If you’re running direct mail—or thinking about it—you need to know what’s about to hit.
USPS is dropping a round of rate changes and promotional updates in July 2025. It’s going to affect how much you pay to send postcards, catalogs, letters, and more.
And yeah, it’s a bit of a mess if you don’t plan ahead.
So here’s the breakdown of what’s changing and what to do about it.
First, the Rate Hikes
Let’s get the bad news out of the way.
Starting July 14, 2025, USPS is raising prices again. Most mailers will see increases across the board. Here’s the short version:
- First-Class stamps: going from 68¢ to 73¢
- First-Class postcards: going from 53¢ to 56¢
- Marketing Mail letters: about a 5–7% bump
- Marketing Mail flats: about 7–9% more expensive
These aren’t minor tweaks. If you’re sending thousands of pieces a month, these changes add up.
According to the USPS official notice, these rate hikes are part of an “ongoing strategy to achieve financial stability.”
Cool story. But for businesses, it just means more cost.
Here’s a quick visual breakdown of the changes by class and product type:
The Good News: 2025 Promo Discounts Are Still On
USPS is keeping its lineup of mailing promotions. And that’s where the savings are.
If you do it right, these promos can help you offset the new rate hikes.
Here are the ones that matter most for FMC Printing clients:
1. Tactile, Sensory, and Interactive Mail (Feb–July)
Yeah, it sounds fancy—but it just means cool textures or creative elements in your print. Think:
- Soft-touch coatings
- Embossing
- Unique folds
- Scented paper (yes, really)
Discount: Up to 5% off Marketing Mail
2. Emerging & Advanced Tech (March–August)
This is for mailers using AR, QR codes, or other digital integrations. Like sending a mailer that links to a video or uses voice response.
Discount: Up to 3% off Marketing Mail and First-Class
3. Reply Mail IMbA (July–December)
IMbA = Intelligent Mail barcode Accounting. If you’re sending reply pieces (like bill payments or RSVPs) this one’s for you.
Discount: 3% on qualifying Business Reply Mail
4. Informed Delivery (August–December)
This one is huge. If you haven’t used it yet, now’s the time.
Informed Delivery lets recipients get a digital preview of your mail before it hits their mailbox. You can include clickable content (images, CTAs) that show up in their daily USPS email.
Discount: 4% off eligible mailings
According to USPS data, Informed Delivery emails have an open rate of 67%.
That’s bananas compared to email open rates.
What This Means for Local Businesses in DFW
If you’re a small business mailing to Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Richardson—basically anywhere in the Dallas area—these changes matter.
You already deal with:
- Tight margins
- Seasonal shifts
- Local competition
A few cents per piece might not sound like much, but if you’re sending out 10,000 postcards, that’s hundreds of dollars.
You need to get smart about:
- Which USPS promo fits your campaign
- Timing your mail drop to match promo windows
- Designing mail that qualifies
That’s where we come in.
How FMC Printing Can Help You Save (and Stay Ahead)
We’re not just pressing “print” and sending your stuff off.
We:
- Watch the USPS calendar so you don’t have to
- Adjust layouts and coatings to fit promo rules
- Coordinate mail drops around discount windows
- Help with QR code setup for tech-enabled mail
And yeah—we’ve done this for years with restaurants, dentists, med spas, roofers, gyms, and more across DFW.
Don’t Just Eat the Rate Hike
If you do nothing, you’ll just pay more.
If you plan a little, you can:
- Use USPS promos to reduce your per-piece cost
- Stand out with better design (which you should do anyway)
- Reach your customers smarter—not just louder
Need a few ideas to start with? Here’s what we’re seeing work well lately:
- Loyalty mailers with punch card stickers
- Mini-menus with soft-touch coating
- New location announcements with QR code tour videos
- Seasonal promos with scratch-offs or folded formats
If you want more examples of how smart print strategy connects with real customers—especially in food and service industries—this breakdown on how restaurants turn paper into profits is worth a read: Paper to Profits.
It’ll back up what we already know—print hasn’t died. You just have to do it smarter now.
The Clock’s Ticking
July 14 isn’t far. If you have mail going out soon, now’s the time to:
- Reprice your campaign
- Check USPS promo windows
- Redesign anything that needs to qualify
If you’re not sure how to do all that, that’s what we’re here for.
We’ll make it easy.
Shoot us a message, call the FMC Printing team, or swing by if you’re nearby in Garland, Plano, or the north Dallas area. We’ll walk through what’s changing and how to hit the new USPS promo windows.
Plan now. Print smarter. Save more.
