Rate card
One price. Nothing added at the end.
You buy a size on one card, once. The price below covers the design, the printing and the postage — there is no setup fee, no design fee, no contract and nothing that renews by itself.
- Layout and design of the ad
- Category exclusivity for that issue
- Full-colour printing, both sides
- USPS postage on every route in the drop
- A proof you approve before anything prints
To scale
How much of the card each size is
Not a diagram that happens to look right — the proportions are the ones the printer uses.
The full side is the back of the card only, one per issue. The front carries the postal indicia and address block the Postal Service requires, so it is never for sale. A sold back keeps a slim Spotlight credit along its bottom edge.
Every size
The rate card
14 slot-equivalents are for sale on each card. The bigger the ad, the lower the per-slot rate.
| Size | Share of card | Trim | Artwork @300dpi | Price | Per slot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Business card Half a slot. The entry price, and the size most first-timers buy. | 1/16 page | 2.84 × 1.75 in | 852 × 525 px | $249 | $498 |
Full slot The standard ad. Room for a photo, an offer and a coupon. | 1/8 page | 2.84 × 3.58 in | 852 × 1,074 px | $399 | $399 |
Double Two slots side by side — the widest ad that still sits in the grid. | 1/4 page | 5.77 × 3.58 in | 1,731 × 1,074 px | $599 | $300 |
Full row A whole row, edge to edge. One per side, and the anchor position. | 1/2 page | 11.63 × 3.58 in | 3,489 × 1,074 px | $899 | $225 |
Full side The whole back of the card, yours alone. Back side only — the front carries the postal indicia USPS requires. | One full side | 11.63 × 8.20 in | 3,489 × 2,460 px | $1,995 | $249 |
About these dimensions
Trim sizes are measured from a real render of the card, not calculated, and the gutter between slots differs slightly between card designs — so treat them as approximate until you have the spec. Artwork should be supplied at 300dpi at print size; the exact spec for your slot goes out with the proof. Nothing bleeds off the edge of an ad except a full side.
FAQ
Before you ask
What am I actually buying?
Space on a 9 × 12 inch card that goes to every home on a set of USPS carrier routes in one neighbourhood. Your ad is one of sixteen slots on it. The price covers design, printing and postage — there is nothing else to pay.
Why share a card instead of mailing my own?
Cost. A solo mailer to five thousand homes runs into thousands of dollars in printing and postage before anyone has designed anything. Sharing the card splits that fixed cost sixteen ways, which is the only reason a business-card slot can cost $249.
Will my competitor be on the same card?
No. One business per category per card. One plumber, one dentist, one roofer. Once your category is taken for an issue it is taken, which is also why categories sell before the card fills.
Do I have to design the ad?
No. Send a logo, an offer and a photo and we lay it out. You approve a proof before anything goes to the printer. If you already have artwork, we will take it at the size on the rate card.
How is the mailing list built?
It is not a list. USPS Every Door Direct Mail buys carrier routes, so the card goes to every deliverable address on the routes in the drop — no names rented from a database, nobody skipped.
Is there a contract?
No contract, no setup fee, no minimum number of mailings. You buy one card at a time. Most businesses that stay do it because the card worked, not because they were locked in.
How do I know it worked?
Every card carries a QR code with a source tag on it, and every ad can carry an offer that has to be mentioned or shown. Those are the two things that produce a countable response, and we tell you what came in.
My neighbourhood isn't listed. Can I still advertise?
Tell us where you are. Editions open where there is enough demand from businesses to fill a card — an interested advertiser in a neighbourhood that isn't printing yet is exactly the signal that decides which one is next.
Which category do you want?
One business per category per card. The only way to know if yours is open is to ask.