The process of mailing is a complicated procedure. Masterpiece Marketing wants to be a resource for you in this area! We work with top-notch mailing houses to get your pieces in the mail as soon as possible and get the information into the hands of your consumers on time. Should you ever have questions, don’t hesitate to ask us! The following list of terms will help as you discuss mailing with us.
BRE – Business Reply Envelope (also referred to as a “remit envelope”)
CASS certify – Coding Accuracy Support System – allows for a lower postage rate on bulk mailings by standardizing addresses, adding +4 to zip code, and arranging addresses by carrier route
Drops – when the mailing is physically delivered to the post office by the printer/mailing house
“Hit homes” – the expected date the piece will appear in people’s mailboxes (see below)
Indicia – the box in the upper right corner of the mailing panel (where the stamp would normally go) that shows the account number and city of the company or organization paying the postage as well as the type of mail (standard, non-profit presort, etc.)
Mailing panel – the side of a brochure or newsletter with the address, return address, and indicia
Merge and Purge – combining two or more databases (merge) and then removing any duplicate addresses (purge)
NCOA – National Change of Address; this service will take a database of donors or customers and update the contact information for anyone who has moved
Variable data – address and name information that will be printed individually on each piece of a mailing to personalize it for the recipient (also referred to as simply “variable”)
POSTAL SERVICE ENDORSEMENTS
You may select to add an endorsement to your mail piece. Here is an explanation of the various options, charges, and actions the post office will take.
Address Service Requested – Forwarding and return with new separate address notification provided. A fee is charged for this endorsement.
Return Service Requested – No forwarding, only return, with new address notification provided. No extra fee applies.
Change Service Requested – No forwarding or return, but new address notification provided. No extra fee applies.
Forwarding Service Requested – Forwarding and return with new address notification provided only with return. A fee is charged for this endorsement.
No Endorsement – Same as USPS action for “Forwarding Service Requested,” except Bound Printed Matter disposed of by USPS.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Masterpiece Marketing will coordinate with a printer or mailing house to move your project through the mailing process as efficiently as possible.
