Meeting USPS Standards for Discount Mail
First Class letters and flats, and Standard Class letters and cards must meet certain criteria to qualify for discounted postal rates. Parameters continue to be established for optimum processing on the USPS equipment. This “machineable” mail can qualify for postage discounts.
Avoid the following common errors or your mail will be returned the next business day:
- No outgoing name or address
- Unreadable name or address
- Wrong or no postage
- International mail with domestic postage rates
- Interoffice mail
- Glossy stock
- Incorrectly prepared items
Basic guidelines to prepare mail that qualifies for postage discounts are available here by simply clicking on the topics below.
Specific envelope sizes qualify for postage discounts.
Type sizes and address readability are critical for the MLOCRs to read 10 full addresses every second.
Precise areas on an envelope must be used for specific functions, especially a barcode clear zone.
If your letter mail will not be in an envelope, it must be sealed with tabs, wafer seals or glue strips. There are revised USPS guidelines for the placement and orientation of the mail pieces.
“Stuck” mail delays processing it for delivery into the mail stream.
If letters are mailed without enough postage, they are returned and considered “short paid.”
Letters that return to the company that mailed them are often the result of the mail being “looped” back, due to envelope design or bad addressing.
For more detailed information about mail preparation to take advantage of postage discounts, call or email the mailing professionals at Access Mail, go to the USPS website, or contact your local USPS Mailing Specifications specialist.