MDF Systems, Inc.
780 James P. Casey Road
P.O. Box 917
Bristol, CT 06010-0917
Tel:800-426-3752
Tel:860-584-4750
Fax:860-584-4759
www.mdfsystems.com
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Tips & Trivia
The Postal Service has become highly automated. Letters and parcels are processed and sorted by lightning-fast machines that read barcodes that contain address specifications.
The Post Office has made its software available to mailers that can append the bar codes onto the mailing address label. Postal discounts are given for doing some of the Postal Service advance preparation. The amount of the discount is dependent upon how much advance work is done.
Mail pieces are considered machinable if they can be sorted on Postal Service processing equipment. There are specific standards, including size, shape, and weight, that determine whether a piece is machinable or not. Generally most of what you mail is considered machinable.
A piece is considered non-machinable if it cannot be sorted by Postal Service equipment. There is extra handling that needs to be done on non-machinable mail pieces, so there may be a surcharge. Here are some of the types of non-machinable mail:
- Non-standard pieces according to a ratio. Square pieces are not machinable.
- Anything in a plastic wrapping including polybagging.
- Pieces with uneven thickness, such as pens, pencils, keys
- Anything that is too thin or too rigid.
- An envelope with clasps, strings, buttons, etc.
- A container of metal or wood, or one with metal bands or straps
- More than 24 ounces of liquid in one or more glass containers
- More than 1 gallon of liquid in plastic container
- Insecurely wrapped article, including paper-wrapped or sleeve-wrapped
PreSorted mail is separated by 3 or 5 digit zip codes and put into trays or bags by zip code, and delivered to the Post Office, along with the requisite paperwork and tray tags. There is a minimal discount for pre-sorting your mail.
Automated mail pieces receive postal discounts if all of the pieces have a delivery point barcode or a Zip+4 barcode. All pieces must meet specific addressing requirements; barcodes must meet placement, size, and legibility standards; and they must have the desired level of sortation. There is a substantial discount for automating your mailing.
Destination Entry Discounts - the deeper into the mail stream that your mailing is delivered, the higher the discount.
- DBMC – Destination Bulk Mail Center – there are 21 of these throughout the US
- DSCF – Destination Sectional Facility (350 in the US)
- DDU – Destination Delivery Unit – Local Post Office
These are some of the ways that you can save postage on your large mailings.
© Copyright 2004 MDF Systems
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