What
is the difference between bulk mail, Standard mail and First Class mail?
What
are the price differences between Standard and First Class Mail?
What
is Enhanced Carrier Routing?
How
do I get Non-Profit Standard Mail Pricing?
Will
my Standard mail be forwarded or returned?
Can
I send mail to international addresses using Standard Mail?
What
size should my mailpiece be?
What
is the difference between a letter and a flat?
How
do I submit my mailing list and/or design files?
Can
Vocational Solutions use a list that’s already been CASS Certified?
What
is the difference between bulk mail, standard mail and First Class mail?
The terms “bulk mail” and “standard mail” are interchangeable. They both refer to the Standard Mail class. Advantages of standard mail are significantly lower postage costs versus First Class mail. In order to send your mail at Standard Mail rates you must have either 1) 200 pieces or 2) 50 pounds of mail. The pieces must be uniform and of a non-personal nature (ie. advertisements, catalogs, solicitations, newsletters). USPS delivery time on Standard Mail is 7-10 days.
First-Class mail is the type of mail people are most familiar with. This is mail sent with a stamp or meter. First-Class mail is for mail of a personal nature (ie. bills, invoices, letters, etc.) or for pieces that may require speedier delivery. USPS delivery time on First-Class mail is 2-3 days.
Other Classes of mail include Express, Priority, Periodicals and Package Services. See the chart below to help assist you in deciding which mail class is best suited to your needs.
| Class
of Mail |
Speed |
Low
Cost |
Free
Forwarding and Return |
Special
Services |
Presort
Discounts |
| Express
Mail |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Priority
Mail |
Yes |
Maybe |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| First-Class
Mail |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Standard
Mail |
No |
Yes |
No |
Only for parcels |
Yes |
| Periodicals |
Yes |
Maybe |
Free Forwarding |
No |
Yes |
| Package
Services |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
For further information on Mail Classes, please see: http://www.usps.com/businessmail101/classes/
What
are the price differences between Standard and First-Class Mail?
Standard Mail postage costs will vary by piece. Standard mail forms can be found on the USPS website. When you mail with Vocational Solutions, our software will get you the lowest price possible on every piece. We use CASS-certified barcodes to take advantage of the Post Office’s Standard Automation Rates. For example, with Standard Letters (weighing less than 3.3 oz) postage costs generally range between $0.20 and $0.23 per piece, depending on the composition of the mailing. With Standard Flats (weighing less than 3.3 oz), postage costs will generally range between $0.28 and $0.32 per piece. Also, our software will use Enhanced Carrier Routing on pieces that qualify to further reduce your postage costs.
First-Class mail weighing less than 1 oz costs $0.39. $0.24 will be charged for each additional ounce. Postcards can be sent at $0.24 per piece.
There is different pricing for mail sent by organizations registered with the US Post Office as Non-Profit.
What
is Enhanced Carrier Routing?
This method of mail sorting takes pieces that are on an individual mail carrier’s route and puts them in order for that carrier, making less work for the Post Office. Postage costs on pieces that are Carrier Routed will be between $0.11 and $0.14.
How
do I get Non-Profit Standard Mail Pricing?
Please note that being a registered Non-Profit Organization with the IRS does not automatically entitle you to Non-Profit Postage Rates. You must have a registered non-profit authorization with the US Post Office in order to take advantage of Non-Profit Pricing. In order to apply for Non-Profit Pricing, please visit http://www.usps.com/businessmail101/misc/nonprofitApplication.htm
In order to send mail with Vocational Solutions’ indicia using Non-Profit rates, you must fax us a letter of authorization from the US Post Office indicating that you are authorized for Non-Profit postage rates.
Will
my Standard mail be forwarded or returned?
No. Forwarding and returned services are not included on Standard Mail pieces. You can, however, use ancillary services to add forwarding and return services to your mail pieces if you wish. There may be extra charges for ancillary services.
Ancillary
Service Endorsement Placement
Ancillary Service Endorsements must be worded exactly according to USPS regulations and must be placed immediately below or to the left of the postage mark, immediately above the destination address or immediately below the return address.
Ancillary Services
The Following are Ancillary Services that may be applied to your mail and the resulting actions and charges by the USPS.
Address Service Requested1
Forwarding and return. New address
notification provided.
| Mailer Endorsement and USPS Action |
Priority Mail and First-Class Mail |
Standard Mail |
Package Services |
| Months 1 through 12: mailpiece forwarded; separate notice of new address provided (manual $0.70, electronic $0.20 each) |
Forwarded at no charge. |
Forwarded at no charge. |
Forwarded locally at no charge; out of town as postage due. |
| Months 13 through 18: mailpiece returned with new address attached |
Returned at no charge. |
Weighted fee charged.2 |
Return postage charged at appropriate single-piece rate. |
| After 18 months or if undeliverable at any time: mailpiece returned with reason for nondelivery attached. |
Returned at no charge. |
Weighted fee charged.2 |
Returned if undeliverable or if addressee refused to pay postage due. Forwarding (where attempted) and return postage charged at appropriate single-piece rate. |
Return Service
Requested
No forwarding, only return. New address notification provided.
| Mailer Endorsement and USPS Action |
Priority Mail and First-Class Mail |
Standard Mail |
Package Services |
| Mailpiece returned with new address or reason for nondelivery attached. |
No charge. |
Appropriate single-piece First-Class Mail or Priority Mail rate charged. |
Return postage charged at appropriate single-piece rate. |
Change Service
Requested1, 3
No forwarding or return. New address notification provided.
| Mailer Endorsement and USPS Action |
Priority Mail and First-Class Mail |
Standard Mail |
Package Services |
| Separate notice of new address or reason for nondelivery provided; mailpiece disposed of by USPS. |
Electronic
notice: $0.20 each. |
Electronic
notice: $0.20 each. |
Electronic
notice: $0.20 each. |
Forwarding
Service Requested
Forwarding and return. New address notification provided only with
return.
| Mailer Endorsement and USPS Action |
Priority Mail and First-Class Mail |
Standard Mail |
Package Services |
| Months 1 through 12: mailpiece forwarded. |
Forwarded at no charge. |
Forwarded at no charge. |
Forwarded locally at no charge; out of town as postage due. |
| Months 13 through 18: mailpiece returned with new address attached. |
Returned at no charge. |
Weighted fee charged.2 |
Return postage charged at appropriate single-piece rate. |
| After 18 months or if undeliverable at any time: mailpiece returned with reason for nondelivery attached. |
Returned at no charge. |
Weighted fee charged.2 |
Returned if undeliverable or if addressee refused to pay postage due. Forwarding (where attempted) and return postage charged at appropriate single-piece rate. |
Temp—Return Service Requested
| Mailer Endorsement and USPS Action |
Priority Mail and First-Class Mail |
Standard Mail |
Package Services |
|
|
No charge. |
N/A |
N/A |
No Endorsement
| Mailer Endorsement and USPS Action |
Priority Mail and First-Class Mail |
Standard Mail |
Package Services |
| UAA handled by class of mail. |
Same as USPS action for "Forwarding Service Requested." |
Mailpiece
disposed of |
Same as USPS action for "Forwarding Service Requested," except Bound Printed Matter disposed of by USPS. Parcel Post, Media Mail, and Library Mail with no endorsement obligates the mailer to pay any applicable forwarding and return postage charges at a single-piece rate (F010.5.4). Bound Printed Matter disposed of by USPS (R600). |
1
For Address Change Service (ACS) with First-Class Mail and Priority Mail,
see F010.5.1 for additional
options.
2
Weighted fee (R600) is the appropriate single-piece
First-Class or Priority Mail rate for the piece plus the nonmachinable surcharge if it applies (E130), multiplied by
2.472 and rounded up to the next whole cent.
3
For First-Class Mail and Priority Mail, Change Service Requested is only available
with electronic Address Change Service (ACS). Only available for Priority
Mail pieces containing perishable matter that bear the endorsement "Perishable." Delivery
Confirmation and Signature Confirmation are the only two special services
permitted with this endorsement.
Can
I send mail to international addresses using Standard Mail?
No. Standard mail is for domestic use only. Mail to other countries must be sent using First-Class rates.
What
size should my mailpiece be?
What
is the difference between and letter and a flat?
There are two processing categories for Standard Mail; Letters and Flats/Nonletters. Processing Categories are determined by size. Also, a weight surcharge is applied to both Letters and Flats if the individual piece weighs more than 3.3 oz.
There is no Postcard processing Category for Standard Mail. Postcards are treated as letters.
Minimum and Maximum Dimensions to determine processing category are as follows.
Keep in mind when determining processing category that length
is the side parallel to the
address and height is the side that is perpendicular to the length.
Letters
To be eligible for mailing at the postage rates for letters, a piece
must be:
- Rectangular
- At least 3-½ inches high x 5 inches long x .007 inch thick.
- No more than 6-1/8 inches high x 11-½ inches long x 1/4 inch thick.
Flats/Nonletters
The Postal Service uses the words "flats" and "nonletters" to refer to large envelopes, newsletters,
and magazines. The words are interchangeable. Whatever you call them, flats
must:
§ Have one dimension that is greater than 6-1/8 inches high OR 11-½ inches long OR ¼ inch thick.
§
Be no more than 12 inches high x 15 inches long x ¾ inch thick
How
do I submit my mailing list and/or design files?
Data
File Compatibility
Please put a header row into all database files that identify the fields (ie. First Name, Last Name, Address, etc.). Also, please only include fields that you want included in the mailing. Extraneous information can cause confusion and delay your mailing.
The following are preferred database formats for receiving Mailing Lists:
Comma Delimited (.csv, .txt)
Dbase (.dbf) – Dbase IV or later
Microsoft Access (.mdb) – Access 97 and later
Microsoft Excel (.xls) – Excel 97 and later
Space Delimited (.prn)
Tab Delimited (.txt)
We may also be able to accept lists in the following formats:
Delimited files (delimited by a character not listed above)
Dbase (.dbf) – Dbase III or earlier
Fixed Length (.fix) – With appropriate field definitions
Microsoft Access (.mdb) – Access 95 and earlier
Microsoft Excel (.xls) – Excel 95 and earlier
Microsoft Works (.wks)
We cannot provide automation discounts to lists that have been typed into a word processing program and laid out to print labels or to labels that have already been printed. Lists must be in a database format or our software will be unable to parse the file. If the list is not in database format, the only services we can offer are hand sorting (Presorted Non-Automation rates) or Data Entry to put the information into a database format. Both services are charged at a rate of $35/hour.
Design File Compatibility
We prefer design files in the following formats:
Adobe Illustrator (.ai ) – Any version
Adobe InDesign (.indd) – Any version
Adobe Photoshop (.psd) – Any version
Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf) – Any version
CorelDRAW (.cdr) – CorelDRAW 8 or later
Encapsulated PostScript (.eps)
Microsoft Publisher (.pub) – Publisher 97 or later
We may also be able to accept design files in the following formats:
Adobe Pagemaker (.pm3, pm4, .pm5, .pm6)
CorelDRAW (.cdr) – CorelDRAW 8 or later
Image formats (.jpg, .tiff, .eps, etc.) – Vector images preferred, 1200 dpi or better
Quark Express
Microsoft Word (.doc) – Some design charges may apply
Microsoft Publisher (.pub) – Publisher 97 or earlier
Other files may be evaluated on an individual basis. It is strongly recommended that customers not use Microsoft Word or similar word processing programs as print output may differ significantly from display output. If we are required to make significant design changes to a file, a $35/hour design fee will be assessed.
CASS stands for Coding Accuracy Support System. In layman’s term, the CASS Certification process is making sure that the addresses in your mailing list are valid according to the USPS databases of US addresses. The CASS certification process also adds the Zip+4 digits and check digits necessary to generate bar codes. CASS certification helps to ensure accurate delivery of your mail and is required for to take advantage of Automation Rate Standard Mail.
Vocational Solutions charges $0.015 per record to CASS certify a list with a minimum charge of $25 and a maximum of $100.
Can
Vocational Solutions use a list that’s already been CASS Certified?
Yes, but only if a PS Form 3553 that is dated within the last six months is provided with the list.