customer guide mailpiece design - pitney ... - pitney bowes us · pdf filecustomer guide...

Presort Services

Customer Guide Mailpiece Design

1.0 Automation Compatible Mail2.0 Mailpiece Design

Letters 5Cards 5Flats 6Self-Mailers 8OCRReadArea 9AddressFormat/AddressBlock 10OCRReadability 10IMbExample 11AddressBlockPlacement 11

3.0 AddressesAddressingAccuracy 12

4.0 Resources/USPS Publications

TableOfContents

1.0AutomationCompatibleMailIntroductionNoteverybodythinksofitthisway,butcontrarytoouropinionsaboutmailcreationthePostalSystemisanautomatedprocess.Inordertoqualifyfordiscountsonpostageamailpiecemustbeautomationcompatible.ThismeansthemailpiecemustmeettheUnitedStatesPostalService(USPS)guidelinesforphysicalcharacteristicsandaddressqualityelements.

Thisguideprovidesthebasicknowledgeneededbythoseresponsibleforcreatingmailorinfluencingthemailingprocess.Mailcomesinandoutfromvirtuallyeverydepartmentinanorganizationanditischallengingtokeepeveryoneupdatedonthelatestprocessingtechniquesandrequirements.Mailtypicallycomprisesupto80%ofacompany’scontactwithcustomersandprospects,thusitisvitalthattheprocessworksrightthefirsttimeandeverytime.

What’s in it for you? Inadditiontoproductivitygainsandcostreductions,asignificantbenefitderivedfromstandardizingyourmailingprocessisimprovedservicetoyourbillpayingcustomers.Highqualitydocuments,streamlinedforautomation,canbedelivered1-3daysfasteratamuchlowercost.Thistranslatesintofastercustomerservice,promptpayments,andimprovedcashflow;allofwhichprovidecompetitiveadvantages,higherprofits,andfewerlostbusinessopportunities.

More Help!AdditionalinformationisavailableatyourUSPSPostalBusinessCenterorvisittheUSPSWebSiteat:http://www.usps.gov/.

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1.0AutomationCompatibleMailWhat happens to the mail?TheUnitedStatesPostalServiceutilizeshighspeedMultilineOpticalCharacterReader(MLOCR)machinestoprocessmail,andtheentiresuccessofthesystemdependsongettinganIntelligentMailbarcodeontoeachletter.TheIntelligentMailbarcodeisagraphical,machine-readablerepresentationoftheaddress,aswellasothertrackinginformation.

Whenaletterhasbeenbarcoded,itcantravelallthewaytotheaddressee’smailboxbeforebeingtouchedbyanotherhumanhand,avoidingalotofmanuallaborandpotentialforhumanerror.

LettersthatarenotbarcodedbythesendergetabarcodefromanMLOCRiftheaddressisclearlyprintedandplacedina“readable”positionontheenvelope.

Non-barcodedlettersmustbeprocessedmanually,slowingthedeliverytimeandincreasingcosts.

MLOCR and the mailpieceLettersprocessedontheautomationequipmentusedbyboththeUSPSandPitneyBowesPresortServicesspeedpasttheMLOCR’scameraatupto36,000piecesperhouror9letterspersecond.Duringthe1/9ofasecond,theMLOCRdoesthefollowing:

» Takesapictureoftheaddress

» SendsthepictureoftheaddresstotheMLOCR’scomputer

» Convertstheimageofthecharactersseenontheletterintodata

» Searchesthecomputerdirectorytovalidatethecity,stateandZIPCodefromalistof120,000,000addresses

» Preparesthe31-digitIntelligentMailbarcodewiththecorrecttrackinganddeliverypointinformation.

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1.0AutomationCompatibleMailPrecautions when creating an “automated” mailpieceBecausethereissolittletimetoaccomplishseveralcriticaltaskseachmailpieceandeachaddressmustbedesignedaswellasitcanbe.

» Thelowestlinesoftheaddressmustcontainonlythenecessaryinformation-uppercasecharactersandnumbers

» TheaddressmustbeintheMLOCRReadArea(describedlaterinthisguide)

» Theprint(thelinesthatmakeupthecharactersandnumbers)mustbeuniforminsizeandthicknessanddarkenoughtoshowupclearlyagainstthebackgroundcolorofthepaper

» Thespacingbetweencharactersandwordsandlinesoftheaddressmustbeuniform

» Recommended10or12pointfont-size.Avoidscript,boldandnarrowfonts.Somefontsthatreadverywell:Arial,Courier,HelveticaandTahoma

» Thecharactersmustnotoverlaportoucheachother.Theremustbeaclear“vertical”spacebetweencharacters,10mils.wide

» TheremustbenoextraneousprintormarkingstoeithersideoforbelowtheaddresswithintheMLOCRReadArea.The“camera”simplytakesapicture.Itcannotdiscriminatebetweenastraymarkora“logo”andanecessarystreetnumberorcityname

Physical characteristics of an “automation” compatible mailpieceMLOCRcompatiblelettersincludepieceswhicharerectangularinshape,atleast31/2”andnotmorethan61/8”high,atleast5”longbutnotlongerthat111/2”,weigh2ouncesorless(some3ouncemailcanbeaccepted-contactyourPresortServicesrepresentativeortheUSPSBusinessCenter)andhavenoprintinginthe“BarcodeClearZone”wheretheMLOCRmustspraytheIntelligentMailbarcode.Moststandardbusinessenvelopes,letters,invoicesandstatementsmeetthesestandards.

Lettersthatarenotrectangulartendto“tumble”duringhighspeedprocessingandbecomecaughtintheequipment.Thickpiecesandheavierlettersareattimesdamagedastheytravelthroughthemachinesontheirwaytoadestinationpocket.

Unsealedlettersandselfmailersthatarenotsecurelysealedwithadhesivetabscanbetornanddefacedduringhigh-speedprocessing.Thesetypesofmailarenoteligibleforautomationdiscounts.

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1.0AutomationCompatibleMailWhere should the address be placed on the envelope?TheMLOCRwill“look”fortheaddressinthelower2/3ofthemailpiece.Thebottomaddresslineshouldbeatleast5/8ofaninchfromthebottomoftheenvelope.Theleftandrightedgeoftheenvelopeshouldhave1/2inchofspacefrombothedges.ThisframestheareacalledtheMLOCRREADAREAwhichmustcontainonlytheaddressoftherecipienttoensureproperreadingoftheaddress.

Are there any common problems with addresses to be aware of?YES!Inthisguide,wehaveaddressedsomeofthemostcommonproblemswithmailcreation.Theseissuesareeasilysolvedbyeducatingindividualsonthesolutionstocorrecttheseproblems,andperhapsmoreimportantlybyeducatingthemonhowtoavoidthemfromhappening.

TheMLOCRreads“BACKWARDS.”YouandIwriteanaddressfromtheupperleftcornertotheright,fromthetoplinetothebottomline.TheMLOCRreadsbackwards,frombottom-to-topandright-to-left.Fromthisyoucanseethatcorrectpositioning,fontselection,andprintqualityareessentialtothemailingprocess.

Resources available when developing a mailpiece?Ifyouhaveanyquestionsaboutmailpiecedesign,pleasecontactyourPitneyBowesPresortServicesCustomerServiceManagerortheUSPSBusinessCenter.Utilizingbothsourcesofinformationwillallowyoutodevelopandtesttheautomationcompatibilityofyourmailpiece.

IncludedinthisguideisareferencetotheUSPSpublicationentitled“DesigningLetterMail”Publication25.ThispublicationcoverstheUSPSrequirementsforAutomationCompatibleMail.

CARL CUSTOMERABC CORPORATION10110 I ST SUITE 500OMAHA NE 68127-1189

SStellar, Inc.

8030 South 216th St.Kent, WA 98032-1966

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2.0MailpieceDesign

Automationcompatiblemailshouldnotbepreparedusingglossystockfortheenvelopesorglossycardstockforpostcards.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsaboutmailpiecedesign,pleasecontactyourPitneyBowesPresortServicesCustomerServiceManager.Thiswillhelptoensurethatyourmailpiecesareautomationcompatiblefordiscounts,andavoidanyunnecessaryUSPSsurcharges.

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LettersAutomationratediscountsforletter-sizemailrequireaqualifyingdeliverypointbarcode.Inaddition,themailpieceitselfmustmeetthephysicalrequirementsforautomatedlettersortation.Thisappliesequallytoallletter-sizemailpieces,regardlessofclass.

Letter-sizemailwhichismorethan41/4incheshighormorethan6incheslong(cardsizemaximums)mustbeatleast0.007inchthick.

CardsQualifyingpostcardsmustmeetallthebasicsizeandconstructionrequirementsforcardratesasoutlinedonpagethree.Piecesformedfromasinglepieceofcardstockthatexceedsthepostcard-sizemaximumdimensionsof41/4inchesby6inchesmayqualifyforletter-sizeautomationrates.

Piecesexceedingeithertheheightorlengthmaximumsforpostcardsmustbeatleast0.007inchthicktocontinuetoqualifyforletter-size(notcard)automationrates.

GivingusyourpostcardswithaCASSCertifiedaddressblockbarcodealreadyprintedonthemisawaytopreventissuesthatcanarisewiththeprocessingofpostcards.

2.0MailpieceDesign

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FlatsUSPSautomationdiscountsapplytoflat-sizemailpiecesthatarebarcodedbythemailer.PresortServicesprocessesFirst-Classflatsforautomationdiscounts.Automationratediscountsforflat-sizemailallowforeitheraZIP+4Codeoradeliverypointbarcode.Inaddition,themailpieceitselfmustmeetthephysicalrequirementsforautomatedflatsortation.Thisappliesequallytoallflat-sizemailpieces,regardlessofclass.

» Deliveryaddressmustbemoreprominentthanthereturnaddress

» Recommended10or12pointfont-size.Avoidscript,boldandnarrowfonts

» Somefontsthatreadverywell:Arial,Courier,HelveticaandTahoma

» Addressleftjustified,notcentered

» Deliveryaddresstorightandbelowreturnaddress

» Atleast1/8”clearzonearoundentiredeliveryaddress

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CARL CUSTOMER10110 I STREETOMAHA, NE 68127

Solar Cell, Inc. 8030 South 216th St.Omaha, NE 68127-1189

Imagineyourflatisdividedinto9equalparts.Placethedeliveryaddressinadifferentsectionthanthereturnaddress.

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CUSCUSCUSTOTOTOTREETREETREETTT

OMAHA, NE 68127OMAHA, NE 68127OMAHA, NE 68127



2.0MailpieceDesign

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FlatsFirst-Classflatsmustmeetthefollowingstandardsinordertoqualifyforflat-sizepostagerates.

» Weighnomorethan13oz.andberectangularinshape

» Uniformthickness–nomorethan¼inchvariance

» Flexible(mustmeetUSPSflexibilityrequirements)

» Deflection(mustmeetUSPSdeflectionrequirements)DroopTest

» Clasps,strings,buttonclosuresoranyprotrusionsareprohibited

» Meterstripshouldbeparalleltotheaddress

» Tyvekenvelopesarenotpermitted

» Glossystockenvelopesarenotrecommended

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CARL CUSTOMER10110 I STREETOMAHA NE 68127

Tap test check for 1/8”clearance


Thesedimensionsareforautomationcompatibleflats.Ifyouarepreparingnon-automationflatsthespecificationswillbedifferent.ContactyourPBPSCustomerServiceManager.

2.0MailpieceDesign

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Self-MailersEnvelopesandothermailpiecessecurelysealedonallfouredgesprovidethebestassuranceforsuccessfulautomatedprocessing.However,anopenorfoldedmailpiecealsoqualifiesforautomationrateswhenithasbeenproperlydesignedandtabbedorsealed.

Foldedself-mailersandbookletsmustbetabbedtopreventtheopenedgesfromfanningoutandjammingduringhighspeedprocessing.Thestandardsforthesetypesofmailpiecesaregenerallysetbythebasisweightofthepaperstockandthelocationofthefoldedorboundedge.

» Foldonbottomispreferred

» Tabbing,tapeorgluestriprecommendedforanyletter-sizemail;requiredifclaimingautomation

» Thesameaddressingrequirementsforlettersalsoapplytoself-mailers

» ConsultyourPitneyBowesPresortServicesCustomerServiceManagerifyouhavequestionsorseeUSPSCommercialLetters(section201intheDMM)

Type Length Cover Stock Sealing Tab In These LocationsSimpleSpine-Spineorfinalfoldonthebottom(longer)edge.

5’’to9’’long,Over9’’,upto10.5’’long

50-poundor60-pound Three1.5'nonperforatedtabs Twotabsonleadingedge;onetabontrailingedge.Positionlowerleadingtab0.5inchfromthebottomedge.Positionuppertabswithin1inchfromthetopedge.

Folded-Finalfoldonthebottom(longer)edge,withthefoldedspineontheleadingortrailing(shorter)edge.

5”to10.5”long 40-pound Three1.5’’nonperforatedtabs Twotabsonleadingedge;onetabontrailingedge.Positionlowerleadingtab0.5inchfromthebottomedge.Positionuppertabswithin1inchfromthetopedge.

Oblong-Spineontheleading(shorter)edge.

5’’to9’’longOver9’’,upto10.5’’long

60-pound70-pound Three1.5’’nonperforatedtabs Twotabsontopedge;onetabontrailingedge.Positiontoptabs1inchfromleftandrightedge.Positiontrailingtabinthemiddle.

SimpleSpine-WalletStyle-Saddle-stitchedspine(twoormorestaples)onthebottom(longer)edge.4”heightonly.MaximumWeight2.5ounces.

5.2’’to8’’long 60-poundforcoverandpages70-poundcoverwith50-poundpages

Two1.5”or2”nonperforatedtabs

Onetabonleadingedgeandonetabontrailingedge.Bookletsupto2ounces:1.5”tabs,1-1/4”frombottomedge.Over2ouncesupto2.5ounces,2”tabs,3/4”frombottomedge,±1/8”verticaltolerancefortabplacementforbothtabsizes.

Self-Mailer Specifications

SIMPLE SPINE WALLET STYLE OBLONG

SECOND FOLD

SPINE

FOLDED

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OCR Read Area Allow1/8”clearanceleftandrightand1/25”aboveandbelowbetweenthebarcodeandanyotherprinting.Entireaddressblockmustbewithin4”oftopandatleast1/2”fromrightorleftside.Entireaddressblock(andbarcode)mustbeatleast5/8”frombottom.Forwindowenvelopes,theaddressmusthave1/8”clearancearoundtheaddressblockandnotshiftoutofthewindowarea.

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MINIMUM LENGTH 5" MAXIMUM LENGTH FOR POSTCARD RATE 6"

MAXIMUM LENGTH FOR ENVELOPE 11 1/2" ALIGN WITH RIGHT BOTTOM CORNER OF MAILPIECE TO CHECK BARCODE AND ADDRESS BLOCK LOCATIONS

OCR READ AREA

ENTIRE DELIVERY ADDRESS WITHIN THE OCR READ AREA

MAXIMUM SKEW + OR - 5 DEGREES

ON BARCODES

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3 1/

2"

MA

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BARCODE CLEAR ZONE THIS AREA SHOULD BE CLEAR AND MUST BE FREE OF EXTRANEOUS PRINTING WHEN BARCODING IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER

NO PRINTING EXCEPT BARCODE IN THIS AREA

BARCODE FULLY WITHIN SHADE AREA BARCODE BASELINE

PLACE THE ENTIRE RETURN ADDRESS IN THE TOP 1/3 OF THE MAILPIECE

ADDRESS BLOCK BARCODE CLEARANCE

1/2” MIN.

1/2” MIN.

5/8”

4 3/4”

CARL CUSTOMER10110 I STOMAHA NE 68127-1189

AASZS31 68127

ABC COMPANY Serv i ces L i ke No Othe r

12345 Street Ave. Anywhere, NE 68127-1189

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

2.0MailpieceDesign

ADDRESS BLOCK1. NON-ADDRESS DATA > XX 6548987498-XC2. INFORMATION/ATTENTION > CARL CUSTOMER3. RECIPIENT > ABC COMPANY4. DELIVERY ADDRESS > 10110 I STREET5. CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE > OMAHA NE 68127-1189

DUAL ADDRESSING1. NON-ADDRESS DATA > XX 6548987498-XC2. INFORMATION/ATTENTION > CARL CUSTOMER3. RECIPIENT > ABC COMPANY4. DELIVERY ADDRESS > 10110 I ST5. DELIVERY ADDRESS > PO BOX 500 (mail will be delivered here)

6. CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE > OMAHA, NE 68127-1189

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Address Format/Address BlockAllmailmustbearadeliveryaddress.Exceptforsimplifiedaddresses,acompletedeliveryaddresscontainsnon-addressinformation,attentionline,recipientline,deliveryaddresslineandcity,stateandZIP(ZIP+4)Codefromtoptobottom.

ThePostalServiceandthemailingindustryhavejointlydevelopedstandardizedformatsforaddresses.TheseformatsenhancetheprocessinganddeliveryofmailandreduceUndeliverable-As-Addressed(UAA)mail.Thisprovidesformutualcostsavingsthroughimprovedefficiency.

OCR Readability Windowenvelopesmusthave1/8”clearancebetweentheaddressandanywindowedgeevenwithmaximuminsertshift.

Rejectionormiscodingtotheincorrectaddress(eventhereturnaddress)canoccurwheninformationslipsoutofviewofthewindow.


Act Now!

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RL CUSTOMER 110 I ST AHA NE 68127-1189

Act Now!

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IMb Example TheIntelligentMailbarcodeiswhatisknownasafour-statebarcode.Thestatesrefertothefourdifferentpositionsabarcanhold–afullbar,anascender,adescender,oratracker.

Additionally,theIntelligentMailbarcodeiscomposedofsixty-fivebarswhicharecapableofencodingthirty-onedigitsofdata.Thethirty-onedigitsincludethefollowing:

Address Block Placement Anaddressblockbarcoderequirescertainclearancesrelativetoanyprintingandtheedgesofthewindoworaddresslabel.Thisallowsthebarcodesortertosuccessfullylocatethebarcode.


Address Block Barcode Placement

Above Address (Preferred) Below Address (Acceptable)

Above Optional Endorsement Lineand/or Key Line Information (Acceptable)

Below Optional Endorsement Lineand/or Key Line Information (Preferred)


#MAR09 XXX 56 #125 BG 45 5574 4************************************ 5 DIGIT

************************************ 5 DIGIT#MAR09 XXX 56 #125 BG 45 5574 4



descendingregion

trackingregion

ascendingregion

full bar ascender tracker descender

Addressing AccuracyCorrectaddressingaffectsefficientdeliveryofyourmail.TheZIP+4Codehelpsdirectyourmail.UsethecorrectAcronyms&Abbreviationslistforacompleteaddress.YoucanalsousetoolsprovidedbytheUSPStoaddressfurtherquestions.

» Allcapitalletters

» Fontshouldnotoverlaportouch

» Minimum10ptfont

» Noabbreviationtocity

» Nopunctuation

» Addressprintedonwhitebackground

addressshift

handwritten

boldprint

extraneousprint

italicsprint

printnotshown backgroundcolor

backgroundpattern

smallprint

underlineprint

Skewed

Avoidthesetypeofexamples:

3.0Addresses

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4.0Resources/USPSPublications

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Belowaredescriptionsandonlinelocationsofpublications,guidesandwebsitesthatcontainvaluableinformationthatwillhelpyou.Theonlineversionsarethemostup-to-date.

Quick Service Guides (QSG): TheQuickServiceGuidesprovidequickguidestothefollowing:

» RetailLetters,FlatsandParcels

» DiscountLettersandCards

» DiscountFlats

» DiscountParcels

» AdditionalServices

» BasicStandardsforAllMailingServices

» SpecialStandards

» GlossaryofPostalTermsandAbbreviations

TheQuickServiceGuideisavailableonPostalExplorerathttp://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/q000.htm

Domestic Mail Manual (DMM): TheDMMistheMailingStandardsoftheUnitedStatesPostalService.ItcontainsallofficialratesandstandardsgoverningdomesticmailingservicesandismostlyusedbydiscountmailersandPostalServiceemployees.TheDMMisavailableonPostalExplorerathttp://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/dmm300_landing.htm.

Postal Bulletin: PostalBulletinsaretheofficialsourceofupdatestoPostalServicepoliciesandprocedures.Itispublishedeverytwoweeks.PostalBulletinsareavailableonusps.comathttp://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm.

Mail Pro: MailProisafreebimonthlypublicationformailingprofessionals.ItcontainsinformationoncurrentPostalServiceprograms

andservices,ratesandclassification,mailingsuccessstoriesandindustrynews.MailProreplacedMailersCompanionandMemotoMailersJanuary2007.MailProissuesareavailableathttp://www.usps.com/mailpro.

RIBBS Website: TheRIBBSWebsitecontainsawealthofinformationsuchastheMQCSpecialistList,QuickLinks,RIBBSLinks,USPSLocators&Lookups,USPSLinks,RateCalculatorsandClassificationInitiatives.RIBBScanbeaccessedathttp://ribbs.usps.gov/index.html.

Postal Explorer: PostalExplorercontainsawealthofinformationsuchastheDMM,IMM,MQC(underthelinkMailpieceDesign),PostageStatementWizardandthelistgoesonandon.PostalExplorercanbeaccessedathttp://pe.usps.gov/.

IfaPostalExplorerCDisneededthencontactNationalCustomerSupportCenterat1-800-238-3150andsubmityourorderrequestandpayment,thenonewillbeshippedtoyou.

USPS Publications: FindpublicationssuchasthePublication25,DesigningLetterandReplyMail;Publication28,PostalAddressingStandards;Publication32,GlossaryofPostalTerms;andmanymore.USPSPublicationscanbeaccessedathttp://www.usps.com/publications/pubs/welcome.htm.

Glossary of Postal Terms (Publication 32): Thepurposeofthispublicationistodefinethewordsandphrasesthatareuniqueto,orhavespecialmeaningswithin,theUnitedStatesPostalService.Publication32canbeaccesseddirectlyat:http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub32.pdf.

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