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PRINTERS GUIDE TO FOLDED SELF-MAILERS

& BOOKLETS

National Postal Forum

April 13, 2010

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Agenda

Value of Direct Mail

Letter Mail Automation Environment

Letter-size Booklets

Additional Letter Booklet Formats

Folded Self-Mailers Study

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Value of Direct Mail

Personal and Relevant

Provides engagement with customers

Allows for a one to one moment with your customers

Targetable

Reach specific target audience

Measureable and cost effective

Creative

Compliments all media channels

Web, Radio, TV

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Market Trends

Mailpiece designs continue to evolve

More emerging creativity in the marketplace

Mailing standards do not account for these designs

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Letter Automation

High speed automation equipment processes letter mail at a rate of 10 pieces per second!

Standardization improves automation efficiency!

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Envelope vs. Non-Envelope Letters

Letter-size Booklets and Folded Self-Mailers do not process like enveloped letters: Potential for more damage

Impact to effective processing Impact to response rate

Higher jam rates Potential for damage to other mailpieces Lowers automation productivity

Solutions? Goal - solutions beneficial to USPS and mailers

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Letter Booklet Study

Comprehensive testing and analysis with industry

Result - revised standards effective Sep 08, 2009

Reference:

More information can be found in DMM 201.3.15

http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/201.htm#wp1042622

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What is a Booklet

DMM 201.3.15.1

• Booklets must have a bound edge.

• Sheets that are fastened with at least two staples in the manufacturing fold (saddle stitched), perfect bound, pressed-glued, or joined together by another binding method that produces an end where pages are attached together are considered booklets.

• Booklets are open on three sides before sealing, similar in design to a book.

• In general, booklets must be uniformly thick…

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Additional Booklet Designs

Continuing to create more mailing options

New booklet designs since revised rules were

published, include:

Wallet Style

Simple spine continuous glue line closure

Oblong

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Additional Booklet Designs

Primary attributes driving change of the new designs:

Dimensional size of piece Allowance for more length

Cover weight Allowance for lower cover paper basis weight

Closure method Various methods allowed - based on weight of mailpiece

Let’s take a look at the new designs…..

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Additional Booklet Designs

4” Height; 5.2” – 8” Length

Weight up to 2oz with 1.5” Non-Perf Tabs

Weight between 2 to 2.5oz with 2” Non-Perf Tabs

Wallet Style

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Additional Booklet Designs

Less than .8oz - No tab required

Cover to Cover Internal Flap External Flap

Simple Spine – Continuous glue line

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Additional Booklet Designs

Weight between .8oz – 1.6oz

Requires one lead edge 1.5” Non-Perf Tab

Cover to Cover Internal Flap External Flap

Simple Spine – Continuous glue line

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Additional Booklet Designs

Weight between 1.6oz – 3oz

Requires two lead edge 1.5” Non-Perf Tabs

Cover to Cover Internal Flap External Flap

Simple Spine – Continuous glue line

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Additional Booklet Designs

Continuous glue line closure on trail instead of tab

Oblong

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What Now?

Folded Self-Mailers

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Folded Self-Mailer Study

Objective of Proposed Mailing Standards Changes:

Identify incremental opportunities for improvement

Seek the greatest efficiency gains with the least impact to

the mailing industry

Clearly define the characteristics required for automation

and machinable letter prices

Preserve creative mailpiece design options

Incorporate standards for creative exterior elements that

have and continue to emerge

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Folded Self-Mailer Study

Building off prior success from booklet study

Partnered with industry

Mailer supplied test material, samples included:

what mailers currently produce

what mailers would like to produce

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Folded Self-Mailer Study

Categorized samples based on basics of design style

Determine (4) primary characteristics of categories:

Traditional self-mailer; single sheet of paper folded

Nested sheets (layers) folded either vertically or horizontally

Self-mailers with internal attachments

Self-mailers with inserts/enclosures

Analyze data to determine standards

Primary correlations

Cover weight, closure method, dimensional size of piece

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Folded Self-Mailer Study

What’s next:

Brief Folded Self-Mailer study participants

Publish a Federal Register proposal

Publish a Federal Register final rule

Implement revised standards

More to come…

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QUESTIONS?QUESTIONS?