doing business: mailing guidelines

In order to take full advantage of the convenience and savings a printer/mail house combination can offer, start early in the process. Small adjustments in design can reap big savings in postage. Our prepress department will work with our mailing staff to be sure the design you visualize is acceptable to the post office. If you are working with your own designer, be sure he/she is familiar with basic USPS design regulations.

Mail lists
Basic mail design
Selecting a class
Postage options
Some additional things to consider

Mail lists

One of your most valuable marketing tools is your mail list. Be assured that we will treat your list with the utmost care and confidentiality. Hopefully, you keep your list in a database. We can work with most database formats; Microsoft Excel, Access, and lists exported as comma-delimited (.csv) or tab-delimited are preferred. If you have been keeping your list in Microsoft Word or another text format, we can usually convert it, though it involves more time on our part which increases your cost. Lists can be emailed to our mailing department. For large lists, consider uploading them to our FTP site.

If you do not have a mailing list, we can help you obtain one. We do not sell lists, but are familiar with vendors who do. We can also give you pointers on setting up your own list.

Basic mail design

One of the factors the USPS uses in calculating postage is the size of the mail piece. The following is a quick review of size restrictions. For more detailed information, see the USPS website.

Postcards

Most of us consider any printed mailing card a "postcard." The USPS does not. To qualify as a postcard, a card must be 3 ½ to 4 ¼ in. high, 5 to 6 in. long, and 0.007 to 0.016 inches thick. Anything outside those dimensions is either a letter or a flat. The postcard rate is only available in first class, but it is less expensive than a standard letter.

Letters

Letters must be rectangular in shape and be 3½ to 6⅛ in. high, 5 to 11 ½ in. long, and 0.007 to ¼ in. thick. The letter class includes material in envelopes, self-mailers, booklets, and over-sized cards.

Flats

Flats are also rectangular in shape. A mailpiece is considered a flat if it exceeds any of the dimensions of a letter. Maximum sizes are 12 in. high, 15 in. long, and ¾ in. thick. Postage on a flat-sized mailpiece is more than on either of the other sizes. Processing is more time consuming, and therefore more expensive.

Selecting a class

The USPS offers several classes of mail. Most businesses will be interested in either First Class or Standard. It is important to decide which class is right for your particular project. Sending a multi-page newsletter First Class may be money poorly spent. Sending information about a specific event Standard and having it arrive after the event date is even worse.

First Class

"First Class mailing includes all matter wholly or partly in writing or typewriting, all actual and personal correspondence, all bills and statements of account, and all matter sealed or otherwise closed against inspection." Any mailable matter may be sent First Class.

Advantages:

Speed of delivery
Postcards sent First Class are actually more economical than Standard

Disadvantages:

500 minimum for discounts
Additional charge for exceeding 1 ounce

Standard Mail

Standard Mail is mail matter not requiring expedited or First Class service. Nonprofit mail is essentially Standard Mail at a reduced rate.

Advantages:

Rate savings
3.5 ounces allowed before incurring extra charges
200 piece minimum
Local delivery of Standard Mail rivals First Class.

Disadvantages:

Delivery can take longer, especially for large, bulky pieces. The USPS advertises 4 to 5 days for delivery but in reality that sometimes stretches to 10 days.

Postage options

There are three basic ways of showing that postage has been paid on a mail piece. There is no difference in the postage cost for any of the three. It is usually a matter a personal preference. Sometimes there are factors that require the use of one over the others.

Indicia

The simplest option is the indicia. The indicia is the permit information that is printed on the piece in the area of the stamp. Since the indicia is generally printed at the time the piece is printed, it looks good and costs nothing extra. WMS maintains several permits for the convenience of our customers.

Stamp

The stamp is the most familiar way of showing postage. We all use regular first class stamps, but there are "precancelled" stamps available in different denominations. These special stamps give an envelope the look of being stamped while allowing a discounted rate. Stamping does require an extra step in processing, which adds to the cost.

Meter

A postage meter is used in many offices. It puts designated information (cost, date, location) in the stamp area. It also requires an extra step in processing, adding to the cost.

Again, the cost of postage is not affected by the method chosen. What is affected is the cost and time involved in processing it.

Some additional things to consider

Be sure you have enough material to complete your list plus 5 - 10%. We do our best to keep spoilage to a minimum, but some is inevitable. All forms are generated from your mailing list by computer. If we cannot complete the list, we must redo the forms by hand.
Do you want a special look? The possibilities are endless, but unless you specify a font, point size, etc., we will print your addresses in all capitals in the clear, readable font of our choice. We are always willing to fax you an address sample for your approval if requested.
Are you on your own mailing list? It might be worth the cost of one extra letter to know when your piece is being received by your customers.
As important as your mail is to us, once we turn it over to the USPS, it is out of our control. Most mail is delivered accurately, in a timely manner.
Processing and postage are two different figures. Processing is what we charge to prepare your mail for the post office. Postage is what the USPS charges to deliver your mail to your customers.
Payment of postage is required before mail can be delivered to the post office. We can give you a postage figure in advance if needed.
Let us know what you want done with any leftover material. Unless prior arrangements are made, overs will be discarded.
MFSA, the national trade association for the mailing and fulfillment services industry, publishes a statement of trade customs. Click here to see the trade customs form online.