MAKING
YOUR
DIRECT
MAIL
POSTAL
READY
USPS Delivers
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HOW TO SAVE TIME AND
MONEY SENDING YOUR
DIRECT MAILPIECE
When you’re creating a direct mailpiece, you have many options to
consider—your message, your design, your mailing list, for instance.
Above all, make sure you don’t neglect one all-important element:
Working with the United States Postal Service (USPS).
USPS can be a valuable partner in helping you determine the most cost-eective way to
create and send your message, so that it arrives in the right mailboxes at the right time.
Consulting with your local Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) oce at the beginning of the
process can help ensure that you don’t create a piece that will be costly to mail—or not
mailable at all.
The following overview will help guide you as you make decisions about the size and shape
of your mailpiece, what service makes sense for you, and how you can save time and money
on your mailing.
T
I
P
S
F
R
O
M
U
S
P
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WHAT CLASS OF SERVICE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
USPS divides mail into “classes,” each with dierent features, levels, postage prices, and
presort requirements. For direct mail postcards, letters, and flats, you will probably be using
either commercial First-Class Mail® or USPS Marketing Mail™ service.
SAVING MONEY WITH COMMERCIAL MAIL
Commercial mail refers to larger quantities of mail prepared for mailing at reduced postage.
It can be used for First-Class Mail service as well as USPS Marketing Mail service and other
classes of mail.
USPS oers lower prices for commercial First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail mailings
because you do some of the work that otherwise would have to be done by the Postal
Service. For example, you can sort your mail by ZIP Code™ and, for an additional discount, you
may also take your mailing to a destination postal facility.
In order to mail at commercial prices, you need to:
« Get a mailing permit and pay an annual mailing fee for each class of mail you’ll use.
« Pay postage using precanceled stamps, postage evidencing system indicia, or a
permit imprint.
« Ensure that your addresses are accurate.
« Presort your mailpieces by ZIP Code.
« Take your mail to the Post Oce™ where you hold your mailing permit.
If your business does just one or two mailings a year and you want to use commercial mail,
it may be worth seeking the services of a presort vendor or mailing house. Why? Because
commercial mail is an investment: An investment of time and in learning how to sort and
prepare your mail.
FIRST-CLASS MAIL® SERVICE
First-Class Mail service is faster than USPS Marketing Mail service, so it’s a
good choice if you need to reach customers quickly.
You can save money on First-Class Mail service, if you’re sending at least
500 pieces.
The maximum weight for a First-Class Mail mailpiece is 13 ounces (3.5 ounces for letters).
First-Class Mail prices include forwarding and return services.
USPS MARKETING MAIL™ SERVICE (formerly Standard Mail® service)
A USPS Marketing Mail mailing must meet a minimum quantity of 200 pieces or 50 pounds of mail.
The maximum weight for a USPS Marketing Mail mailpiece is 16 ounces. USPS Marketing Mail
mailpieces won’t be forwarded or returned unless you request it with an ancillary service
endorsement. (See below for possible endorsements.) Forwarding and return services may
cost extra.
Discounted nonprofit prices are available for USPS Marketing Mail mailpieces; however, they
require specific authorization.
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LETTERS
Generally, if you’re using a standard
No. 10 envelope for your letter, you’ll have
no problem with your piece being in the
letter-size mail category. However, if you
decide to create a mailpiece with its own
special envelope or if you are designing a
piece that will be folded to letter-size mail,
be sure to keep in mind the requirements for
the letter category.
To qualify for mailing at the price for letters,
a piece must be:
« Rectangular.
« No more than 11.5 inches long x 6.125
inches wide x 0.25 inches thick.
« At least 5 inches long x 3.5 inches wide x
0.007 inches thick.
POSTCARDS
First-Class Mail® postcards are an inexpensive
way to get an immediate message to
customers. When they arrive in the mail,
there’s the message—no envelope to open!
To qualify for mailing at the First-Class Mail
postcard price, your mailpiece must be:
« Rectangular.
« No more than 6 inches long x 4.25 inches
wide x 0.016 inches thick.
« At least 5 inches long x 3.5 inches wide x
0.007 inches thick.
FLATS
If your piece is larger than letter-size mail, it’s probably considered a flat. The Postal Service
uses the word “flat” to refer to large envelopes, newsletters, and magazines. Flats must be:
« More than 11.5 inches long, 6.125 inches wide, or 0.25 inches thick.
« Not more than 15 inches long, 12 inches wide, nor 0.75 inches thick.
The maximum size for a flat provides plenty of room to put lots of material in the envelope.
But keep in mind that weight usually aects price—the higher the weight, the higher the postage.
PICK THE RIGHT SIZE AND
SHAPE FOR YOUR MAILER
The size and shape of your mailpiece aect the cost to mail it. Direct mail will generally fall
into one of three size-based categories: Letters, postcards, or flats.
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MAILPIECE SHAPE
You want your mailpiece to look unique to catch your customers’
attention, but design it with care. An odd-shaped mailpiece may not
only cost more to design and print, it could also be subject to
a higher mailing price or even be nonmailable.
Speaking of odd shapes, don’t mail bulky, odd-shaped things like
pens or bottle caps in regular letter-size envelopes. You’ll pay more in
postage, and the items are more likely to poke through the envelope,
fall out, and be lost.
WHAT NOT TO MAIL: PROHIBITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS
Some items cannot legally be sent through the mail. For example, fraudulent information,
obscene materials, and explosives are prohibited. Other items are mailable but only in limited
quantities with special packaging.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with U.S. Postal Service requirements
and that you don’t mail anything that can injure postal employees, postal equipment, or
customers’ mail. For more information, consult the “What Is Mailable?” section of Business
Mail 101.
OTHER TIPS TO REMEMBER:
« Punctuation, with the exception of the hyphen in the ZIP+4 Code, may be omitted.
« Print a return address in the upper left corner of the front of the mailpiece.
« Use a Post Oce Box™ or street address, but not both.
« If the address has a directional, e.g., NW for northwest, be sure to use it.
TIP: USPS Mailpiece Design Analysts (MDAs) have specialized mailpiece design expertise
and can assist with technical mailpiece design questions. Get in touch with the MDA
Customer Help Desk at [email protected]v.
The accuracy of the address aects the
speed and handling of your mail. To help
ensure that your mail is delivered right
the first time, use the following format.
Uppercase letters are preferred.
ADDRESS YOUR MAIL
CORRECTLY
Name or attention line
Company name
Delivery address
City, state, ZIP Code
MR J BROWN PRES
ANY CORP
4321 MAPLE ST
OAKTON MD 12345-6789
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To claim commercial First-Class Mail® and
USPS Marketing Mail™ prices, you must have
checked the accuracy of your addresses.
The Postal Service oers many ways to
check the accuracy of your list. Your local
Post Oce™ or BMEU can help you choose
the best option for cleaning up your mailing
list. Here are some of the options:
« Use usps.com® to check the
ZIP Code™ accuracy of your list.
« Process your address list through CASS™
certified software. CASS stands for Coding
Accuracy Support System. It means that
your addresses have been checked for
accuracy against the Postal Service’s
database using an approved system.
« Use the USPS® Address List Correction
Service. You can submit a printout of
your list to the Postal Service, which will
mark any changes. There is a fee for this
service, which is available through the
Address Management System Oce found
at https://postalpro.usps.com/address-
quality.
« The National Change of Address
(NCOA
Link
®) service makes change-of-
address information for moves available
to mailers.
« Use the Address Information System
(AIS) Viewer application to retrieve, view,
and print accurate and current ZIP Code
information for all 50 states.
CHECKING YOUR ADDRESS LIST BEFORE YOU MAIL
DID YOU KNOW?
« 17% of Americans change addresses annually.
1
«
« 45 million people move each year.
1
«
« Approximately one out of every six families moves each year.
1
«
1. “Checking the Accuracy of Your Address List,” Postal Explorer, usps.com. (https://pe.usps.com/businessmail101?ViewName=CheckTheAddresses)
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ADDRESSING SERVICES
Sometimes, despite your best eorts, your mailpieces can’t be delivered to the
addresses you’ve used. For instance, your potential customer may have moved
or the building may be vacant.
By using special addressing services called "ancillary
service endorsements," you can give the Postal Service
specific instructions on how to handle your mail if it
can’t be delivered as addressed.
Depending on the purpose of your mailing, you may
want those pieces forwarded to customers who have
moved, or you may want a corrected address returned
to you.
For more details, consult Quick Service Guide 507—
Ancillary Service Endorsements.
First-Class Mail® pieces are forwarded to the new
address free of charge and, if undeliverable, returned
to you at no additional cost. You can use an ancillary
service endorsement to change how the Postal Service
treats your First-Class Mail pieces.
Undeliverable USPS Marketing Mail™ pieces that don’t
have an endorsement are disposed of by the Postal
Service. This is a good reason to make sure that your
address list is correct and current.
The Postal Service provides three dierent
ways for you to pay for commercial mail postage.
YOUR MAILING PERMIT
You need a mailing permit for commercial mailings, whether you’re
using precanceled stamps, postage evidencing systems indicia, or permit
imprint. Please note that there is a permit fee and an annual fee for these
types of mailing.
WAYS TO PAY YOUR
POSTAGE
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PRECANCELED STAMPS
With precanceled stamps, you get the
personalized look of single-piece mail
without the price. Precanceled stamps are
available for the following classes of mail:
Presorted First-Class Mail®, presorted First-
Class Mail postcards, regular USPS Marketing
Mail™ service, and nonprofit USPS Marketing
Mail service.
Precanceled stamps are recommended
for relatively low-volume bulk mailings if
you or someone at your business puts a
stamp on each mailpiece. You can also have
the stamps applied by machine by a private
mail service provider.
You can buy precanceled stamps in large
quantities at the retail window of the Post
Oce™ where you hold your mailing permit.
Mailpieces with precanceled stamps must be
brought to the Post Oce where you hold
your permit. They can’t be dropped
in a collection box or given to a carrier.
POSTAGE EVIDENCING
SYSTEMS (POSTAGE METER
OR PC POSTAGE®)
Postage evidencing systems include postage
meters and PC Postage® products. They let
you print postage indicia directly onto your
mailpieces or onto a meter tape or labels that
you then apply to your mailpiece.
What is the dierence between a postage
meter and PC Postage products? Postage
meters are devices that can print one or more
denominations of postage onto a mailpiece
or meter tape. You can lease them from
designated manufacturers. PC Postage is
USPS-approved third-party vendor software
that mailers can use to pay for and print
their postage using a computer, printer, and
Internet connection. Both are convenient
ways to pay for postage and track your
postage costs.
If you already have a postage meter or a PC
Postage account, using them to send direct
mail advertising could be a smart choice.
Although you can use the same postage
meter for all of your mail, you must apply
for a permit to use the meter for commercial
mailings. Also, there are special markings
required for commercial mailings that can
be applied with your meter stamp. That saves
you an extra step.
With both a postage meter and PC Postage,
you pay for postage in advance and replenish
your account as your balance runs out.
PERMIT IMPRINT
Permit imprint is the most popular and convenient way to pay for
high-volume mailings. Instead of using precanceled stamps or a
postage meter, you print postage information in the upper right
corner of the mailpiece. This postage block is called an “indicia.”
You print the indicia when you print the rest of your mailpiece. If you
already have a mailpiece printed without the permit imprint, you can
use a rubber stamp.
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To use permit imprint, you set up a postage account (called an “advance deposit account”)
at your local BMEU where you’ll be depositing your mail. When you bring your mailing to the
BMEU, the total postage is deducted from your account. It’s like having
a checking account at the Post Oce™.
AT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS
MAIL ENTRY UNIT (BMEU)
OFFICE
SAVING MONEY WITH AUTOMATION PRICES
You can receive even greater discounts if your commercial mailing meets automation
requirements. To qualify, your mailpieces must be 100% barcoded using an Intelligent Mail®
barcode (IMb®) encoded with the correct delivery point routing code and prepared for the
Postal Service’s high-speed mail processing equipment.
A mail service provider or printer can help you prepare your mail to qualify for these special
prices. Contact your local BMEU to discuss whether automation is right for your mailing.
MAKING IT EASY FOR YOUR
CUSTOMERS TO RESPOND
If you want to encourage potential customers to reply to your direct mail, Business Reply Mail®
(BRM) or Courtesy Reply Mail™ (CRM) services may be good options.
With BRM, you give customers a postage-free way to respond to you. It’s a little like sending
them a self-addressed stamped envelope except that you don’t pay the postage unless they
actually use it.
MR J BROWN PRES
ANY CORP
4321 MAPLE ST
OAKTON MD 12345-6789
PRSRT MKTG
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
AGENCY NAME
PERMIT NO. G-999
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©2017 United States Postal Service. All Rights Reserved.
The Eagle Logo is among the many trademarks of the U.S. Postal Service.
You will need to purchase an annual permit to use BRM. You will pay postage on the mail
your customers return, plus a per-piece charge for each BRM piece returned to you.
When designing a BRM mailpiece or label, you must consult with your local Post Oce™ and
have your proofs approved by the USPS before printing, because the piece must conform to
a specific format. For more information on BRM templates, click here.
CRM is another way to make it easier for potential customers to respond to you, but in this
case, you are not paying their postage. CRM consists of preaddressed postcards or envelopes
provided to customers, who apply the postage themselves. CRM helps facilitate a faster
response and more accurate delivery of responses. CRM templates are also available on the
Postal Explorer website.
WHERE TO FIND MORE
INFORMATION
Hopefully, this overview answered many of your questions about preparing a direct mailpiece
that will reach your potential customers as cost-eectively as possible. For more information
and resources, click here: Business Mail 101.
