignore settings that lead to incorrect displays in the print mailing.

Print recipient lists

Print messages can only be delivered if the recipient's full postal address is provided. Print recipient lists contain mandatory and optional fields. The following list shows these fields.

Field name	Optional/mandatory	Notes
Title	optional
First name	optional
Last name	mandatory	If you want to use only the company name for business addresses (without providing the name of a staff member), enter it here.
Extra address line	optional	If this is a business address and you entered a staff member's name in the last name field, enter company name in this field. The letter cannot be delivered without this.
Street	mandatory	Mandatory field along with Number. The Street and number field and PO box must be left empty.
Number	mandatory	Mandatory field along with Street. The Street and number field and PO box must be left empty.
Street and number	optional	When using this field, the Street, Number and PO box fields must be left empty.
PO Box	optional	When using this field, the Street, Number and Street and number fields must be left empty.
Postcode	mandatory	The postcode must consist of 5 digits. For example, 10179.
Town/City	mandatory
Country code	mandatory	For country code, enter DE. Mail can only be sent within Germany.

Dispatch Types

• Cheap dispatch is only permitted for purely promotional communication (for example, direct suggestions to buy, offers, or calls for donations). The delivery is generally made within six working days from when the mailing starts.

  A minimum of 500 dispatches is required to send a print message of the delivery type cheap dispatch.

• Fast dispatch is selected by default. The delivery is typically made within two working days if the mailing starts before 20:00 h (CET). Delivery may happen on the third working day in exceptional cases or if the mailing starts after 20:00 h.
• Delivery times specified are for guidance only. They may vary for individual items. When sending letters (such as birthday cards) by post, there is no guarantee that they will be delivered on a specific day.

Images and graphics

• You can use images and graphics in GIF, PNG, JPG and TIFF formats, but best print results are in JPG or TIFF formats.
• Borderless background images require an overflow of 2 mm. For example, to print a borderless image on a DIN A6 postcard (148.5 mm x 105 mm), upload a graphic measuring 152.5 mm x 109 mm.
• The front side of postcards and the header on letters are divided into zones which are subject to a few restrictions on font, color, symbols and images. These are explained in the following section.
• Upload images and graphics in a resolution from 150 dpi to 300 dpi. The maximum allowed file size in both cases in 8 MB.

Colors

• Printing uses four-color, laser printing.
• Both RGB and CMYK color spaces are supported for images, graphics, and font colors. Images, graphics, and font colors are converted to CMYK for printing.
• On-screen view uses RGB. Color variations may occur between what is seen on screen and the actual print. Perform a test print and a test dispatch to check the colors on the print.
• If you are using images, graphics and font colors in RGB, these require an embedded color profile to ensure the conversion can be done correctly. You can use any RGB color profile for this. Conversion to CMYK is carried out automatically by Optimizely Campaign into the ISO Coated v2 (ECI) ICC profile with a "perceptive" rendering intent.
• If you are using CMYK images and graphics, these must be created with the ISO Coated v2 (ECI) ICC profile and the color profile embedded in the file.

Print formats and dimensions

• Each print format has its own template. Only templates that fit the selected format are available from the Start tab.
• If you select the DIN A4 letter format, the editor shows dotted lines at the points where the letter is folded to fit into the envelope. DIN A4 letters are folded using a letter fold.
• Specify distances and margins in centimeters (cm). Do not provide measurements in pixels (px).
• Specify font sizes and line heights in points (pt). Do not provide measurements in pixels (px).
• The following dimensions and distances apply (mm):
  • Letter DIN A4
  • Postcard DIN A6
  • Postcard DIN lang

Letter DIN A4

The letter DIN A4 is printed on white paper (90 gsm, matt profi silk) using four-color laser printing. Borderless print (background graphics) is possible. Letterheads (that is, the area above the first fold) have the following dimensions and limitations:

• E. This area contains the recipient's address, the sender's address and the electronic franking code A code on mailing envelopes that is read by machines to calculate postage.. The letter is inserted into a white envelope with a window. The recipient area is visible through the window. The distance from the top edge is 50 mm and from the left is 20 mm. The areas around the recipient area can be filled with any text and graphics. These areas are not visible once the letter is in the envelope and ready for postage.

  

The envelopes used for dispatch are 144 x 229 mm with a paper quality of 75 g/m. The address window is 45 x 90 mm. The window position is 20 mm from the left and 15 mm from the bottom.

Postcard DIN A6

The postcard DIN A6 is printed on white paper (300 gsm, matt profi silk) using four-color laser printing. Borderless print (background graphics) is possible. The front side of a postcard has the following dimensions and limitations:

• F. Automatic franking is done in the recipient zone, so the franking area can remain empty or optionally contain a graphic or background color. Graphics in this area may not contain alphanumeric characters or codes (for example, QR codes). No text is permitted in the franking area. You can optionally place a franking wave here (also with your own design).
• C. The coding area may not contain text, graphics, or background colors.
• L. The reading area may contain text and graphics without restrictions. Borderless graphics require a 2 mm overflow.
• A. The address area contains the recipient's address, the sender's address, and the electronic franking code. The width of the address area is 70 mm. A distance of 5 mm must be kept from the right edge and the separator line.

Postcard DIN lang

The postcard DIN lang is printed on white paper (300 gsm, matt profi silk) using four-color laser printing. The front side of a postcard has the following dimensions and limitations:

• F. Automatic franking is done in the recipient zone, so the franking area can remain empty or optionally contain a graphic or background color. Graphics in this area may not contain alphanumeric characters or codes (for example, QR codes). No text is permitted in the franking area. You can optionally place a franking wave here (also with your own design).
• C. The coding area may not contain text, graphics or background colors.
• L. The reading area may contain both text and graphics without restrictions. Borderless graphics require a 2 mm overflow.
• A. The address area contains the recipient's address, the sender's address, and the electronic franking code. The width of the address area is 70 mm. A distance of 5 mm must be kept from the right edge and the separator line.

Franking wave (postcards only)

You can place a franking wave in the franking area (F) on postcards. The franking wave can be combined with the automated franking in the address area (A). In addition to the franking wave and the mandatory information, you can provide a custom motif (for example, an image). The minimum distance for the franking (wave and image) from the top and right edges is 3 mm.

Cut tolerance (postcards only)

The cut tolerance for postcards is approximately 1.5 mm. To avoid cutting out text or images, set safe margins for text and images.