This post contains an affiliate link. For more information, see my disclosures here.
Square cards can be fun to make and can help you make the most of your materials. However, square cards do cost more to mail. The reason for this is that square cards can’t be processed by an automatic sorting machine and must be processed by a postal worker.
There are a few options for mailing square cards:
Add an Additional Ounce Stamp
The post office sells an “additional ounce” stamps for letters that weigh over an ounce, and you can use these stamps with a regular first class stamp to reach the total for a square card. It’s a good idea to have some of these stamps on hand for rectangular cards that go over one ounce. However, having two stamps on an already small envelope can look a little crowded.
Use a Non-Machineable Surcharge Stamp
The post office sells “non-machinable surcharge” stamps for square cards. They are pretty, but if you don’t have any on hand, you’ll need to make a special trip to the post office.
Use a rectangular envelope
I’m always in a hurry to get cards in the mail, and I like this option uses what I have on hand and doesn’t require a special trip to the post office. Also, I don’t usually make envelopes for my cards, because I want to save time and because they quickly get tossed.
I always have A7 envelopes on hand for 5″x 7″ size cards. For a square card, I simply cut a piece of cardstock to place in the envelope to make it rigid and keep it from getting chewed up by the post office machine.
I either cut a 5″x7″ piece with a paper trimmer from a scrap, or use this Design Space file to cut two pieces from a letter size piece of cardstock with my Cricut.
The above post contains an affiliate link. For more information, please see my disclosures here.
Are you saying that, if you use a 5×7 envelope with a piece of cardboard in it, you can mail a square card with one first class stamp?
A 5×7 envelope that is one ounce or less can be mailed with a first class stamp. The piece of cardstock (not cardboard) keeps the envelope from getting chewed up in the postal machinery.