Quick Printing

DEC 2013

Quick Printing is the only business resource serving the quick and small commercial printing niche in North America. Quick Printing is the authoritative source for business information, emerging technologies, shop profiles and management insight.

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PRIORITY MAIL Back to Basics A quick review of basic mail preparation and postal regulations. By Nancy DeDiemar T he end of the year seems like a good time to get back to basics and review some of the fundamentals of mailing services that you or your staff may have forgotten. Non-profit Postage Rates 42 QUICK PRINTING / December 2013 w w w. M y P R I N T R e s o u r c e . c o m © VStock/Thinkstock Non-profit postage rates for standard mail (originally third class mail) were established by Congress in 1951 for designated categories of organizations, and expanded in 1978 and 1993. To be eligible for non-profit rates, a mailing must qualify as standard mail and meet restrictions on content. Mailers are in the habit of talking about "non-profit permits". That's shorthand that veteran mailers understand but may be confusing to new mailers (or new CSRs). So here's Standard Mail Rates at Additional Mailing Office to mail at a the basic fact: there is no such thing as a non-profit permit. different post office than the one where the original authorizaWhat is called a non-profit permit is actually authorization tion is held. by the USPS for the organization to mail at non-profit rates. The authorization comes in the form of a determination letter Why EDDM Must Be Flat Mail from the USPS to the qualified organization, which results from Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), the USPS program to expand the organization's application using PS Form 3624 Application the use of direct mail marketing, was rolled out in January 2010. to Mail at Nonprofit Standard Mail Prices. The idea of a nonIt had several distinctive characteristics—the simplified address profit permit probably originated from the fact that many nonformat (e.g.: Postal Customer) could be used, meaning no mailprofit organizations have both a permit to mail at bulk rates and ing list was required; with some restrictions, no permit would authorization to mail at non-profit rates. be required to mail at presorted rates; Not all non-profit organizations can and if entered at the destination delivery Understanding how mail qualify to mail at non-profit rates. The travels through the USPS will unit (DDU), the mailer could claim the first test is whether the organization lowest postage rate available—saturation. help mailers estimate delivery fits into one of nine categories of eliThe sticking point for many mailers times and explain how gibility (agricultural, educational, frawas the size of a mail piece that qualiternal, labor, philanthropic, religious, fied for EDDM. It had to be a standard presorting assists in faster scientific, veterans, and some political mail flat, and the allowable dimensions mail delivery. committees). Some examples of excluded (length, height, and thickness) created organizations (even though it seems like they should fit) are confusion for mailers. Frustrated, many mailers were unclear as automobile clubs, business leagues, chambers of commerce, to why letter sized mail couldn't be used. most political organizations, and service clubs such as Kiwanis, The answer is quite simple. Prior to implementation of Lions, and Rotary. Details, including definitions and examples EDDM, the USPS had to seek permission from the Postal Regufor each category, can be found at pe.usps.com/text/pub417/ latory Commission (PRC) to allow the use of the simplified pub417_c2_002.html#vnameref_2. address format on city routes. Until the change was made, The authorization to mail at non-profit rates can be "attached" simplified address was allowed only on rural routes, highway to any permit—one owned by the qualified organization or contract routes, or USPS boxholders at a post office without city one owned by a professional mailer. In addition, the qualified carrier service. While simplified address can be used for both organization can use PS Form 3623 Application for Nonprofit letter and flat mail in those circumstances, for city routes only

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