One price. Postage included.
Printing, the envelope, USPS postage and the Certified fee are in the number. Your card is charged once, when the letter prints.
$0.99
First-Class letter
1 page, black and white, envelope and postage included
Extra pages $0.25 · Color +$0.50/page · Tracking +$0.99
$12.99
Certified Mail
Proof of mailing and USPS tracking
The one landlords, courts and the IRS take seriously
$14.99
Certified + Return Receipt
Adds a signed electronic proof of delivery
The signed delivery record, emailed as a PDF
$24.99
Priority Mail
Flat-rate envelope, 1 to 3 day delivery
For the letter that cannot wait
$0.99
Postcard
4x6, message only, printing and postage included
6x9 $2.99 · 6x11 $3.49 · no envelope, no tracking
from $1.99
Card
Folded notecard, handwritten typography, printing and postage included
For $1 more, a robot hand-writes it with a real pen. Enclosed like a greeting card, not open like a postcard
Free to quote and preview. Charged once, when the letter prints.
The math on one certified letter.
| Option | Cost | Your time |
|---|---|---|
| paperplane, Certified + Return Receipt | $14.99, all in | About two minutes, from wherever you are |
| At the counter | USPS fees, plus printing, an envelope and the trip | About ten minutes at the counter, plus the drive and the line |
USPS charges the same fees whoever hands the letter over. The difference is the trip, the form and the slip you keep for a year.
Every price includes
- Printing on 24 lb paper, black and white
- The envelope, sealed and addressed
- USPS postage, and the Certified fee where it applies
- Address correction against USPS data before it prints
- A status page and an emailed receipt
- Tracking on Certified and Priority
- The exact PDF preview before you pay
Sending more than a few? Prepaid credit packs add extra balance: pay $49.99, get $69.99 to spend. Bonus balance expires after 12 months. See credit packs
What happens to your money.
When you pay
Your card is authorised for the quoted total and charged once, when the letter prints. The receipt email shows the same number you saw at checkout.
If the letter is refused
Screening refuses threats, fraud and impersonation before anything prints. The hold is released in full. You are not charged.
If we cannot print it
The hold is released and the receipt email says so. You are not charged. Reply to that email and a person will look.
Questions about the price.
Why not go to the post office myself?
You can, and if your time is free it costs less. USPS charges the same fees whoever hands the letter over; paperplane does not replace the post office, it replaces the trip. $12.99 covers the printing, the envelope, PS Form 3800, a USPS address check before you pay and a handoff the next business day. For a letter you already know how to send, the counter is a fine choice.
Is paperplane the cheapest way to send Certified Mail?
No, and it does not try to be. It competes on one all-in total for one send, stated before you pay: no account, no plan, nothing added at checkout.
Can the price change at checkout?
No. The quote is the total, and it holds for 30 minutes. The receipt email shows the same number you saw at checkout.
Why is there no monthly plan?
paperplane is built for someone mailing a few letters a year, so you pay per letter. If you send more, a prepaid credit pack adds extra balance.
What does the extra $2.00 for Return Receipt get me?
The recipient’s signature record, as a PDF, emailed when the letter is signed for. It is the part that shows who received it and when.
Not included yet.
Better to say it here than at checkout.
Mail outside the US
US addresses only, for now. International is on the roadmap, not the menu.
Scanned images or photos
We print typed letters and text-based PDFs, up to 12 pages. A scan of a signed page or a photo enclosure is not supported yet; export a text PDF from the original document instead.
Live SMS status updates
Every order gets free email updates at each step. SMS and iMessage updates are built but not switched on yet.