This just released from the USPS

Mobile Commerce and Personalization Promotion

Building upon last summer’s mobile barcode promotion’s success, we are offering it again from July 1, 2012, through August 31, 2012. In our final rule Federal Register posted today on Postal Explorer, we describe the conditions for eligibility for the promotion and the revised mailing standards to implement it.

 Here is information to help you take advantage of this revised special offering:

 Qualifying mailings are Presorted and automation mailings of First-Class Mail cards, letters, and flats and Standard Mail (including Nonprofit Standard Mail) letters and flats with a mobile barcode inside or on the mail piece. The mobile barcode must lead the recipient of the mailpiece either to a webpage that allows the recipient to purchase a product or service on a mobile device, or to a personalized URL, which leads to a web page that is unique to an individual recipient.

• ·         Qualifying mailings may receive an upfront price reduction of 2 percent of the eligible postage.
• ·         Participation requires electronic documentation.
• ·         Commingled, combined and co-mail mailings are allowed, but a separate postage statement is        required for pieces with mobile barcodes.

 Using mobile barcodes is a great way to integrate direct mail with mobile technology. Get more information, including updated FAQs, on the RIBBS website or by emailingmobilebarcode@usps.gov .

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I just received an email from the USPS.  It reads; “This is to inform you of operational changes that will be taking place at the Indianapolis Processing and Distribution Center to accomondate planned activities associated with Super Bowl XLVI and necessary security requirements. The Indianapolis facility is located directly right beside Lucas Oil stadium, site of this year’s Super Bowl.”

The essence of the directive is that they are essentially moving the operation of the Post Office for the Super Bowl.  Their closing statement was; “We are working diligently to ensure these disruptions have minimal impacts on our customers.”  I believe that moving postal operations would have a big impact on their customers. It has been my experience,  that the USPS is really not that big on customer service.  They don’t think like a business, they certainly are not customer oriented like the businesses that I know and they very much have the attitude of, we will do what we want and you will like it.  After all, where else can you go to mail?

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Having knowledgeable print buyers is an idea customer.  Understanding the process of printing can be crucial to actually getting a good printed piece.  Now, I am not advocating that you take a course on printing but I am suggesting that you get your printer involved in the beginning or planning stages of your project.  If your printer is also a mailer even better, you can bring experts to the table that will save you hours of research and will insure that your mailer meets USPS specifications.  This can save you money on postage and sometimes determines if the mailer will mail at all.  How disappointing, not to mention costly, is to print 45,000 post cards and when they get to the USPS suddenly find that they do not meet specifications and they cannot mail at all. We have had that happened to organizations, who after making this mistake, seek our help. How much better it would have been to get the advice of a professional before making a costly mistake?

At Burns Mailing & Printing, Inc. consultation is free to our customers.  We will sit down as a team to discuss a project with our customer.  Sometimes we can make suggestions that save both time and money and our customers  know that when it goes to the post office, they are getting the lowest postage possible and with bar-coding a speedy delivery.

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That is according to a letter that I got from the USPS dated October 25, 2011.  It was from the United States Post Master, Patrick R. Donahoe.  Now Mr. Patrick R. Donahoe doesn’t know me personally and granted it was addressed to Dear Valued Customer, which in my experience as a mailer is not really a good idea.  I am just saying that I send thousands of dollars of postage to the local USPS but Mr. Donahoe doesn’t know my name.  I digress, what the letter says is a paraphrase of Mark Twain, “I’d like to assure you that the reports of our imminent demise are greatly exaggerated.” He concedes that First Class Mail is declining but that consumers still prefer and welcome receiving mailed statements and other business correspondence. He also reports that standard mail (they don’t call it bulk mail anymore and please don’t call it junk mail) has stayed about the same and has been largely unaffected by digital trends.

It seems the that the decline of First-Class revenue is driving major changes within the Postal Service. They are consolidating and streamlining their operations, and reducing the size of their work force.  However, Mr. Donahoe says “although the Postal Service is facing a severe cash crisis, a nationwide delivery disruption is inconceivable. Any such disruption would paralyze America’s economy to an extreme extent, and Congress and the Administration are well aware of this fact. Even if Congress should fail to pass the comprehensive, long-term postal reform legislation we are seeking, it will act to ensure the operations of the Postal Service are not interrupted. The Postal Service will not go out of business or be privatized.”

As a direct mail company, I hope the there is a re-structuring in the Postal Service to make it more effecient.  One of the things that they need to work on is customer service.  Yes, we are customers yet most of the postal employees don’t know that yet.  Please someone tell them.

My fingers are crossed that the USPS can get things worked out because it will affect all of us personally and business wise.  Nothing can stop the U.S. mail, I certainly hope that is true.

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Yes, direct mail can be scary.  Even being in the mailing business it is a little scary dealing with the USPS and all of its ever changing regulations.  However, that is my business and we do know what the regulations are for mailing, we know how to design for mailing and we even know how to print for mailing.  When printing, paper thickness, height-length ratio and size  are all important.  Knowing postal regulations can mean the difference in the amount of postage that is paid or in some cases if the direct mail piece will be accepted by the USPS at all. Some times it just pays to let professionals handle a project.  At Burns the project moves from one knowledgeable department to another.  There is no need to run all over town for a graphic designer, a printer and then a mailer.  We are a one stop convenience for all three.  So I have given you three good reasons to let Burns handle your project.

O.K. so today I have just made an unashamed pitch for using my company.  It must have been the goblins who made me do it.  Happy Halloween!

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It is really hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner.  This week we received the USPS recommendations on mailing for the holidays.  To ensure delivery of holiday cards and packages by December 25th, the USPS suggests that mail be entered by the recommended mailing dates as follows:

First Class Mail – December 20th

Priority Mail – December 21st

Express Mail -December 22nd

Parcel Post – December 15th

DNDC Drop Ship – December 19th

DDU Drop Ship – December 22nd

Remember, all mail addressed to military Post Offices overseas is subject o certain conditions or restrictions regarding content, preparation and handling. You can check with your local Post Office or online at www.usps.com.

At Burns we have many non-profit customers.  We recommend that the annual appeals go out in November to avoid all the volume of mail that occurs in December.  The fall mailings typically are the most successful appeals campaigns for non-profit organizations.

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The USPS is awaiting a decision from the Postal Regulatory Commission on their request for rate increases in 2012.  The have the option of ;

• Approve the changes as submitted
• Approve the price changes with modifications
• Deny the entire request

If the approve the rate increase it will take affect in January 2012. The following is the proposed rate increase.

• Letter (1 oz.) – 1 cent increase to 45 cents
• Letters additional ounces – unchanged to 20 cents
• Postcards – 3 cent increase to 32 cents
• Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) – 5 cent increase to 85 cents
• Letters to other international destinations – 7 cents increase to $1.05

Since the rate increase would take affect in January 2012 if approved, I expect that a decision will be made shortly.

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Scan this QR Code with your smart phone to be directed to our website.

Have you have seen similar boxes like the one above in magazine, grocery stores and in direct mail and don’t know what they are? The image is a QR Code, it can be scanned with a smart phone or bar-code reader and it takes you to a site designated by the business.  For example the above QR code when scanned by your smart phone will take you to our website.  For a restaurant it could be directed to a site with their menu, for a college it could be to a tour of their campus.  You get the picture.

 The United States Postal Service is getting in on the QR action and is offering discounts on postage for mail pieces that have a QR code.  See below the latest postal bulletin with all the information.

 At Burns we can set up your QR code and direct it to your site, design your mailer, print you mailer and finally mail it.  That is the convenience that Burns offers with our one-stop, all under one roof concept. Call me to get started on your QR code mailer.

May 19, 2011                                                                 

DMM Advisory

Pricing — keeping you informed about the prices and mailing standards of the United States Postal Service

 Mobile Barcodes Deliver Value to the Mail

 On April 12, 2011, we notified the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) that we will run a Mobile Barcode Promotion this summer that provides commercial mailers a three percent discount for mail that includes a mobile barcode inside or on the mailpiece.

Now that the PRC has completed its review of the promotion, here is the latest information to help you take advantage of this special offering:

• The Mobile Barcode Promotion will run from July 1 through August 31.
• First-Class Mail and Standard Mail (including Nonprofit Standard Mail) letters, flats and cards with a mobile barcode inside or on the mailpiece can qualify for the discount.
• Participation requires electronic documentation.
• Commingled, combined and co-mail mailings are allowed and a separate postage statement is required for pieces with mobile barcodes.

Using mobile barcodes is a great way to integrate direct mail with mobile technology. Get more information, including updated FAQs, on the RIBBS website.

The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) is available on Postal Explorer^® (pe.usps.com). To subscribe to the DMM Advisory, send an e-mail to dmmadvisory@usps.com. Simply indicate “subscribe” in the subject line.

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If you are reading my blog and you are in need of a printer/mailer who can handle your mailing projects from start to finish, you can use our services no matter where you are located in the United States.  We have customers in the state of Tennessee and out of state.  If you are a non profit and you mail newsletters or appeals we can help.  We have a large customer base of non profit organizations.  All you have to do is send us a word file, the pictures you want to use or we will buy stock photos for you. We design your project, send you a pdf proof and after approval, print and mail.  How simple is that? We know the postal regulations, paper specifications and are truly a printer that knows mailing and a mailer that knows printing.  Visit our website at www.burnsmp.com for more information and services that we offer.  Happy New Year!

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