Printed Matter Rates 1848-1968
The first concessionary rate for printed materials was the "Book Post", introduced in 1848 at the suggestion of Rowland Hill, with the aim of encouraging the circulating libraries of the time. This was originally for actual books only, and originally only one per package; the rules were relaxed soon after to allow more than one and to allow sending second-hand books that might have writing on the flyleaves. From at least 1852 the regulations were extended such that practically any printed matter could be sent, provided that letters were not enclosed and that the packets were open to allow inspection. Initially the Post Office were reluctant to offer a rate below 1d, but a halfpenny post was eventually introduced in 1870 in response to the growth of circular delivery companies in the 1860s, who offered rates as low as a farthing per circular.
The term originally used for this class of mail was 'book packets'. It became 'halfpenny packets' on 1st January 1904 (by which time the basic halfpenny rate was the only one to be cheaper than letter post), and 'Printed Papers' (or 'Printed Matter') from 1st January 1916 (by which time the distinction mattered again after wartime alterations in weight steps). By this stage a wide range of printed and partially printed items could be sent as printed papers – for full details see contemporary Post Office Guides.
The special rates essentially came to an end upon the introduction of two-tier post on 16th September 1968 (although see here for a minor exception until 1971).
In periods when the postcard rate was higher than the basic printed matter rate, it was possible to send an item in postcard format as printed matter if it bore no more than five words of conventional greetings or "formulas of courtesy" only, or if it qualified as printed matter under one of the other exceptions that allowed some writing (e.g. many commercial documents such as invoices).
From 20th May 1922, items paid at the basic minimum printed paper rate, and not posted by a cut-off time (typically mid-afternoon), were held over until the following day. Such items had also sometimes been referred to with the term 'second class' mail.
Date | Rates | Date | Rates | Date | Rates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1848 (21 Feb) |
6d – 1lb 1s – 2lb 1s 6d – 3lb 2s – 4lb 2s 6d – 5lb 3s – 6lb 3s 6d – 7lb 4s – 8lb 4s 6d – 9lb 5s – 10lb 5s 6d – 11lb 6s – 12lb 6s 6d – 13lb 7s – 14lb Maximum weight 14lb |
1855 (11 Jun) |
1d – 4oz 2d – 8oz 4d – 1lb 6d – 1½lb 8d – 2lb 10d – 2½lb 1s – 3lb 1s 2d – 3½lb 1s 4d – 4lb 1s 6d – 4½lb 1s 8d – 5lb 1s 10d – 5½lb Each additional ½lb – 2d |
1866 (1 Mar) |
1d – 4oz 2d – 8oz 3d – 12oz 4d – 1lb 5d – 1lb 4oz 6d – 1lb 8oz 7d – 1lb 12oz 8d – 2lb 9d – 2lb 4oz 10d – 2lb 8oz 11d – 2lb 12oz 1s – 3lb Each additional 4oz – 1d |
1870 (1 Oct) |
½d – 2oz 1d – 4oz 1½d – 6oz 2d – 8oz 2½d – 10oz 3d – 12oz 3½d – 14oz 4d – 1lb 4½d – 1lb 2oz 5d – 1lb 4oz 5½d – 1lb 6oz 6d – 1lb 8oz Each additional 2oz – ½d Maximum weight 5lb |
1897 (22 Jun) |
½d – 2oz Letter rates now began at 1d for 4oz with ½d each extra 2oz, so special book post/halfpenny packet post rate only applied for packets up to 2oz |
1915 (1 Nov) |
½d – 2oz 1d – 4oz 1½d – 6oz 2d – 8oz 2½d – 10oz 3d – 12oz 3½d – 14oz 4d – 1lb 4½d – 1lb 2oz 5d – 1lb 4oz 5½d – 1lb 6oz 6d – 1lb 8oz 6½d – 1lb 10oz 7d – 1lb 12oz 7½d – 1lb 14oz 8d – 2lb Same as previous letter rates due to wartime increases for higher weight letters Maximum weight 2lb |
1918 (3 Jun) |
½d – 1oz 1d – 2oz Penny Post principle abandoned due to increasing costs, but pre-war weight steps restored as a sweetener – so only these rates were concessions, higher weights covered by letter post as in 1897-1915 |
1920 (1 Jun) |
½d – 1oz 1d – 2oz 1½d – 4oz 2d – 6oz 2½d – 8oz 3d – 10oz 3½d – 12oz 4d – 14oz 4½d – 1lb 5d – 1lb 2oz 5½d – 1lb 4oz 6d – 1lb 6oz 6½d – 1lb 8oz 7d – 1lb 10oz 7½d – 1lb 12oz 8d – 1lb 14oz 8½d – 2lb Reintroduction of significant concessionary printed papers rate |
1921 (13 Jun) |
1d – 2oz 1½d – 4oz 2d – 6oz 2½d – 8oz 3d – 10oz 3½d – 12oz 4d – 14oz 4½d – 1lb 5d – 1lb 2oz 5½d – 1lb 4oz 6d – 1lb 6oz 6½d – 1lb 8oz 7d – 1lb 10oz 7½d – 1lb 12oz 8d – 1lb 14oz 8½d – 2lb |
1922 (29 May) |
½d – 1oz 1d – 2oz 1½d – 4oz 2d – 6oz 2½d – 8oz 3d – 10oz 3½d – 12oz 4d – 14oz 4½d – 1lb 5d – 1lb 2oz 5½d – 1lb 4oz 6d – 1lb 6oz 6½d – 1lb 8oz 7d – 1lb 10oz 7½d – 1lb 12oz 8d – 1lb 14oz 8½d – 2lb |
1923 (14 May) |
½d – 2oz 1d – 4oz 1½d – 6oz 2d – 8oz 2½d – 10oz 3d – 12oz 3½d – 14oz 4d – 1lb 4½d – 1lb 2oz 5d – 1lb 4oz 5½d – 1lb 6oz 6d – 1lb 8oz 6½d – 1lb 10oz 7d – 1lb 12oz 7½d – 1lb 14oz 8d – 2lb |
1940 (1 May) |
1d – 2oz 1½d – 4oz 2d – 6oz 2½d – 8oz 3d – 10oz 3½d – 12oz 4d – 14oz 4½d – 1lb 5d – 1lb 2oz 5½d – 1lb 4oz 6d – 1lb 6oz 6½d – 1lb 8oz 7d – 1lb 10oz 7½d – 1lb 12oz 8d – 1lb 14oz 8½d – 2lb |
1951 (1 Jun) |
1½d – 4oz 2d – 6oz 2½d – 8oz 3d – 10oz 3½d – 12oz 4d – 14oz 4½d – 1lb 5d – 1lb 2oz 5½d – 1lb 4oz 6d – 1lb 6oz 6½d – 1lb 8oz 7d – 1lb 10oz 7½d – 1lb 12oz 8d – 1lb 14oz 8½d – 2lb |
1956 (1 Jan) |
1½d – 2oz 2½d – 4oz 3½d – 6oz 4½d – 8oz 5½d – 10oz 6½d – 12oz 7½d – 14oz 8½d – 1lb 9½d – 1lb 2oz 10½d – 1lb 4oz 11½d – 1lb 6oz 1s 0½d – 1lb 8oz 1s 1½d – 1lb 10oz 1s 2½d – 1lb 12oz 1s 3½d – 1lb 14oz 1s 4½d – 2lb |
1956 (1 Jun) |
2d – 4oz 3d – 6oz 4d – 8oz 5d – 10oz 6d – 12oz 7d – 14oz 8d – 1lb 9d – 1lb 2oz 10d – 1lb 4oz 11d – 1lb 6oz 1s – 1lb 8oz 1s 1d – 1lb 10oz 1s 2d – 1lb 12oz 1s 3d – 1lb 14oz 1s 4d – 2lb |
1957 (1 Oct) |
2d – 2oz 4d – 4oz 5d – 6oz 6d – 8oz 7d – 10oz 8d – 12oz 9d – 14oz 10d – 1lb 11d – 1lb 2oz 1s – 1lb 4oz 1s 1d – 1lb 6oz 1s 2d – 1lb 8oz 1s 3d – 1lb 10oz 1s 4d – 1lb 12oz 1s 5d – 1lb 14oz 1s 6d – 2lb |
1961 (1 Oct) |
2½d – 2oz 4d – 4oz 5d – 6oz 6d – 8oz 7d – 10oz 8d – 12oz 9d – 14oz 10d – 1lb 11d – 1lb 2oz 1s – 1lb 4oz 1s 1d – 1lb 6oz 1s 2d – 1lb 8oz 1s 3d – 1lb 10oz 1s 4d – 1lb 12oz 1s 5d – 1lb 14oz 1s 6d – 2lb |
1965 (17 May) |
3d – 2oz 5d – 4oz 6d – 6oz 7d – 8oz 8d – 10oz 9d – 12oz 10d – 14oz 11d – 1lb 1s – 1lb 2oz 1s 1d – 1lb 4oz 1s 2d – 1lb 6oz 1s 3d – 1lb 8oz 1s 4d – 1lb 10oz 1s 5d – 1lb 12oz 1s 6d – 1lb 14oz 1s 7d – 2lb |