How to Avoid DISASTER at the Post OfficeFolded Mailer Tab Guide ..... 10 Database Guidelines ..... 11 Table of Contents: Page 4 How to Avoid Disaster at the Post Office " & " & $ $

P r i n t | W e b | Ta b l e t

How to Avoid DISASTER at the Post OfficeU.S. Post Office Guidelines Translated Into Plain English.

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Deborah is our mailing expert.

She was originally hired

to work in production and

has since become our CSR

because of her outstanding

organizational capabilities.

She handles job scheduling,

mail lists and assists in

administrative duties.

About the Author:Deborah harris




Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Mail Piece Dimensions.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Design Guidelines for Your Direct Mail Piece. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Folded Mailer Tab Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Database Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Table of Contents:




Page 4

How to Avoid Disaster at the Post Office

Like what you read? Share with your friends!

Tweet This Stat! Tweet This Quote!

You can make these social CTAs

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ting a URL

to hyperlink the images to!

Even though the world is going digital, most people look forward to receiving their daily mail. Direct mail is still a great way to get your message out there.

There are many benefits to Direct Mail.• It’s targeted -Each direct mail campaign can be tailored for a

specific audience.

• It’s personal - direct mail pieces can be customized to include names and other personal information.

• It’s tangible - Since customers can also physically touch a piece of mail they are more likely to look at the contents as reliable.

• It’s measurable - The results of direct mail can be measured without complex analytics.

• It’s cost-effective -Bulk mail rates are available for any form of direct mail campaign.

Introduction




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If you are thinking about mailing a postcard and you want to

get postcard rates you must stay within these dimensions:

Postcards always mail at First Class Rates.

If you want to do a mailing that is in an envelope or a larger

postcard you must stay within these dimensions:

If you are mailing a folded self mailer you must stay within

these dimensions:

Mail Piece Dimensions

First Class Postcards MIN MAXHeight 3.5" 4.25"

Length 5" 6"

Thickness .007" .009"

Letters (all classes excludes folded self mailers) MIN MAX

Height 3.5" 6.125"

Length 5" 11.5"


Folder Letter-Size Self Mailers MIN MAXHeight 3.5" 6"

Length 5" 10.5"





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When designing your mail piece you have to keep some key things in mind:

1. All First class mailings have to have at least 500 pieces to qualify for discount postage.

2. Allow 1 - 3 working days for First Class mail to reach its destination.

3. Standard mail and Non–Profit have to have at least 200 pieces to qualify for discount postage. Some refer to this as “junk” mail. I disagree, but that is a discussion for another ebook.

4. Allow 2 - 8 working days for Standard mail to reach its destination.

5. The print (the lines that make up the characters and numbers)must be uniform in size and thickness and dark enough to show up clearly against the background color of the paper.

Design Guidelines for Your Direct Mail Piece

Pro-Tip: We recommend you

stay within 10 or

12 point font-size.

Avoid script, bold

and narrow fonts.

Some fonts that read

very well are Arial,

Courier, Helvetica and

Tahoma.




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AddressingAllow 1/8” clearance left and right and 1/25” above and below the barcode and any other printing. The entire address block must be within 4” of top and at least 1/2” from right or left side. The entire address block (and barcode) must be at least 5/8” from bottom.

A Print Reflectance Difference (PRD) of at least 30% is required between the background material of the mail piece and the barcode, when measured with a USPS-licensed envelope reflectance meter. So in other words do not make the background of the address and barcode dark or patterned.

It is also a good idea not to have any coating in the area where the address and barcode will print. You must have a good, clear barcode with no smearing. Coating sometimes will make the ink smear and the barcode could be rejected by the post office.

For window envelopes, the address must have 1/8” clearance around the address block and not shift out of the window area.

Design Guidelines for Your Direct Mail Piece (cont.)




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Address AccurAcyDo not abbreviate city names. Use a minimum 10 pt font. Fonts should not overlap or touch. The Post Office prefers all capital letters.

BArcodeYou should allow 4 1/4” from the right edge of the mail piece to have enough room for the barcode. And I repeat, you do not want any coating in the area where the address

block and the barcode will be.

MAiling PerMitsIf using a mailing permit, also called an indicia, you should have 1/4” clearance around all 4 sides of the indicia and the indicia should be at least 4 pt type.

You can also mail the old fashioned way using a stamp. Ask your mailer if they can apply pre cancelled stamps to save you postage costs.

When the mail house drops your mail at USPS you must have enough money in your permit account to cover the postage cost or send payment with your job. Just remember the government doesn’t offer payment terms. To mail your job it’s cash-on-the-barrelhead.


Pro-Tip: Correct addressing

affects efficient

delivery of your mail.

The ZIP + 4 Code

helps direct your

mail. Use the correct

USPS Abbreviations

list for a complete

address:

https://www.usps.

com/send/official-

abbreviations.htm




https://www.usps.com/send/official-abbreviations.htm



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PostcArdsQualifying postcards must meet all the basic size and construction requirements for card rates as outlined above. Pieces formed from a single piece of cardstock that exceed the postcard-size maximum dimensions of 4¼” by 6” may qualify for letter-size automation rates.

letters Automation rate discounts for letter-size mail require a qualifying barcode. (More on this later.) In addition, the mail piece itself must meet the physical requirements for automated letter sortation. This applies equally to all letter-size mail pieces, regardless of class.

Folded selF MAilersFolded self-mailers and booklets must be tabbed to prevent the open edges from fanning out and jamming during high speed processing. The standards for these types of mail pieces are generally set by the weight of the paper stock and the location of the folded or bound edge. The same addressing requirements for letters also apply to self-mailers.

The fold on the bottom is preferred by USPS. Tabbing, tape or glue strip is required for any letter-size mail if you want discounted postage rates.











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Type Length Paper Weight Sealing Tab Locations

Simple Spine Spine or final fold on the bottom,

longer edge

5” – 9” 50#

Three 1.5” non-perforated

tabs

Two tabs on leading edge; one tab on trailing edge. Position lower leading tab 0.5” from the bottom edge. Position upper tabs within 1” from the top edge.9” – 10.5” 60#

Wallet Style Saddle-stitched spine on the

bottom (longer) edge. 4” height only. Maximum Weight 2.5 ounces.

5.2” – 8”

60# Self-cover

OR

70# Cover and 50#

text

Two 1.5” or 2” non-perforated

tabs

One tab on leading edge and one tab on trailing edge.

Booklets up to 2 ounces: 1.5” tabs, 1-1/4” from bottom edge.

Over 2 ounces up to 2.5 ounces, 2” tabs, 3/4” from bottom edge,

±1/8” vertical tolerance for tab placement for both tab sizes.

Oblong Spine on the leading (shorter) edge.

5” – 9” 60#Three 1.5”

non-perforated tabs

Two tabs on top edge; one tab on trailing edge. Position top tabs 1” from left and right edge. Position trailing tab in the middle.

9” – 10.5” 70#

Folded Final fold on the bottom (longer) edge, with the folded spine on the leading or trailing (shorter) edge.

5.2” – 10.5” 40#Three 1.5”

non-perforated tabs

Two tabs on leading edge; one tab on trailing edge. Position lower leading tab 0.5 inch from the bottom edge. Position upper tabs within 1 inch from the top edge.

The following diagram describes the required

type and location of tabs for folded mailers. For more info on this you

can go to http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/201.htm#1092751




http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/201.htm#1092751

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Mailers can work with Excel, database, and comma delimited files. Some mailers have the ability to work with other formats but if you use one of the above you will probably not have any problem. Keep all fields in a separate column, for example:

Keep all addresses consistent. Do not have any hard returns in your database.

Keep your mailing list up to date. All in house lists are required to go through NCOA (National Change of Address) every 90 days. What this does is if you have moved and filed a new address with the Post Office this will go into the database and change the address to the new address. It is always a good idea to ask your mailer to give you back the list after going through NCOA so you can update your database with the new addresses.

If you do not have an in-house list you can always rent a list from a list broker. Some mailing lists contain information that enables businesses to target very narrow niche markets. A good quality mailing list, crafted with the right selections and purchased from a reliable source that updates their data frequently, can help you connect with people who are more likely to be interested in your products or services.

You can rent lists two different ways. You can rent for one time use or for multiple time use. When you rent a list it will have already been through NCOA. But, keep in mind; if you rent a list for multiple time use and you use it after 90 days from purchase you will have to run that list through NCOA again.

Database Guidelines

Full Name Company Address City State ZIP

John Doe XYZ Company 111 Main Street Any City Any State 21111




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Be Better, Do More

Clarke, Inc is a marketing media services provider offering

instant ROI by relieving people from ordering and distributing

marketing materials.

If you liked this eBook, we highly recommend you check out

our book on How to Choose a Marketing Media Services Provider, available at the link below for FREE!

Or if you’d prefer to learn how Clarke can help take away those

mailing headaches, give us a call at (434) 847-5561.

About Us

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How to Check a Proof Before Printing a Million Copies

Grab Your Coupon






ting a URL


Grab Your Coupon






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Be Better, Do More




If you liked this eBook, we highly recommend you check out



proof-checking headaches, give us a call at (434) 847-5561.

About Us

Page 13

How to Check a Proof Before Printing a Million Copies

Grab Your Coupon






ting a URL


Grab Your Coupon






ting a URL


Be Better, Do More




If you liked this eBooks, we highly recommend you check out



proof-checking headaches, give us a call at (434) 847-5561.

About Us

How to Choose a Marketing Media Services Provider

Learn all you need to know about the benefits of working with a Marketing Media Services Provider, and how to pick the best one to suit your company.

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How to Avoid DISASTER at the Post OfficeFolded Mailer Tab Guide ..... 10 Database Guidelines ..... 11 Table of Contents: Page 4 How to Avoid Disaster at the Post Office " & " & $ $