I get this question constantly: "I have a great local print shop, do I really need a full-service mail platform?" The honest answer is no, you do not, and I say that as someone who runs a full-service mail platform. What you should not give up, under any circumstances, is the tracking. Let me lay out the real trade.
What self-printing gets you
Control and often cost. A relationship with a local shop means you can see paper stocks, push print quality, and negotiate volume pricing. If you are mailing to a tight local list and hand-delivering to the post office with a bulk permit, your per-piece cost can undercut any platform's bundled price. For businesses with an in-house designer and a monthly cadence, this workflow is legitimately great.
What people accidentally give up
The tracking layer. The typical self-print workflow ends with a static design, one shared QR code if any, and zero idea who responded. That is not a printing problem, it is a data problem: the print shop prints whatever file you bring, and most people bring an untracked file.
The fix is to bring tracked files. Generate a unique QR code per recipient before the print step, merge the codes into the artwork as a variable layer, and any decent digital shop can run them. Tools like Canva's bulk create can even do the merge from a spreadsheet of image URLs. This is exactly why Relay's tracking-only mode exports QR PNGs named by tracking code plus hosted image URLs: the print stays yours, the measurement comes with it.
When full service earns its keep
Volume, postage logistics, and time. Above a few thousand pieces, presorting, postage rates, addressing, and delivery-stream tracking become their own part-time job. A full-service pipeline prints, addresses, mails, and reports piece-level delivery events without you touching an envelope, and for a 6 by 9 postcard the all-in cost typically lands around 80 cents a piece including postage and tracking.
My honest framework: self-print when the list is small, local, and your shop relationship saves real money. Go full service when volume, postage complexity, or your calendar says so. Either way, never mail an untracked piece; the attribution data is worth more than the print savings.