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Color use on Mail
There is no doubt that color dramatically enhances the effectiveness of any communication. The post office promotes the use of color as a key contributor to success of direct mail. While four-color printing is one solution, consider using a colored paper stock and adding just one, two or three colors of ink to it. This can increase readership and help you manage budgets.
Dos & Don’ts
- Do use colored paper cover stock in direct mail and envelopes to gain attention.
- Do pay attention to legibility. Is the ink dark enough and the color light enough, to provide good contrast?
- Do consider Wausau Paper’s Astrobrights®, Exact® and Royal brands for attention-getting direct mail.
- Don’t use very deep colors unless you intend to add labels for postage, meters and return address information.
- Don’t flood the surface with ink without considering where labels, stamps, indicias, etc. must be placed.
- Don’t forget to use the proper weight paper for direct mail. Check to make sure the colored paper you want to use is available in the proper weight.
Readable Ink Colors
Barcodes and other mechanically-scanned postal information are printed in black ink. However, other colors are acceptable. The most common alternatives are:
| Brown |
PANTONE 146/160 |
| Gold |
PANTONE 139 |
| Red/Brown |
PANTONE 180 |
| Burgundy |
PANTONE 187/202/207/484 |
| Blue |
Reflex Blue V, PANTONE 280, 286, 287, 288 |
| Green |
PANTONE 348, 349, 356, 363, 568, 575 |
| Grey |
PANTONE 410, 411, 412, 430, 431 |
| Purple |
PANTONE 254, 273, 526 |
Potential Mail Color Problems
Some ink and paper colors may be difficult for the post office to process:
- Red paper with either red or black ink
- Papers in the medium color range with the same color value inks
- Metallic inks on deep-colored papers
- Colored inks on metallic papers
To avoid problems, please talk to your local post office.
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