Addressing - Checking The Accuracy Of Your List
K-State University Printing’s preferred method of labeling is the use of our Buskro Inkjet machine. This is the fastest and least expensive way for us to apply the addresses to the material being mailed. It also allows us to take advantage of a program called Smart Addresser. By using this program, we are able to generate labels that include a variety of information along with barcoding. In doing so, automated systems can be utilized, resulting in your piece going through the mailing process faster and obtaining the least expensive postage rates available. Some customers prefer to have the printed material delivered back for them for hand label. Although this is certainly an option for our clients that wish to label their own mail, it is a method that actually costs the client more than if they had University Printing Mailing Department inkjet the addresses on for them. The reason for the higher cost is that material labeled and returned to us from the customer must be processed by hand and therefore increases the amount of time required for our personnel to prepare the piece for mailing. For example; 1,000 pieces labeled by us with the inkjet method would cost $45.10. The same 1,000 pieces processed from customer labeled material would cost $66.00 if delivered in zip code order, or $132.00 if not in zip code order. The area required for inkjet labeling is approximately 1½" x 4" on a postcard. This area also exists on window envelopes. There MUST be a minimum of ⅝" below the window for barcoding. It is important to take this area into consideration when designing your mail piece, especially in regards to postcards.
If there is not enough white space for us to properly apply the label, then the maximum cost benefits of using a bar-coded address cannot be realized and could also cost more if hand-labeling is required. Inkjet labeling works best when printed on a white or light colored paper. Pieces that have a large percentage of ink coverage need to have a “block” of unprinted area to allow for the address to be sprayed on.
The Accuracy of your Mailing List
Why do you need to have it checked?
| First, because it’s required by the Postal Service. | |
| Second, look at these statistics: | 17% of Americans change addresses annually. |
| 43 million people move each year. | |
| One out of every six families move each year. | |
| How many of these people are your customers or members? | |
| And no one knows better than universities, how often students change their addresses. | |
Just because you buy or rent a list does not mean that the addresses are correct, checked, updated, or “certified.” To make sure that you are getting a list with accurate addresses, ask about the National Deliverability Index (NDI) of the list. The NDI rates the percentage of addresses in a list that are deliverable. Use the NDI to target the address elements you need to get the delivery you want.
As of November 2008, all lists used for mailing Standard Mail (bulk letters, flats, parcels) will need to adhere to the Move Update rule.
Move Update
Move Update, the process for updating names and addresses, is required if mailers want to get discounted rates for mail service. Mailers who use the exceptional address format (e.g., Jane Doe, occupant or Current Resident) do not have to meet this requirement.
Since July 1997, the Postal Service has required that all addresses on mailings receiving discounts for mail service, whether presorted or automation, undergo name and address correction within 95 days of the mailing. Mailers can meet the Move Update requirement in the following five ways:
- Ancillary Service Endorsement.
- Address Change Service (ACS).
- National Change of Address Linkage (NCOALink™) System.
- FASTforward®.
- Alternative Move Update Methods (Legal Restraint or 99 Percent Accurate).
A mailer wishing to enter mail at a discounted mail rate must certify, on the postage statement submitted, that the names and addresses on each mailpiece have been updated within the previous 95 days.
Why:
In 2007 bulk mail accounted for 62.8% of all undeliverable mail. If your recipient never receives your communication they can not respond to your message.
Updating Reduces Waste
Every mailpiece, regardless of class, has two things in common: the intended recipient and the address. When both are accurate and complete, the Postal Service can deliver quickly and easily. If the recipient has moved, or the address is incorrect or missing an addressing element, the mailpiece could become undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail — a waste of time, effort, and money for the mailers and for the Postal Service.
Details:
The Move Update standard is met when an address used on a mailpiece in a mailing for First-Class or Standard is updated with a USPS approved method and the address is used in a mailing within 95 days after the address has been updated. K-State University Printing will be able to do this service for you. We can add an Ancillary Service Endorsement to your mailpiece or we can update your list using the National Change of Address Linkage (NCOAlink) System. Simply email your database file to our mailng department at printmail@ksu.edu. Once your list is updated it is good to use for 95 days without needing another update. University Printing can keep a record of when your list was updated for you if you give us a department and title for your list so we can file them appropriately.
Lists for labeling can be generated by the customer, or in many cases, obtained from the Alumni Association or other resources. You can provide this list to University Printing Mailing Department as a database or Excel file. This file can be submitted on a disk, or if you prefer, by e-mailing the file to: printmail@ksu.edu. If you have questions regarding your mailing list, you may call us at 532-1536 and speak with one of our mailing specialists, or by e-mail at the address above.
When you do the printing
When KSPS prints your job, we will advise you regarding any concerns about the design, or printing options that affect the projects ability to mail. If you plan on doing your own printing, it is still a good idea to consult with our mailing or customer service representatives to make sure that the design meets USPS requirements. The way the mail panel is positioned on the fold can mean the difference between a brochure that can be mailed through automation, and one that requires hand processing. The difference in postage costs can be significant. A mailing panel should always be imposed so that the return address is in the upper left corner away from the fold. The piece must also be folded squarely and consistently in order for it to be able to run through various mailing machines.
We often receive bulk mailings that have been stuffed and labeled by the customer. Although they may save some money on the cost of inserting and labeling, these pieces often still require a mailing permit, which must now be hand applied. Any savings realized by stuffing and labeling the pieces themselves is quickly lost through the cost of hand applying the permit and processing the labeled material by hand.
In some cases, mail pieces that have been produced in-house are printed on paper stock that is too dark to inkjet label, and therefore must be labeled by hand, again, adding to the cost. Besides higher costs, the more hand-work that is involved, the slower the process of getting the piece into the hands of the recipient. A mail piece properly designed and printed to take advantage of the latest mailing technology not only saves money, it reduces the time it takes to reach your intended audience.
