Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations
Know the New Rules
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF CLERKS
AND ELECTION OFFICIALS
NEW LAW WORKSHOP AND CONFERENCE
DECEMBER 9 – 12, 2009
HYATT REGENCY, SACRAMENTO CA
RICH STEWART
SHIPPING SPECIALIST
Sacramento District
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
Agenda
• Formatting for Success
•
•
•
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Address Placement - Flats
Tabbing
Flexibility and Rigidity
Loop Mail
• Intelligent Mail
• Benefits for Election Mailers
• Controlling Costs
• Protecting Your Discounts
• Price Adjustments
• Future Expectations
• Resources
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Address Placement - Flats
The delivery address must be entirely within the top
half of the mailpiece for all:
- Standard Mail, Periodicals, Bound
Printed Matter, Media Mail, Library
Mail
- Mailed at all Presorted,
Automation, or Carrier Route
prices.
- Does not apply to First-Class Mail
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Address Placement - Flats
Address Placement — Enclosed Flat
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Address Placement - Flats
Address Placement — Unenclosed Flat
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Address Placement – Small Flats
Digests and other small flats
1-inch line
Registered Voter
1234 Main St Apt B211
Anywhere, USA 12345
“Vertical” address may cross
midpoint if it begins or ends
within 1 inch of top edge.
Digest
Or
Small flat
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Tabbing - Flats
Although not required,
mailpieces may be
prepared with tabs, wafer
seals, cellophane tape, or
permanent glue
- if these sealing devices
do not interfere with the
recognition of the
barcode, price marking,
postage information, and
delivery and return
addresses.
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Tabbing - Booklets
The pages of a booklet may be:
• Perfect bound
• Permanently fastened in at least two places to form a spine.
• Stapled (saddle stitch)
• Glued
• Pages attached together with one staple must be analyzed by
the PCSC to determine eligibility.
• Joined by any other method that creates a uniformly thick
mailpiece.
NOTE: Large bound booklets (flats) may be folded to
machinable letter-size (for booklets) for mailing if the final
mailpiece remains uniform in thickness
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Tabbing - Booklets
Booklets must meet the following standards:
• Height: not more than 6 inches or less than 3.5 inches high.
• Length: not more than 10.5 inches or less than 5 inches long.
– Booklets that are oblong, sealed with glue, or created with light
weight paper, can be 9 to 9.5 inches long based on the design.
– Some booklet designs have different height and length
restrictions.
• Thickness: not more than 0.25 inches or less than 0.009
inches thick.
• Weight: not more than 3 ounces.
• Aspect ratio: within 1.3 to 2.5 (see 201.3.1).
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Tabbing - Booklets
Tabs – Physical Requirements
• Must be solid (no perforation)
• One small hole is acceptable
• Minimum Tab Size 1 ½ inches
• Three tabs are required to qualify as a machinable mailpiece.
• Translucent paper tabs - minimum 40-pound basis weight.
• Opaque paper tabs - minimum 60-pound basis weight.
• Paper face tabs - in the barcode clear zone
• Must meet the standards for background reflectance
• Standards for acceptance of water-based ink must be met.
• Vinyl tabs / cellophane tape - not acceptable within the
barcode clear zone.
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Tabbing - Booklets
Tabbing – Configurations
• Two tabs on leading edge placed:
• Within 1 inch of top of open leading edge
• ½ inch of bottom edge
• ¼ inch variance in placement allowed.
• One tab on the trailing edge
• Within 1 inch of top of open leading edge
• Tabs must be tight against the edge of the mailpiece.
• 1/16-inch overhang is recommended.
• See Domestic Mail Manual 201.3.15 for additional configurations.
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Flexibility – All Flats
Flat-size pieces must be flexible. The following test determines flexibility.
1. With the length parallel to the edge of a
flat surface, extend the piece halfway off
the surface.
2. Press down on the piece at a point 1”
from the outer edge, in the center of the
piece's length, exerting steady pressure.
3. The piece is flexible if it can bend at
least 1”vertically without being damaged
and it does not contain a rigid insert.
4. Pieces containing a rigid insert require
additional testing.
Pieces that fail to qualify must be sent at NFM or parcel prices.
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Rigidity – Automation Flats
An automation flat-size mailpiece must be flexible and must also meet
maximum deflection standards. Test deflection as follows:
1. For pieces 10” in length and longer, place
the piece with the length perpendicular to
the edge of a flat surface. Extend the
piece 5” off the surface.
The piece is automation-compatible if it
does not droop more than 4 inches
vertically. (3” after 6/7/2010)
2. For pieces shorter than 10” in length,
extend the piece ½ the length off the
surface.
The piece is automation-compatible if it
does not droop more than 2” vertically.
(No change 6/7/2010)
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Formatting For Success
Loop Mail
Many jurisdictions include a block for
the voter’s signature, address, and
delivery barcode, or polling place on
the back of the Absentee Ballot return
envelope. This may cause:
• Delayed delivery to election office
• Mail returned to the voter (loop mail)
• Worst case: ballot arrives too late to
be counted.
Recommendation:
Only the address and barcode of the
election office should be printed on
the front of the return envelope. There
should be NO address information on
the back side.
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Intelligent Mail
What’s in it for you?
Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB)
• Sortation, address correction and
tracking for letters/flats
• Best automation prices
• Full Service IMB
• Basic IMB
• Benefits
• Piece-level visibility
• Electronic address change notices
(ACS)
• Required on all automation priced
letter/flat mail May 2011
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Intelligent Mail
OneCode Confirm ™
OneCode Confirm
• Enables electronic mail tracking
• DESTINATION Confirm
• Outbound mail to voters
• Know when the ballots are being delivered
• ORIGIN Confirm
• Inbound mail from voters
• Integrate Voter ID into the IMB
• Advance notice that a ballot is on the way
• Close the loop on a specific voter
• Uses Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB)
• Entire mailing can be analyzed
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Protecting Your Discount
Move Update
Move Update - Requirements
• Move Update is required for mailpieces claiming Presorted
or Automation prices for First-Class® Mail
• Move Update is required for all mailpieces claiming
Standard Mail® prices (Letters, Flats, Parcels and Not FlatMachinables)
• To meet the Move Update standard, mailers must be using
addresses on mailpieces that have been updated using an
approved method within 95 days prior to the mailing date
• First-Class Mail or Standard Mail mailpieces that use an
exceptional or an alternative address format are not
required to meet the Move Update standard
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Protecting Your Discount
Move Update
Move Update – Approved Methods
4 Pre-Approved Methods:
• Ancillary Service Endorsements
• ACS® or OneCode ACS®
• NCOALink ®
• FASTforward® Multiline Optical Character Reader
2 Methods Requiring Separate Approval:
• Legal Restraint Method
• 99 Percent Accuracy Method
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Protecting Your Discount
2010 Price Change
“The Postal Service will not increase prices
for market dominant products in calendar
year 2010.”
“Simply stated, there will not be a price
increase for market dominant products
including First-Class Mail, Standard Mail,
periodicals and single-piece Parcel Post.
There will be no exigent price increase for
these products.”
- Postmaster General Jack Potter
October 16, 2009
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
What’s Coming?
5 Day Delivery?
What Can You Expect?
5-day delivery:
• Has been proposed as a cost
saving measure
• Must clear Congress
• Would take a while to implement
• Would have little effect on
Election Mail
?
?
?
?
• No movement toward a decision
as yet
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
What’s Coming?
APO/FPO Program
We anticipate a repeat of the very successful
APO/FPO Special Procedures Program
• For General Election only (not Primary Election)
• Special handling for all Military Absentee Ballots
• Post Offices send ballots to nearest Processing &
Distribution Center (P&DC)
• P&DC expedite ballots via Express Mail® to ISCs
• ISCs provide accelerated sortation, special tray
identification and priority transportation
• No official notice as yet
• Forward program info through Jill Lavine via ElectNet
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Election Mail
Best Practices
• Work with your USPS Contacts – especially:
• Mailpiece Design Analyst
• Business Mail Entry Office
• Business Service Network
• Use Tag 191 and Official Election Mail Logo to
increase visibility and enhance mail processing
• Establish special procedures for Military &
Overseas Absentee Ballots
• Practice Address Hygiene
• Use Intelligent Mail Barcode
• Adhere to Move Update requirements
• Use your Election Officials’ Mailing Resources
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules
Election Mail
Resources
Election Officials’ On-line Mailing Resources
www.usps.com/electionmail
• Planning
• Addressing
• Designing
• MDA Look Up
• Pubs 631 & 632
• Official Election Mail Logo
and guidelines
Staying Ahead of USPS Regulations - Know the New Rules