Hard copy, round-stamped and signed 3602 postage certifications will no longer be available @ PostalOne! compatible Post Offices.

In an effort to improve efficiency within the Postal Service, the USPS will no longer fill out by hand or round-stamp a postage statement or 3602 document.  INSTEAD, and upon request, the Postal Service will provide a copy of the finalized postage statement or a mailing transaction receipt (PS Form 3607-R) after the mail is received and verified by a clerk.  The USPS hopes this procedural change will improve service and reduce the amount of paper generated.  Who doesn’t like saving paper!

How will it affect you?

Production Solutions does not anticipate this change to affect your documenting and reporting processes for confirmed mailings.  A hard copy postage receipt will still be available – it just won’t be round-stamped or filled out by hand by a USPS rep.

One thing to note is that postal acceptance sites that are not on the PostalOne! system will continue to process hard copy postage statements as they do today by completing the USPS section of the postage statement and round-dating the form.  For the next few months you should expect to receive a combination of both round-stamped certs and non round-stamped certs as more and more mailers become PostalOne! compliant.

Should you have any additional questions or need clarification regarding this Postal change please email PSI-ClientServices@psmail.com and a member from our Client Services Department will promptly respond.

Above image represents old form/method

Above image represents new form/method and will only be filled out at non-PostalOne! sites.

Okay, now on to the items that will be changing and rather quickly!  Besides the deflection standards mentioned above, here are some highlights that warrant your attention:

• January 4, 2010:  Move Update penalties begin.  A fee of $.07 per non-compliant standard or nonprofit piece will be charged to your mailing for the quantity which does not meet the 70% threshold.
• January 4, 2010:  Shipping prices for Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select (Destination Entry only), Parcel Return Service, Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International and Priority Mail International are increasing.  (For more details please click here.)
• March 15, 2010:  Streamlining Hard Copy Postage Statements.  When a Postal One! facility receives hard copy postage statements, the Postal Service will no longer fill out the USPS section and round stamp the document.  Instead, mailers are being directed online to visit the Business Customer Gateway to access the system of record.
• March 15, 2010:  Barcode readability threshold increases from 80% to 90% (after increasing from 70% in November).  Mailings that do not meet the threshold will not be eligible for automation discounts!

Stay tuned to the PS Insider in the months ahead for all the details!

Because PS partners with multiple service providers that specialize in rapid-response direct mail including off-the-shelf “urgent-gram” forms and envelopes that can be pulled, personalized and mailed within 24 hours – our clients were among the first in the mail in response to the crisis, ensuring revenue streams that could be quickly converted into on-the-ground relief efforts.

PS has a history of providing turnkey communications in response to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, and now Haitian earthquake. Don’t risk giving the appearance that you’re slow to respond in times of crisis by being late in the mail.  In the unfortunate event disaster strikes again, contact PS and let us get your message out with maximum speed and efficiency.

October 2007, the Direct Marketing Association initiated the Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC) to encourage the direct mail community to become more responsible in this regard. The CCC mandates that you notify your consumers that they have the option to modify or eliminate future mail solicitations altogether. If you are a member of the DMA, your organization must abide by this regulation as of October 2009!

There are a lot of questions you have, no doubt, regarding the impact of this mandate – how it affects a renewal compared to an acquisition mailing, for example. The DMA website www.dmaccc.org addresses all of your questions and more. There is no one distinct verbiage that needs to be included, as long as the message is clear. Some of the suggested options are as follows:

• If you wish to reduce the amount of mail you receive from us, please visit our website at www.yourwebsite.com/consumerchoice
• We make a portion of our mailing list available to reputable organizations that may interest you. If you prefer that we not exchange your name with other marketers, or if you wish to modify future mailings from us, please call xxx.xxx.xxxx or go to www.yourorganization.org/customerservice.
• We believe in doing our part to help the environment, and we know many Americans feel the same way. To view our environmental practices and policies or to modify or eliminate the amount of mail you receive from us, go to www.yourorganization.org/environment.

If a member of the DMA doesn’t appear to be upholding this measure, the organization will be contacted and asked for immediate compliance. While there doesn’t appear to be any punitive fees for noncompliance, unanswered requests to adhere to the CCC could potentially cause suspension or expulsion from the DMA. If you have any questions about how you can best include this information in your campaigns, please don’t hesitate to look to PS for help!

In close concert with the above announcement, North America’s two largest coated paper producers are also planning an increase that will begin in early October, although the amount has not been solidified.  While coated stocks do not comprise a significant percent of most direct mail programs, the increase will impact brochures, self-mailers, calendars, and collateral materials that are produced in bulk.
It has long been conjectured in the industry that buyers accustomed to the cut-rate prices they’ve been enjoying due to the global economic downturn will eventually see prices rise again and this is the first such indicator.  Reasons stated by the mills for the increase range from a general increase in commodity prices brought on by anticipated economic recovery to a weak U.S. dollar.  We also expect future capacity reductions to impact pricing, as it has in the past, as well.  Stay tuned for more details as they develop!

Petroleum based inks have much higher VOC levels than soy, water or other vegetable-based inks.  There are, however, pros and cons to each.  Soy or vegetable-based inks are available in brighter colors and can be easier to recycle than petroleum inks.  But because of the lack of solvents in vegetable based inks, they tend to take longer to dry.

Given the choice between soy-based inks, vegetable-based inks, water-based inks … is one better than the other?  Well, it can depend on who you ask.  The use of soybeans has been up for debate – is it the most sustainable option?  Vegetable-based inks are at times said to be “more” environmentally friendly because they are not restricted to one particular crop.

Because the vast majority of our supplier partners already use environmentally friendly inks, you can utilize this option at no additional cost!  A safe claim to make when pointing out this sustainable fact on your direct mail pieces would be to refer to the inks as being “eco-friendly”, which covers all bases.