| With ACE Mailing and Printing Services, it's a simple
3-step process:
1. Provide us with your literature design or
we'll create it for you.
2. We'll print your
literature using the highest quality,state-of-the-art processes available
3. We'll mail your product
and guarantee you the lowest postal rates available.
Without ACE Mailing Services, there's a lot more to contend
with!
 Designing
mail that can be sent at automated postal rates can be very complicated. The
Domestic Mail Manual or DMM is the United States Postal
Service's guide to rules, regulations, and requirements for all types
of mail.
We offer the following to help you understand some of the very basic
and most common concepts of the DMM. This is not meant to be a comprehensive
summary. Instead, it is a collection of some of the more common questions
and problems that our clients encounter.
Just some of the details you can LEAVE TO US:
- Ensuring there is sufficient room for the Post Office's Optical Character
Reader (OCR) to scan the destination address and barcode- unimpeded
by other text or artwork.
- Ensuring that the contrast in tone (or color) between the barcode
and the paper stock is sufficient enough to allow the OCR to clearly
read each bar. Very dark or fluorescent colors do not allow enough
of a contrast, and will be rejected by the post office.
- If you are considering a particular color stock and are unsure
if it will pass USPS standards before going to print, give us a sample. We
will have it tested for you.
- If you are creating a folded piece of literature that will be sent
without an envelope, this fold needs to be sealed to obtain automation
postage rates.
Whether the opening requires one wafer seal tab or two depends upon
where the opening is located. If the opening occurs at the bottom, the
Post Office will require two tabs. If, however, your piece is redesigned
to create an opening at the top of the piece, only one tab is required-
saving you additional expense.
- Wording for your indicia. Not-for-profit, first class, and other
criteria may change the exact text that is required. And remember,
if you need to use Ace Mailing's permit number we would be more than
glad to allow you to do so.
- Although not a design issue, it is important for us to say a few
words about databases. Uniformity within the database
that you provide us is critical. Only those addresses that CASS-certify
are assigned a barcode and therefore are eligible for automation postage
rates.
All non-certified addresses can still be mailed, but for 3-4.5¢ additional
postage. There should be a separate column for the name, business name,
address, city, state, and zip code of each mail recipient.
Knowing your literature's "aspect ratio" -
the dimension of a mail-piece expressed as a ratio of length divided
by height is also critical. This ratio is important to determine whether
your mail can be sent as a letter, as a flat, or if it will require a
surcharge due to non-standard size.
Please take advantage of Ace Mailing Service's free design consultation. We
will help you ensure that your mail adheres to all of the United States
Postal Service's bulk mail requirements and receives the greatest postal
discounts available. Call us at 585 454-2470.
Glossary of Postal Terms
- Automation Compatible Mail
Mail that can be scanned and sorted by automated mail processing equipment.
Because it is automated, very few workers need to physically touch the
mail, resulting in a less expensive postage rate.
- Cass Certified Mail
The Coding Accuracy Support System verifies that all of the
literature within a given mailing can be delivered to a certified address
within the United States. The Post Office provides quarterly updates
of each of these addresses on CD-ROM. If you provide us with an address
that cannot be found within this database, it will have to be sent
Non-CASS-Certified, at a more expensive postage rate. The accuracy
of your database is critical.
- Delivery Point Barcode (DPBC)
The barcode on each piece of mail consists of the zip code
(5 digits), zip+4 (4 digits), and the DPBC (2 additional digits) to
help further identify and sort mail.
- Density
The amount of mail being sent to a particular zip code. The
greater the number of pieces, the greater the density. At certain levels
of density, a price break in postage can be incurred.
- Enhanced Carrier Route Line of Travel
ECR-LOT is the greatest level of density, and therefore the
least expensive rate of postage. It requires, however, a very high
number of mail pieces being sent to the same zip code.
- Flat
A flat is a large piece of mail (exceeding 11 1/2 inches in
width and 61/8 inches in height) that requires a higher rate of postage.
This is in contrast to a letter which is smaller in size, and is less
expensive to send.
- Indicia (permit)
The portion of a mail piece that both acts as a stamp and
designates the type of mailing (presorted, standard, first class, or
non-profit) and contains a permit number. The indicia is printed where
the stamp would normally be located.
- Letter
A category to designate the size of a mail piece. Smaller
than a flat (see above), it can be sent at a less expensive postage
rate. A letter, in this usage, does not need to look like that which
we traditionally refer to as a "letter". A postcard, for
instance, can be sent as a letter.
- National Change of Address (NCDA)
An address correction service provided by a small number of
USPS-designated vendors. We can forward your database to one of these
vendors to update any forwarding changes that need to be made.
- Optical Character Reader
The OCR is an automated mail sorting machine that reads the
barcode on each mailpiece and coveys it to the appropriate stacker
for delivery. It is very important that the OCR be able to read the
barcode on each piece of mail. When designing your literature, please
be certain to leave adequate room for the delivery address.
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