Learn About Bulk Mailing and Tracking → Bound Printed Matter

How to Save Postage with USPS Bound Printed Matter or Heavy Printed Matter Rates

 Scott
 Postage $aver Software


IMPORTANT: The USPS proposal to end Bound Printed Matter rates has been denied by the Postal Regulatory Commission, but USPS is challenging that decision in court. See our post about the USPS Bound Printed Matter proposal for details.

USPS Bound Printed Matter is a special postal category that offers low rates for catalogs, books and other bound printed materials. Bound Printed Matter rates can be used for pieces weighing up to 15 pounds, and are usually the cheapest rate available for pieces that qualify. (For pieces under one pound, Marketing Mail is sometimes cheaper, especially for nonprofit mailers.)

For example, the Bound Printed Matter rate for a two-pound box is just $4.26 per piece for up to 299 pieces, and drops to $1.99 - $2.67 (depending on where it's mailed) for shipments of more than 300 pieces. The same parcel sent using Retail USPS Ground Advantage would cost $10.80 - $19.05, depending on distance.

USPS has also recently added a new category called "Heavy Printed Matter", which is very similar to Bound Printed Matter but cannot be used for order fulfillment or for books. (USPS has not yet clarified what printed matter will be considered to be a "book" and thus prohibited for Heavy Printed Matter rates.) Rates for Heavy Printed Matter are slightly lower than the rates for Bound Printed Matter parcels, but higher than the rates for Bound Printed Matter flats.

See our rate calculator below to get the postage for your mail piece.

To qualify as Bound Printed Matter or Heavy Printed Matter:

• It must be securely bound by staples, spiral binding, glue, stitching or similar permanent fastenings. Loose-leaf binders and other temporary fastenings don't comply.
  
  
• The pages must be at least 90% covered with printing (not handwriting or typewriting), but see this special rule for calendars.
  
  
• It must not be personal correspondence.
  
  
• It can't be blank printed forms, like stationery.

To qualify as Heavy Printed Matter, all of the above apply, plus:

• The contents cannot be a "book".
  
  
• The shipment must be promotional, rather than to fill an order that someone placed.
  
  
• The piece must either be weigh more than 20 ounces or be more than 3/4" thick.

Bound Printed Matter rates are available for flat-sized mail and for parcels. There is no minimum quantity, but there's an extra price break for mailings of 300 pieces or more.

Heavy Printed Matter rates are available for parcels, but not flats. There is no minimum quantity, but there's an extra price break for shipments totalling at least 200 pieces or 50 pounds.

If your contents don't meet those requirements, you can probably use one of the other bulk mail categories. For flat-sized or letter-sized mail, check out Marketing Mail. For parcels, see our bulk parcel shipments page.

These rates can be used only for domestic mail (including military addresses, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories and possessions). If you need to send large quantities of international mail, check out this guide.

Here's what this page covers:

What are the rates?

How many pieces do I need?

What are the size and weight limits?

What else do I need to get started?

The postage rates for Bound Printed Matter and Heavy Printed Matter depend on how many pieces you are mailing and the size and weight of the each piece. For mailings of 300 pieces or more of BPM, or 200pc/50lb of HPM, there are extra discounts for taking your mailing to a major USPS sorting facility. There are extra discounts for nonprofits when using Heavy Printed Matter rates, but not for Bound Printed Matter rates.

Use our Printed Matter postage rate calculator to find the rates for your mailing.


If you already have the list you want to mail to, we recommend you download a free trial copy of our Postage $aver bulk mail preparation software and run your list through it. It will figure out the exact postage you'd pay for mailing that specific list, and let you try various options.

For flat-sized mailings, download our Postage $aver Pro software. For parcels, download our Postage $aver for Parcels software.

There is no minimum number of pieces for Bound Printer Matter or Heavy Printed Matter rates. There are also no minimums per zip code, nor any monthly or yearly minimums. Rates are lower for Bound Printed Matter mailings of 300 pieces or more at one time, as well as for Heavy Printed Matter mailings of 200 pieces or 50 pounds, whichever is fewer, at one time.

The weight limit for a piece of mail sent at Bound Printed Matter rates or Heavy Printed Matter rates is 240 ounces (15 pounds). Pieces may not measure more than 108 inches in length and girth combined.