If you need flyers with a real choice of paper and no shipping charge, first decide how the flyers will reach people. A flyer handed out at a counter, posted on a community board and mailed to every house on a route each needs something different from the paper. The realistic sources are a local commercial printer, a mail house that prints and prepares postal drops, an online design-and-print service, and a print broker who shops your job to several plants. Compare them on the stocks they name, whether shipping is included, and whether they can prepare a mailing. For flyers you lay out yourself and hand out or post, services that let you design and print flyers and have them shipped to your door keep the job simple. For a large postal drop, a printer who handles the mail prep may save you an afternoon of bundling.

Your options, compared

• Local commercial printer. Best when you want to compare paper samples, need a heavier cover stock or a fold, or want flyers picked up the same week. The Shelby County Chamber's business directory is a good place to find members who print, design or handle direct mail.

• Mail house or direct-mail printer. The practical choice for thousands of pieces going through the Postal Service. Many will print the indicia, bundle the pieces and deliver them to the post office.

• Online design-and-print service. Good for a few hundred flyers you design from a template. A service of this kind is Adobe Express. Its flyer page lists 8.5x11 in portrait or landscape on two papers: Thin Glossy, a lightweight, budget-friendly stock it suggests for brochures, leaflets and mailings, and Thin Matte, with a no-glare finish it suggests for business mailings and folded pieces. The page lists free shipping and returns, recyclable packaging and a 300 DPI image recommendation. It names no quantities, prices or paper thickness, and it ships only in the US, UK, Australia and Canada.

• Print broker. Useful for very large or unusual jobs, though you lose direct contact with the plant.

When an online service isn't the right fit: if you're planning a mailing of several thousand pieces, want a stiff card stock that holds up in a mailbox, or need a flyer folded and tabbed, a local printer or mail house that can check the piece against postal rules is the better first call.

Which flyer paper should I choose?

Most flyer jobs come down to two decisions: coating and weight.

• Glossy coatings make photos and bright colors stand out. They suit real estate listings, restaurant specials and event flyers where the picture sells. They also reflect overhead light, so text on a glossy sheet pinned under fluorescent lights can be hard to read.

• Matte surfaces cut glare and take a pen. A flyer someone might write on, such as a sign-up sheet or a price list with a "call for quote" line, works better on matte.

• Thin stocks are cheaper and lighter, and fine for handouts, inserts and counter stacks that get replaced every few weeks.

• Heavier stocks feel more substantial and stand up better on a bulletin board or in a mailbox.

If a supplier only says "premium paper," ask for the coating and weight.

Does free shipping change which printer I use?

It can, but compare total cost and timing. Free shipping often comes with the slowest delivery option, and a flyer that arrives the day after your event is worth nothing. Add production time and the shipping estimate together, then compare that date with a local pickup. For a short run of flyers you design yourself, free shipping can make an online service the cheaper option. For a rush job or a heavy stock, a local printer may win even after you pay for gas.

How should I read reviews of flyer printers?

A star rating tells you less than the details behind it. When you read reviews on any site, look for comments about jobs like yours: the same quantity, the same paper, the same kind of deadline. Then do your own test. Order a small run, or ask for a sample sheet on the paper you plan to use, before you commit to a large order. Fellow chamber members can tell you who delivered on time and who fixed a problem without argument, which is the kind of review that matters most.

Using Every Door Direct Mail for flyers

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) lets you mail a flyer to every address on the carrier routes you choose without buying a mailing list. The USPS Every Door Direct Mail page sets out the main rules for EDDM Retail:

• Volume: at least 200 and up to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code.

• Weight: USPS Marketing Mail flats up to 3.3 ounces.

• Price: the page lists EDDM Retail flats at $0.26 per piece.

• Indicia: every piece must carry the EDDM Retail indicia above and to the right of the address block.

• Addressing: pieces are addressed to "Postal Customer" and go to every address on the selected routes.

• Bundling: stacks of 50 to 100 pieces, no higher than 6 inches, each with a facing slip showing the count.

• Drop-off: at the Post Office that serves your routes.

Size matters too. EDDM pieces mail as flats, and the USPS physical standards for flats say a piece is flat-size if it's more than 11-1/2 inches long, 6-1/8 inches high or 1/4 inch thick, up to 12 by 15 inches. An 8.5x11 flyer clears the height threshold. The same standards set a minimum thickness of 0.007 inch, and flats must be rectangular and flexible. Thin flyer papers don't always list a thickness, so run your design through the Mailpiece Size Checker in the EDDM Online Tool and ask your printer for the caliper before you order a mailing.

Working out an EDDM drop

Say a family-owned heating and air company in Alabaster wants to reach homes near its shop before fall tune-up season. It picks three carrier routes in the EDDM tool that together cover 1,600 addresses.

• Postage: 1,600 pieces at $0.26 each comes to $416 at the listed retail price.

• Print quantity: 1,600 for the mailing, plus about 100 for the front counter and service trucks. Order 1,700.

• Bundles: at 100 per bundle, that's 16 bundles with facing slips.

• Timeline: design and proof four weeks before the target week, order three weeks out, bundle on arrival, and drop the mailing at the Post Office about a week before you want phones to ring.

Put one offer and one phone number on the flyer, and leave room for the indicia and address block on the side that faces up.

Putting flyers to work in Shelby County

Shelby County's family businesses, medical practices and retailers still get results from paper, and the chamber gives them several places to use it.

The chamber's Hot Deals page lists member offers that visitors can filter by category and print as coupons. If you post a deal there, use the same headline and expiration date on your flyer so customers see one consistent offer, whether they find it online or on a counter.

Morning networking is another chance to hand something over. The chamber's November CoffeeNET at Meri Moon in Montevallo, held with the Montevallo Chamber of Commerce, asks attendees to bring business cards. Bring a few flyers too, and pair them with cards from a service where you print business cards online so the colors and logo match.

The chamber's Newsletters & Publications page explains that its monthly Business Connections newsletter and quarterly printed "Who's Who of Shelby County Businesses" directory run in Shelby Living magazine. Check that your member listing is current before a flyer campaign sends new customers looking for you.

Hospitality and recreation businesses can also borrow from the chamber's tourism page, which says a printed county map is available at the chamber office. A flyer that marks your location on a simple map, left beside that map at your front desk, helps visitors find you again.

Frequently asked questions

Is glossy or matte better for a mailed flyer?

Either can work. Glossy shows photos well, while matte resists glare and fingerprints. For mail, thickness and stiffness matter more than the finish.

Can I send any 8.5x11 flyer through Every Door Direct Mail?

Only if it meets the flat standards, carries the EDDM Retail indicia and weighs 3.3 ounces or less. Check it in the Mailpiece Size Checker first.

Does free shipping mean slower delivery?

Often. Check the delivery estimate for the free option and compare it with your event or mailing date.

How many flyers should I order for a mailing?

The number of addresses on your routes, plus extras for your counter and staff. Ten percent extra is a reasonable starting point.