Getting the Lowest Rate
In order to qualify for the lowest postal rates, your mailing must be automation compatible. There are two components to this requirement: your address list must be accurate and your mail piece must be 'machinable."
Address List Accuracy
In order to qualify for the automation rates, your address list must have been processed by a CASS certified vendor within the past six months.
We have used Mailnet Services a few times. Last time we used them, it cost $10 for CASS certification. However, we usually use the "move update" service, as this is only $15 more and your list is compared against all change-of-address cards that have been submitted to the Post Office over the past three years.
You can upload your address list on the web and they will process each address and email you when you can download the result. Once you get the result back, it's fairly complicated to figure out what all the codes mean. (If you look in com.easymailings.ncoa, we've started some utilities to help with parsing this file.)
This is required by the post office because so many people move in our country. They did a study and found that roughly 17% of all households move every year in the United States--that's one out of every six! Bad addresses are at least twice as expensive for the Postal Service to deliver, because they have to send the piece to the destination post office, and then all the way back to the originating mailer.
Now, you pay for those returns one way or another, and it's actually pretty expensive. If you use request a change of address notification, it costs 60 cents for each return. If you don't request this service, then you have lost that customer.
Machinable Mail Piece
Here are some of the main requirements for a mail piece to be machinable. For the full set of requirements please see the Mailpiece Dimensions chapter of the USPS Publication 25.
Physical Requirements
To be automation compatible, your mail piece must
meet size and weight requirements,
be readable by automation equipment,
be sealed securely,
be made of good quality white or light-colored paper, and
contain no sharp or bulky items.
Size and Weight Requirements
The mail piece can weight up to 3.3 ounces and can be up to a quarter-inch thick. It's length and width must fall within the dimensions shows below.
Figure 1. A machinable letter has a height between 3.5" and 6.125" and a length between 5" and 11.5"
In addition, the length of the piece (the edge parallel to the address lines) divided by the height of the piece must be between 1.3 and 2.5. The example below shows a letter with an aspect ratio of 1.5, which qualifies.
A Secure Seal
If you are mailing an envelope that is sealed, then you're all set. If your piece is a self-mailer, then you must seal each piece with tape or have the printer put on a wafer seal.
Here are some ways to seal your booklet or self-mailer. You must use stickers, as staples are not allowed. One trick is to design your piece so that when you hold it so you can read the address label, the bottom edge is a folded edge. If the bottom is open, you need to use two wafers to seal it. If the top is open, you only need one seal.
