F.A.Q.
Dino-sized questions about direct mail and partnering with Jurassic Marketing!
Getting
Started
What is your minimum order?
Our typical minimum order for a print/mail job is a mere 200 pieces.
To keep your price per piece lower, we suggest you aim for 1,000+ pieces per mailing.
We do also offer an on-demand print mail service where you can mail one piece at a time triggered via crm or software. Please inquire with sales if you have a need for on-demand printing or shipping.
What is your turnaround time?
How quickly we can print and tend to USPS varies based on the piece type and quantity we are printing. Please ask your account executive for the amount of days applicable for your job.
Cutoff time: Noon Central
Our turnaround cutoff time begins once service agreement is signed, proof is approved, and payment is complete.
Pick & Ship Fulfillment: Same Day
Handwriting Cards (after blanks have been completed): 1 Day
Print on Demand (Transactional) Fulfillment: 1 Day
Lettershop: Ask Account Exec (vary on product and qty anywhere from 1-10 days). Additional item printing or offset printing (such as brochures, business cards, etc) will add additional turnaround time.
Weekends, holidays, and postal closings are not included in turnaround time. Offset printing does take longer than our digital offerings.
Can I get samples?
We have sample files for mailing list format, newsletter layout, and envelope layout.
For the sake of client privacy, we do not share other client’s mailing projects, art files, lists, etc.
We use industry standard paper stocks and printing technology so we do not send printed proofs or sample prints.
How soon until I get rich with direct mail marketing?
There are no guarantees of success with direct mail or any other advertising media.
ROI varies greatly depending on three main factors: list, offer, and creative. The quality of your list accounts for about 40% of the outcome. Your offer contributes about 40%. Creative elements such as layout, design, print format, etc make up less than 20% of the overall success.
For some formulaic campaigns, we have seen an average of 1%-3% response rates, but this is subject to variation based on the factors listed above. We have campaigns where the math shows success with 0.1% (cold lead gen) and others that are closer to 25% (proven list and desired offer).
You should have sufficient budget to test and tweak your campaign over the course of several months to maximize success and ROI on it.
Can you guys print...?
Our specialty is direct mail campaigns of all shapes and sizes. On this website you will see our most popular offerings. That being said, we are a full-service print provider and can make just about anything from business cards to shock and awe boxes. Reach out to our sales team if you want an item not listed.
Some common items we do print are brochures, newsletters, postcards, letters, newsletters, coil bound notebooks, workbooks, paperback books, newspapers,
Do you offer copywriting services?
We do offer templated copy for newsletters, as well as copy for referral campaigns. We do not currently offer in-house copywriting services for long-form direct response copy but can refer you to a trusted copywriter if needed.
USPS Questions
Can you help me with a problem with the post office?
Once we tend your order to the USPS, our obligation to your campaign is fulfilled. We have no ability to expedite or change anything once it is in their hands.
That being said, we do have more technology and insight into delivery than you would mailing on your own. For most campaigns we have the ability to track delivery date down to the carrier scanning the mailpiece. We can use this to spot systemic problems with a delivery area.
We DO NOT research isolated delivery issues with single letters. Expect occasional delivery issues. If there are statistically significant problems, then we will do all we can to provide intel.
What's the difference between standard mail, first class presort, and first class retail?
Standard Mail Presort: 6-10 day delivery speed. Your mailing list will be scrubbed for undeliverable addresses and move updates before we print and mail. Mail returns will be greatly reduced.
First Class Presort: 1-4 day delivery speed. Your mailing list will be scrubbed for undeliverable addresses and move updates before we print and mail. Mail returns will be greatly reduced.
First Class Retail: 1-4 day delivery speed. Your mailing list will NOT be scrubbed before printing and mailing and the mail piece will be sent to everyone on your mailing list. If any addresses are not deliverable, you will receive mail returns
Do you apply a real stamp?
Most of our letter campaigns follow advice of Dan Kennedy and other direct response professionals and will have a self-adhesive stamp applied just as if you mailed it yourself.
There are some items where the stamp only adds expense and no value and a permit imprint is used (ex: self-mailer newsletters).
Can you ship internationally?
No. We only provide mail and fulfillment services for destinations in the United States.
Lists & Ordering
Can you help me source a mailing list?
We offer mailing list procurement services. There is a fee to purchase the list as well as for the service to research available lists. You can, of course, provide your own list as well.
We are working to provide an online self-serve list tool in the near future.
Where do I submit my list & artwork?
Please send your list and print-ready artwork to your Campaign Manager via email. Don’t have a campaign manager yet? We work with actual human beings here, please setup a consult at www.jurassicmarketing.com/consult
What file format do I need to provide my list/artwork in?
Please send mailing lists as Excel or .csv files with Recipient Name, Address, City, State, and Zip Code in separate columns. You can find sample lists below with proper formatting. Artwork should be in .pdf format, or the source file can be provided, if available.
Can I have custom letters for each recipient?
We are able to offer variable print (additional setup fees may apply). Our production shop is equipped with camera matching equipment that assures that the right letter is in the right envelope.
Art Things
Do you have templates available?
If you are designing your own print-ready art, please email art@jurassicmarketing.com for a template.
We do not have “sample copy” or the ability to send you previous work for hire of other clients.
We do sell newsletter templates at www.nohasslenewsletters.com in addition to designing custom ones for our clients.
Can you design for me?
Yes! Our talented art staff can assist in design for projects we are mailing (additional fees apply).
You may also source your own talent at Upwork, Fiverr, or similar but beware that most of the times these designers are not familiar with designing for print which can cause difficulty and still cost you art time/expense here if formatted improperly.
What is bleed and how do I know if my file has it?
Bleed is a term used in printing to describe when a design goes all the way to the edge of the page.
Printers can’t print all the way to the edge of the pages so designs that do go to the edge of the
page actually need to extend past the desired finish size. They will be cut down to size after print
using crop marks.
Bleed should be between .125-.25 inches around the entire document.
What are crop marks and when do my files need them?
Crop marks are short lines that line up with the edges of the page; the production team refers to the
crop marks when trimming pages with bleed down to their final size.
What is a source file?
Source files are the files used to create your designs. Source files can be Word documents, Adobe
Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign files and even Canva designs. The most important part of a source
file is that it remains easily editable, unlike more static file types like PDFs, JPGs and PNGs. These files
are easiest to work with when making changes.
What if I don't have my source files anymore?
While these files are preferred and easiest to work with thanks to their easily editable nature, in some
cases we are able to make it work with whatever file type you do have. Depending on the design, we
may need to recreate the file in order to make the requested changes.
Can you add bleed and crop marks to my file?
Bleed and crop marks can be added to your file. We prefer to have a source file to work with when
making these adjustments, but our design department can make just about anything work if you no
longer have the source file.
What is the difference between raster and vector images?
Raster images are made up of pixels, which are tiny dots of color. They are often used for digital
photographs. The most common raster file types are JPG and PNG. When raster images are scaled
larger they can appear blurry or pixelated depending on the image size/resolution.
Vector images are made of mathematical points, curves and lines. They are commonly used for logos.
The most common vector file types are AI and SVG. Vectors do not lose quality when scaled larger.
Billing Policies
When is payment due?
No work is performed (including list or art) without payment.
Turnaround time does not begin until charge is processed.
Payment must be made in accordance with service agreement.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept ACH (preferred), Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express
Do you retain my payment info?
Yes. We will create an online account for you then send a link to set up your client account (wallet) where you can create a user name and password. We do not have access to your card information other than the last 4 digits and the expiration date. You can log in any time to update your payment method through the client account.
What happens if a payment fails?
This can happen for a myriad of reasons. You will be sent a notification and a payment link. In most cases, we will try to process your payment the following business day.
Your order is put ON HOLD until payment is received. Turnaround time will be delayed. Your order is NOT CANCELLED with failed payment but does also not move into production.
Overpayment & Refunds
All services are custom therefore all sales are final with no refunds.
If you have an overpayment (often due to quantity change after scrubbing your list) you will be refunded the overpayment amount or you can choose to have it applied to a future order.
Still need help? Give us a call!
For any other questions, please call us at
309-767-0004
