USPS rules and regulations are constantly evolving. From content standards to price eligibility, you’re faced with a mountain of information and a ton of relevant questions, like, “Does the price of marketing mail include forwarding service?” or “What are the optimal dimensions of flat mail pieces?” Enru’s here to remind you that you don’t have to learn every USPS requirement overnight, and you certainly don’t have to do all the learning on your own.
That’s why we’ve written this guide. We’ll answer some of the most important questions printers typically have, highlight important USPS requirements for commercial mail, and point you towards the best logistics services and partnerships for your mailing needs. After all, the right logistics partner will have all the answers you’re looking for and the ability to help you find discounts and cost-cutting opportunities you may have missed — and that’s just the start of the marketing mail magic they can perform for you and your customers.
Commercial Mail USPS Requirements
In order to avoid potential pricing and design issues, we recommend an overview of the requirements for direct mail flats as well as pricing and eligibility information for general marketing mail:
Physical Standards for Direct Mail Flats
Flat sized mail must be between 11.5” x 6.125” and 12” x 15”. Paper stock must be a minimum .009” thick and the maximum thickness for an entire flat is .75”. There are no aspect ratio requirements.
Remember, flats will have fewer restrictions because of how they run through USPS equipment. In fact, you can communicate to customers that flats are an excellent way to minimize damage to their print marketing pieces and make them really stand out in recipients’ mail boxes. Your customers have more opportunities to be creative and flexible with their designs as they can go for a thicker or thinner appearance.
Flat sized mail also must have address blocks in the upper half of the short edge. There is no barcode clear zone, so there needs to be a .125” space offsetting the address block from the edge of the mail piece and any text or graphics. The address block should include the barcode and a clear 4” x 2” area with no varnish, UV coating, text, or images.
The fold or binding must be on the right side of the mail piece. However, if the mail piece is inside a poly bag/envelope, this will not be necessary. Instead, be mindful of extra space inside the bag as the maximum amount is .5” from the edge of the mail to the edge of the bag. Finally, tabs are not required for flat sized mail, although your customers might use them to keep inserts secure.
Prices and Fees
Postage is based on weight. But how is weight calculated? For identical-weight pieces, you multiply the average weight of one piece by the number of total pieces. For nonidentical-weight pieces, you simply add the weight of all the individual pieces. The net postage will then reflect the weight of the bulk, one-time mailing. This also reflects either the minimum price per piece or per pound, which can be further adjusted to take discounts and surcharges into account.
An annual pre-sort mailing fee does apply. Any mailer paying this fee may enter their own mail and their clients’ mail.
Content Standards
USPS marketing mail is defined as pieces that are not sent as First-Class mail, are not authorized to be sent as periodicals, and weigh less than 16 ounces. These mail pieces cannot include personal information unless the information is directly related to an advertisement, product, or service. Bills, statements of account, and handwritten/typewritten matter are prohibited as well. Attachments and enclosures follow an additional set of requirements, but relevant invoices in particular can be placed inside the mail piece or in an envelope labeled “Invoice Enclosed.”
Basic Eligibility Standards
200 or more pieces, or 50 or more pounds, of mail are the minimum USPS requirements for marketing mail. The price of this mailing service does not include return or forwarding service. If you’re claiming a discount, all pieces in the mailing must meet the requirements for the discount in question. USPS reserves the right to inspect all mail regardless of physical closure.
More information about pricing and eligibility standards and requirements is available here. You should also keep up with current USPS promotions and incentives.
Enru: Your Logistics Services Specialist
Rather than wasting valuable time and effort scrolling through the USPS Domestic Mail Manual or hunting for answers through page after page of search results, work with a solutions-oriented mailing logistics partner like Enru! We can make it easy to comply with USPS requirements and streamline your mailing operations so you can offer exceptional service and visibility to your print marketing customers.
With support from our logistics services on your side, you’ll have the confidence to guide your customers in the right direction. For instance, when they send you the sample PDF of their direct mail design, you can lean on Enru’s expertise to advise them of any compliance issues and score significant savings on postage.
Plus, you can rely on turnkey solutions such as flex pool express, high-density co-mail optimization, mail tracking services, and more to give your customers the resources they need to see real ROI on their print marketing campaigns.
Contact us today for more information!
