Mailing

Guidelines for Reduced Postage

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) provides for reduced postage rates for mailings meeting certain specifications. In addition to meeting these qualifications, your mailing list must be CASS Certified or you must sign a statement certifying that each address on your mailing list has been verified by USPS or you have mailed First Class within one calendar year and have corrected all addresses as required.

The USPS high-speed optical character readers (OCRs) and barcode sorters (BCSs) require mail that is automation-compatible (the right size, shape, and material to be transported through the machines) with delivery addresses that are complete, correct, and electronically scannable or "readable." The following general guidelines describe how to prepare mail that can be processed on this equipment. Additional information is available through Mailing Services.

Quantity

For Presorted First Class mail, there is a minimum of 500 pieces of identical weight and contents. For Non Profit and Presorted Standard mail (formerly Regular Bulk), there is a minimum of 200 pieces of identical weight and contents.

Sizes:

Postcards
Minimum for Domestic Mail: 3-1/2" high, 5" long and .007" thick
Minimum for International Mail: 3-1/2" high, 5-1/2" long and .007" thick
Maximum: 4-1/4" high, 6" long, and .016" thick

Letter-size Mail
Minimum: 3-1/2" high, 5" long, and .007" thick
Maximum: 6-1/8" high, 11-1/2" long, and .25" thick

Flat-size Mail
Minimum: over 6-1/8" high, 11-1/2" long, and .009" thick
Maximum: 12" high, 15" long, and 3/4" thick

Parcels
Maximum: domestic mail—70 lbs. and 108" in length and girth combined;
International mail—size varies by country and class of mail

Nonstandard-size mail
Domestic First-Class Mail or single-piece Standard Mail and international Letters mail (each weighing 1 oz. or less) is considered "nonstandard" when the mailpiece is:

• more than 6-1/8" high, 11-1/2" long, or 1/4" thick, or
• square-shaped, or proportionally too high or too long (i.e., its length divided by its height is less than 1.3 or more than 2.5).

A U.S. Postal Service surcharge, in addition to the applicable postage and fees, is assessed on each piece of nonstandard-size mail.

Nonmailable Items

All pieces that are 1/4" thick or less are nonmailable unless they are rectangular, at least 3-1/2" high, 5" long (domestic mail) or 5-1/2" long (international mail), and .007" thick.

Note: For purposes of determining nonstandard or nonmailable items, the placement (orientation) of the address on the mailpiece establishes which dimensions are its height and length. The length is the dimension that is parallel to the address when read; the height is perpendicular to the length.

Use the template below to determine whether the mailpiece fits the standard sizes and is mailable.

Procedure for use of template

Align the mailing piece with the lower left corner of this template (just inside the lines.) The upper and right side of the pieces must touch or extend past BOTH the top and right-hand minimum lines. Otherwise, the piece cannot be accepted for mailing.

If the piece meets the minimum size, but the upper right corner falls outside the shaded area of the template, or is larger than the template, the piece may be mailed. A SURCHARGE will be added to the regular postage. If the piece meets all other criteria, check the thickness. If the piece exceeds 1/4 inch in thickness, the piece may be mailed. A SURCHARGE will be added to the regular postage.

Download and print the size requirements template:

Click to download.

Paper

Use light-colored, non-glossy or uncoated paper. Avoid material that is transparent, fluorescent, heavily textured, or that contains dark fibers or background patterns. Poly wrappers or shrink wrappers are not acceptable. Use low reflective glassine for window envelopes.

Closure

Use a sealable envelope or tabs, wafer seals, tape strips, or spot glue to close mail pieces. Do not use clasps, staples*, string, or buttons on letter-size mail. Note: The required number and location of tabs, wafer seals, tape strips, or spot glue varies with the type of mailpiece and the paper used.

*If staples are used to attach multiple sheets, the mailpiece must be folded so no staples appear on the outside. Address and Return Address Placement

Locate the entire address within an imaginary rectangle that extends 5/8" to 2-3/4" from the bottom of the mailpiece, with 1/2" margins on each side.

No portion of the return address should appear in the OCR read area. The space below and on either side of the delivery address line should be clear of all extraneous (non-address) printing, such as attention lines, logos, borders, etc. It is important to be aware of the Delivery Point Barcode Clear Zone.

Address Information

• Type or machine-print. Print must be sharp and clear with no smudges, or faded or broken characters.
• Use a non-proportional font (ex. Courier or Courier New); avoid bold, condensed, italic, artistic, or script-like fonts.
• Use 10- or 12- point type. (The USPS prefers the address to be in capital letters, with no punctuation, using black ink on a white background.)
• Ensure characters or numbers, words and address lines do not touch or overlap.
• Maintain a uniform left margin.
• Maintain the address parallel to the bottom edge of the mailpiece, not slanted.
• When using a window envelope, ensure 1/8" minimum clear space around the complete address even if the insert shifts. No extraneous (non-address) printing should appear in the window area. The bottom of the address window should be at least 1/2" from the bottom of the mail piece.
• Keep address lines in this sequence:
  Non-address Data (Optional)
  Information/Attention (Optional)
  Name of Recipient
  Title (Optional)
  Business Name (Optional)
  Delivery Address, including apartment or suite number
  City, 2-letter State, and ZIP+4 Code
• Include complete delivery designations such as ST (Street), AVE (Avenue), etc.; directionals such as N (North), S (South), etc.; and multi-unit indicators such as STE 208 (Suite 208), APT 33 (Apartment 33), etc., when applicable.
• Put the city, two-letter state abbreviation, and ZIP+4 Code on the bottom line of the address. If it is too long, place the ZIP+4 Code on the line below the city and state, aligned with the left edge of the address block.

Delivery Point Barcode Clear Zone

Maintain a space up to 5/8" from the bottom edge and 4 3/4 from the right edge of the mailpiece. This area will be used by Mailing Services and the USPS for the printing and reading of the delivery point barcode. This area must be kept clear of other printing, markings, colored borders, etc.

Coordination with Copying or Print Services

When planning the design of a mailing, you may contact your Account Manager for advice on how to design for optimum postage savings. If requested, both Copy Services and Print Services will deliver your finished product to the Mail Preparation area to be addressed and mailed.

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