List Tips

  • Have your mailing company remove duplicates from your list before presorting the mail. This will reduce printing, postage, and cost of processing un-necessary mail pieces.
  • Target your audience. Review who your current customers are and work with your list company to acquire addresses of similar prospects.
  • If you plan on mailing two or more times to the same addresses, purchase your list for multiple use.
  • Update your list when a prospect responds to your mailing. You can then mail to that address un-limited times.

Design Tips

  • Always design the fold at the bottom of self mailers. The opening should be above the address so that only one tab is needed for automated discounts, and leave room for the tab usually at the top in the middle.
  • Leave enough room for your mail shop to print the address and barcode. Check with your mail house to see what space is necessary.
  • n address and any other non delivery address information is not within the OCR read area. Otherwise your mail may be returned to you instead of the address in your list.

  • Make sure you do not have copy in the barcode clear zone. If you do, the post office may cover it up with labels.

  • Don't be square. Divide the width by the height, if your result is not between 1.3 to 2.5 your mail does not meet USPS aspect ratio. You may incur a surcharge for mail that is non postal automation compatible.
  • Your mailing company can save you postal dollars. The sooner you contact them in the design process, the better they can help your mail get through the postal system faster, thus saving you postage.

Printing Tips

  • Choose the right type of paper. A glossy stock will smear when metered and may require a label for addressing. Be sure to use an indicia on glossy stock.
  • Ask your printer to box pack your printing with all mail pieces facing the same direction and put separator between stacks.
  • Have your printer label the boxes with content and quantity.
  • Allow your printer enough time for all of the necessary processes, a rushed print job will result in a less desirable mail piece.

Mailing Tips

  • Always design the fold at the bottom of self mailers. The opening should be above the address so that only one tab is needed for automated discounts, and leave room for the tab usually at the top in the middle.
  • Leave enough room for your mail shop to print the address and barcode. Check with your mail house to see what space is necessary.
  • Make sure your return address and any other non delivery address information is not within the OCR read area. Otherwise your mail may be returned to you instead of the address in your list.
  • Make sure you do not have copy in the barcode clear zone. If you do, the post office may cover it up with labels.
  • Don't be square. Divide the width by the height, if your result is not between 1.3 to 2.5 your mail does not meet USPS aspect ratio. You may incur a surcharge for mail that is non postal automation compatible.
  • Your mailing company can save you postal dollars. The sooner you contact them in the design process, the better they can help your mail get through the postal system faster, thus saving you postage.

Answers

faq 1

The USPS requires a minimum of:

  • 200 mail pieces (or 50 lbs.) for presorted standard mail.
  • 500 mail pieces for presorted 1st class mail.

faq 2

YES! Usually we can prepare, and deliver to the post office for less than what your company or organization would pay your employees. Factor in your cost for labels or materials, and the savings is even greater.

We have the software to update your list with barcode information and can save you substantially in postage costs.

faq 3

Ideally 2" tall by 4" wide. However, we can work with a minimum area of 1 ½" tall by 3 ¾" wide.

  • Be sure to place your return address above the delivery address area.
  • The bottom of the delivery address area should be at least 5/8 of an inch above the bottom edge of the mail piece.

We are always happy to review your artwork prior to sending it to a commercial printer.

faq 4

You are welcome to use our permit at no charge as long as we perform the mailing services.

Contact us for simple instructions on printing the permit on your mail piece. We will need to see a proof of the mail piece before it goes to the commercial printer.

faq 5

Mail is classified as either letter sized or non-letter (flat). Letter rate postage is lower and receives faster delivery due to greater efficiencies in the Postal automation equipment used.

Contact us and we will help you determine if your mail piece qualifies as a letter or a flat.

There are other classifications that may apply such as Parcels, Bound Printed Matter, Media mail and Customized MarketMail™.

faq 6

No. It can slow down sorting and delivery, the mail piece would become non-automated and cost more to process.

A tab should be used for closure, contact us for detail.

faq 7

For 1st Class Mail, it is a 4 ¼" x 6"; for Presorted Standard it is 6 1/8" x 11 ½ "

Your mail must also meet an aspect ratio of between 1.3 to 2.5

To get the aspect ratio divide the width by the height.

faq 8

No! Your cost of the labels and your time, plus the costs for us to affix and manually sort the mail is more then the costs for us to print the addresses directly on the mail pieces in USPS presorted order.

faq 9

We prefer that your list be in ASCII Tab Delimited, Excel, DBF, or a Comma Delimited format.

Other formats can often be used; however please contact us if you have another format to ensure compatibility.

faq 10

Total Fulfillment can help you with your printing needs.

Whether you provide the printing or we do, we are always happy to review your design specifications to ensure that your mail piece meets all the USPS automation qualifications to save you postage.

We encourage you to send your artwork to us for review and estimating.

Try us on your next mailing. We will be on time, hassle free and affordable!

request a free quote