Tea Length Invitation Postage
A tea length invitation is a tall 4 x 9 1/4 in card, mailed in a 4 1/8 x 9 1/2 in envelope. That envelope is a standard letter: $0.82 at 1 oz, $1.11 at 2 oz.
Your answer
Standard letter
No extra postageRegular letter postage. No surcharge.
- Postage per piece
- $0.82
- 100 invitations
- $82.00
Stamps for each one
1 × Forever (1 oz letter)
Why
- This is a standard letter: within 6.125 x 11.5 in, no thicker than 0.25 in, and length divided by height is 2.3 (it must be between 1.3 and 2.5). USPS rule
Rates last verified on
100 invitations: $82.00 in postage ($0.82 each, standard letter)
A tall card in a business-size envelope
Tea length cards are popular for menus, programs and modern invitations because the tall format looks different on a table. For mailing, what matters is the envelope, and the envelope is the same footprint as a #10.
The card is designed tall, but the envelope is addressed along its 9 1/2 in side like any business letter. Do not address it upright to match the card: USPS would read the envelope as 4 1/8 in long, under the 5 in minimum, and refuse it.
Long cards are stiffer than they look
Sorting machines bend letters around rollers. A long card of double-thick stock, or one mounted on a backing board, resists that bend along its whole 9 in length. If the sealed envelope does not flex easily, it is too rigid and pays $1.31 at 1 oz instead of $0.82.
Standard cover stock bends without trouble. Acrylic, wood veneer and thick board do not.
Weight for a tea length suite
One tea length card plus its envelope is commonly within 1 oz. Add a reply card with its own envelope and a details card, and you should expect the 2 oz step. There is only 1/8 in of spare room in the envelope, so thick suites also get tight: forcing them in makes a bulge, and a bulging envelope is the kind a clerk looks at twice.
The shape itself costs nothing
A tall card feels unusual, so people expect it to cost more. It does not. At the same weight, a tea length envelope and an A7 pay exactly the same letter price.
Compare the options
| Option | Mail class | Each | For 100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tea length card in a #10 size envelope, 1 oz | Standard letter | $0.82 | $82.00 |
| Same with reply card, 1.6 oz | Standard letter | $1.11 | $111.00 |
| Rigid mounted card, 1.6 oz | Nonmachinable letter | $1.60 | $160.00 |
| 5 x 7 card in an A7, 1.6 oz | Standard letter | $1.11 | $111.00 |
Questions and answers
What envelope fits a 4 x 9.25 invitation?
A 4 1/8 x 9 1/2 in envelope, the same outside size as a #10, usually sold with a square or pointed flap for invitations.
How much postage for a tea length invitation?
$0.82 up to 1 oz and $1.11 up to 2 oz, provided the card bends easily.
Is a tea length envelope too long and narrow for the machines?
No. Its aspect ratio is 2.30, under the 2.5 maximum.
Can a tea length card be mailed as a postcard?
No. Postcards can be at most 6 in long. A bare 4 x 9 1/4 in card would pay letter postage.