Print First-Class postage from home
First-Class postage (or First-Class Mail®) is a service designed for sending envelopes and light-weight packages. Its simplicity and affordability have made First-Class postage the most popular class of mail service in the U.S. and an essential tool for small businesses and online merchants. Most light-weight envelopes and packages qualify for First-Class postage or shipping labels under one of these three categories:
- First-Class Mail-Retail: Envelopes and other light, flat postage
- First-Class Package-Retail: Lightweight packages
- First-Class Package-Commercial: Both flat postage and lightweight packages
If your small business is mailing and shipping in volume, the commercial First-Class Package service offers the most savings. A handful of online shipping vendors, including PitneyShip® have partnered with USPS® and other carriers to deliver these commercial rates to their members online
How to print First-Class mail
You can easily print a USPS First-Class label online. Here are a few choices you’ll have to make before you begin printing your own First-Class postage.
Select an online service
USPS has its Click-N-Ship online postage service, where you create ready-to-print labels for Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express parcels online. This service is a great choice if your shipping volumes are low and primarily consist of packages. If you’re a home-based seller who uses PayPal, PayPal Shipping allows you to print USPS First-Class postage and works well for eBay transactions or similar exchanges.However, if your business mails and ships on a regular basis, an approved online shipping service or digital sending service will save you the most time and money. PitneyShip will help you print USPS First-Class labels, connect you with discounted rates, and plan your shipments in one place.
Choose a printer
You can print your postage using a laser printer, inkjet or thermal label printer. Thermal label printers are specialty items and will be useful if you’re printing in high volumes. But you can get the job done well with the laser printer or inkjet used in your home office. For best results, USPS recommends you use a printer that prints at least 600 dots-per-inch.
Decide between stamps and metered mail
If you want to print your own stamps, you’ll need special stamp sheets and rolls. You can also go with metered mail, where the USPS first-class postage is printed directly onto the envelope itself.
Create and print your label
Every online printing option has its own steps, but the following directions for how to print a USPS First-Class label with PitneyShip gives a sense of how it works.
- From the PitneyShip Home screen, select Stamp Sheets & Rolls
- Select Envelopes
- Perform any of the optional tasks needed to set up the envelope, including:
- Add and verify addresses
- Change the envelope size
- Preview the envelope to be printed
4. Select Print
Answers to your questions about First-Class postage
What is the difference between standard and First-Class postage?
Price, delivery time and service options separate standard and First-Class postage. First-Class costs less than regular postage stamps, but more than standard service. A First-Class delivery typically takes two to three days locally and up to four days nationally. Automatic returns and mail forwarding are included at no charge. When good customer service is the goal, First-Class postage is the best option.
Standard mail typically takes under five business days locally and up to two weeks nationally, but these times are not guaranteed. Standard mail doesn’t offer free automatic returns or mail forwarding. Standard mail is also referred to as Marketing Mail because its reduced costs (around 32 percent less than First-Class postage) make it a good option for mailing promotional materials.
What is the difference between stamped and metered mail?
This is an important distinction because you can’t print a traditional postage stamp like the ones you get at the post office. Metered mail allows you to purchase and print postage directly on an envelope using an approved provider like PitneyShip. Metered mail can also be weighed to calculate exact costs versus paying flat First-Class rates
What is USPS First-Class Mail?
USPS describes its First-Class Mail service as offering “the least expensive, most immediate options for mailing postcards, letters, large envelopes (flats), and parcels.” Other carriers offer similar services, but when most people refer to First-Class postage, they’re thinking of USPS First-Class Mail services. Small businesses receive more discounts if they purchase First-Class postage through PitneyShip or another USPS-approved vendor.
What can you mail with a First-Class stamp or label?
Postcards, letters, large envelopes and small packages can all be sent via First Class postage and First-Class shipping labels. The maximum weight for First-Class letters is 3.5 oz and the maximum weight for large First-Class envelopes and parcels is 13 oz. Size restrictions apply also, depending on envelope or package type. Odd shapes and bulky packages will cost more.
Which carriers offer First-Class Mail insurance?
Some First-Class services include insurance against loss and damage, and you can purchase additional insurance for others. There are some distinctions between carriers:
- USPS: Insurance included for loss or damage uto $5,000 for shipments of merchandise only.
- FedEx and UPS: Basic coverage of $100 included for allpackages, and you can purchase additional insurance for higher-value shipments.
Does First-Class mail include tracking?
USPS Tracking® is included with First-Class
Package service. Tracking for postcards, letters, and flat envelopes is an
optional service that allows you to print the needed barcodes on your envelope
or First-Class shipping label.
What is the difference between standard and First-Class postage?
Price, delivery time and service options separate standard and First-Class postage. First-Class costs less than regular postage stamps, but more than standard service. A First-Class delivery typically takes two to three days locally and up to four days nationally. Automatic returns and mail forwarding are included at no charge. When good customer service is the goal, First-Class postage is the best option.
Standard mail typically takes under five business days locally and up to two weeks nationally, but these times are not guaranteed. Standard mail doesn’t offer free automatic returns or mail forwarding. Standard mail is also referred to as Marketing Mail because its reduced costs (around 32-percent less than First-Class postage) make it a good option for mailing promotional materials.
What is the difference between stamped and metered mail?
This is an important distinction because you can’t print a traditional postage stamp like the ones you get at the post office. Metered mail allows you to purchase and print postage directly on an envelope using an approved provider like PitneyShip. Metered mail can also be weighed to calculate exact costs versus paying flat First-Class rates.
What is USPS First-Class Mail?
USPS describes its First-Class Mail service as offering “the least expensive, most immediate options for mailing postcards, letters, large envelopes (flats), and parcels.” Other carriers offer similar services, but when most people refer to First-Class postage, they’re thinking of USPS First-Class Mail services. Small businesses receive more discounts if they purchase First-Class postage through PitneyShip or another USPS-approved vendor.
What can you mail with a First-Class stamp or label?
Postcards, letters, large envelopes and small packages can all be sent via First Class postage and First-Class shipping labels. The maximum weight for First-Class letters is 3.5 oz and the maximum weight for large First-Class envelopes and parcels is 13 oz. Size restrictions apply also, depending on envelope or package type. Odd shapes and bulky packages will cost more.
Which carriers offer First-Class Mail insurance?
Some First-Class services include insurance against loss and damage, and you can purchase additional insurance for others. There are some distinctions between carriers:
- USPS: Insurance included for loss or damage up to $5,000 for shipments of merchandise only.
- FedEx: Basic coverage of $100 included for all packages, and you can purchase additional insurance for higher-value shipments.
Does First-Class mail include tracking?
USPS Tracking® is included with First-Class Package service. Tracking for postcards, letters, and flat envelopes is an optional service that allows you to print the needed barcodes on your envelope or First-Class shipping label.
Should my business use First-Class Package Service® Commercial?
If your business is shipping heavy volumes directly through USPS, you can sign up for the commercial service to access lower rates. However, your company must sign a customer commitment agreement and, to qualify for discounted rates, your operations must account for presorting, addressing, barcoding and design standards. In some cases, the discounted rates might not be worth the extra effort.
Instead, consider a multi-carrier shipping service like PitneyShip.You'llget access to exclusive discounts for USPS
and beyond. And you can be sure we know how to print USPS First-Class labels. We’ve been helping clients streamline the shipping process for years, giving them more time and money to focus on reaching their customers.