Basics of Mail. Presented by: Leanne Herman Senior Postal Affairs Specialist, RR Donnelly & Sons Secretary, Milwaukee Postal Customer Council

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2 Basics of Mail Presented by: Leanne Herman Senior Postal Affairs Specialist, RR Donnelly & Sons Secretary, Milwaukee Postal Customer Council

3 Leanne Herman Leanne has been working in Postal Affairs for over 18 years. She is a graduate of Upper Iowa University and holds the CMM, CMDSM and GAE professional certifications. Leanne has been a local and regional speaker at numerous PCC events.

4 Address Hygiene CASS: Process of using CASS Certified Software to standardize addresses according to the USPS specifications Example 201 East Progress Drive would standardize to 201 E Progress Dr Addresses must be standardized to receive lower postage rates and be able to be processed through Merge/Purge or NCOA See Basic Mailing Definitions and Address Standardization Handouts Merge/Purge: Putting 2 or more files together and ridding them of duplicate records

5 Dedupe: Removal of records either within one data file or between a set of merged files. The customer determines how the dedupe is performed. Can be an exact match on name and address or by exact match on company field (only one per company) NCOA: National Change of Address When an individual, family or business moves, a Change of Address card is typically filed with the USPS NCOA processing is done prior to mailing to ensure the most recent address is used on the mail piece

6 Presort: Software is used to analyze a data file to sort the mailing list by geography and group by USPS facilities where possible. In certain cases, the mail is sorted to the actual route the mail carrier walks. First Class, Standard Mail, Periodicals and Package Services mail can all be presorted Standard Mail MUST be presorted to get the lower postage rate Postage for presort and drop shipped mailings is lower due to worksharing

7 Postage Payment Options Mailing Permit: Mail owners can obtain their own mailing permit for mailing Standard, First Class or to use Precanceled Stamps There is an annual cost for permit unless the permit is in fee Waiver status Postage: Can be paid via meter, indicia (also called permit imprint) or stamps CAPS Account: An agreement between a permit holder and the USPS that the permit holder will pay postage electronically CAPS Trust vs. Debit Options

8 Indicia: Can represent Presorted Standard, Presorted First Class, Straight First Class or Package Services Permit can always list the permit number, city and state of mailing Example PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO 50 MENOMONEE FALLS WI Some customers want a Company Style Permit which doesn t include the permit number or city and state of mailing PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID XYZ Postal Requirement = complete return address must be on mail piece Customer must have permission from USPS to use type of permit See PS Form 3615 Handout

9 Stamps: Can be either full rate or pre-canceled Pre-canceled stamps are affixed to each mail piece and represent a certain cash value Stamps always represent same amount Stamp Denominations Postcard - $.15 Nonprofit - $.05 Standard Mail- $.10 First Class - $.25 The cash value of the stamp will never cover actual postage additional postage is paid either via a meter strip or through an additional postage account Stamps ordered- typically come in rolls of 3,000 or 10,000 for production purposes Regular full rate stamps = sheets or rolls

10 Classes of Mail First Class Mail: Includes : Priority Express, Priority, First Class, Business Reply, Postcard Rate Category All items can be mailed at First Class rates; however all items of personal nature must be mailed First Class Statements of account, invoices, payment histories, donation amounts, etc. Presorted First Class must be a minimum of 500 pieces Standard Mail Cannot exceed 16 oz. Typically comprised of advertising mail Circulars, flyers, advertisements, etc. Presorted Standard Mail must be a minimum of 200 pieces or 50 lbs. Nonprofit Mail is a subcategory only of Standard Mail and Periodicals Mail There is no First Class Nonprofit Postage Rate category.

11 Periodicals: A very specialized class of mail that requires different processing Package Services Includes: Bound Printed Matter, Parcel Select, Media Mail, Library Mail Basically same content as Standard Mail difference is that it exceeds the 16 oz. weight restriction Presorted BPM must be a minimum of 300 pieces and must be bound and printed BPM can be flats or parcels, depending on thickness Catalogs over.75 thick are BPM parcels. Specialized rules and fees regarding drop shipment eligibility and postage rates.

12 Types of Mail Pieces Mail piece type: Determined by the physical characteristics of a mail piece. Types of physical mail pieces are: Postcards Letters Flats Parcels See Types of Mailpieces Handout

13 Postcards Card Dimensions Minimum Maximum Length 5 inches 6 inches Height 3-1/2 inches 4-1/4 inches Thickness inch inch The term postcard is typically a design term meaning 2-pager Postcards are only a true mailing category in First Class Mail Specialized type of letter to USPS Must meet all letter requirements including aspect ratio* and addressing standards Length divided by height = 1.3 to 2.5 inclusive * Exception for Postcard-Sized Pieces only 4.25 x 5.5 is acceptable at 1.29 aspect ratio

14 Letters Letter Dimensions Minimum Maximum Length 5 inches 11-1/2 inches Height 3-1/2 inches 6-1/8 inches Thickness inch 1/4 inch Letters are a very diverse type of product to the USPS Can mail at First Class, Standard Mail or Periodical postage rates Letters don t need envelopes / having an envelope does not mean a piece is a letter Must meet requirements including aspect ratio and addressing standards 2-pagers (postcard design) Maximums x 11.5, 3 oz. Minimum Thick Enveloped Letters Maximum x 11.5, 3.5 oz. Minimum Thick

15 Booklet Style Mailpieces Maximums: 6 x 10.5, 3 oz Weight is critical under trim if necessary Simple Spine Booklets Up to 9 long Minimum 50# book weight cover pages Simple Spine Booklets Over 9 and up to 10.5 long Minimum 60# book weight cover pages Body Pages do not have to match stock of cover pages Spine at Bottom in relation to the address area Must have 2 or more stitches or staples DO NOT ALLOW 1 stitch or staple - EVER SIMPLE SPINE BOOKLETS Maximum weight 3 ounces Maximum height 6 inches Maximum length 9.5 inches unless noted Cover paper weight 80-pound paper unless noted: see Exhibit 3.2 Basic Cover: 5" to 9" long at least 50-pound paper Over 9" up to 10.5" at least 60- pound paper The front cover may be up to a maximum of 0.25 shorter than pages and rear cover. Nonperforated 1.5 tabs. Place one tab on the leading and trailing edges within 1" from the top; position one tab on the lower leading edge 0.5" from the bottom.

16 Oblong Booklets OBLONG BOOKLETS Maximum weight 3 ounces Maximum height 6 inches Maximum length 10.5 inches Cover paper weight 70-pound paper unless otherwise noted: see Exhibit 3.2 All Tab Cover: 5" to 9" long: 60-pound paper Over 9" up to 10.5": 70-pound paper Place two 1.5" nonperforated tabs on the top edge and one tab on trailing edge. Position top tabs 1- inch from left and right edges. Position one 1.5" nonperforated tab in the middle of the trailing edge. Have different paper stock requirements Up to 9 long Minimum 60# offset cover pages Over 9 and up to 10.5 long Minimum 70# offset cover pages Body Pages do not have to match stock of cover pages Spine at Leading Edge in relation to the address area Must have 2 or more stitches or staples DO NOT ALLOW 1 stitch or staple - EVER

17 Folded Booklets FOLDED BOOKLETS Maximum weight 3 ounces Maximum height 6 inches Maximum length 10.5 inches unless noted Vertical Spine Cover paper weight 40-pound paper Two 1.5" nonperforated tabs on leading edge and one tab on trailing edge. Position upper tabs within 1-inch from the top edge. Position lower leading tab 0.5 inch from the bottom edge. Folded booklets must have the spine of the leading edge and final fold at the bottom Minimum of #40 book MUST have two or more staples or stitches

18 Folded Self Mailers Maximums: 6 x 10.5, 3.0 oz. No more than 8 panels (especially important with quarter folded pieces) Nested Sheets no stitches, staples, glue, tape or press pasting <1 oz, #70 book minimum on all pages Needs (2) 1 nonperforated tabs (or glue specs) >1 oz but less than 3 oz, #80 book minimum on all pages Needs (2) 1.5 nonperforated tabs (or glue specs) Note: you can always use larger tabs for manufacturing efficiencies Quarter folded self mailers 55 lb minimum if news print There are many, many rules and possible configurations for Folded Self Mailers See Folded Self Mailer Reference Guide Handout

19 Flats Flat Dimensions Minimum* Maximum Length 11-1/2 inches 15 inches Height 6-1/8 inches 12 inches Thickness 1/4 inch 3/4 inch * Flats exceed at least one of these dimensions, except auto flats (barcoded) must exceed 5 x 6. Typically flats exceed a letter dimension Automated flats can be mailed at flats rates if they exceed 5 x 6 Flats can be: First Class, Standard Mail or Bound Printed Matter First class flats cannot exceed 13 oz. or they must go as Priority Mail No flat can exceed 0.75 thick Standard Mail Max weight: 16 oz, 0.75 thick Heavier flats are Bound Printed Matter Must meet flexibility and deflection (droop) testing requirements and must meet FSS addressing requirements (where applicable) FSS Addressing requirements must be met for Standard Mail, Periodicals and Package Services Flats See FSS Addressing Requirements Handout

20 Paper Basis Weight Conversion Table

21 Mail Anywhere Mail Anywhere is a relatively new USPS initiative to offer Mail Service Providers (MSPs) an additional incentive to participate in Full Service Intelligent Mail. For MSPs that demonstrate quality preparation and presentation and acceptable volume levels of Full Servie IM to the USPS, the plant can request to be certified for the Mail Anywhere program. Only the MSP producing plant gets certified for participation. Mail Owners and Permit Holders are not eligible for certification. Approval for participation means that the MSP can verify and mail locally for any customer that holds a valid permit anywhere in the country. This is a great benefit for Mail Owners and Mail Service Providers alike. See Mail Anywhere Handout