USPS and Hallmark To Introduce New Line Of Postage-paid Greeting Postcards
Starting next week, USPS and Hallmark will introduce a new line of postage-paid greeting postcards.
The postcards use Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) technology, allowing customers to buy them with pre-paid postage — also referred to as “Alternative Postage Payment.”
The postcards come in packs of eight. There are two sets, each with eight unique designs. The sets will be available in 2,000 Hallmark Crown Stores across the country.
Hallmark research suggests that making First-Class Mail easier to mail encourages consumers to send more greeting cards. With pre-paid postcards, customers won’t have to buy postage — or be concerned about how much postage is needed.
Barcode sorters performing IMb scans during normal mail processing will track the number of postcards entering the mailstream to calculate Hallmark’s total postage payment.
“Alternate Postage Payment is a breakthrough product that uses technology to create convenience for consumers and revenue for USPS and its business partners,” said Steve Monteith, manager of Transactions and Correspondence Mail. “When sorters read the IMb code, the prevailing rate for First-Class Mail postage will be applied.”
Alternate Postage Payment postcards also feature three other technology elements — a legend that includes a permit number, a new facing identification mark to orient, separate and trigger an image capture of both sides of the mailpiece, and an imprint that reads, “No postage necessary if mailed in the United States.”
Monteith says employees should follow normal processing and delivery procedures for these postcards. “To ensure timely processing, employees should not obliterate barcodes or other information within the address block,” he said.
For more information about postage-paid greeting postcards, send an e-mail to janine.m.kalthoff@usps.gov. Enter “Hallmark postcards” in the subject line.
USPS: How to Be Successful With Intelligent Mail Full Service
Tips From a U.S. Postal Service Expert
WASHINGTON — With more than 7 billion pieces of mail processed and $2 billion in revenue generated for the U.S. Postal Service, the Intelligent Mail Full Service program has been a success story for business mailers, too, says Thomas Day, senior vice president, Intelligent Mail and Address Quality.
According to Day, “Early adopters of Intelligent Mail Full Service have one thing in common: They worked closely with all stakeholders in their mail supply chains and developed Full Service project plans.”
To date, there are 300 business mailers participating in Intelligent Mail Full Service. According to Day, one reason is because Intelligent Mail Full Service provides mailers with “start-the-clock” information, electronic data that lets mailers know when their mailings enter the Postal Service network. Free address correction service (ACS) information is another reason.
“The publishing industry is a big fan of free ACS,” says Pritha Mehra, vice president, Business Mail Entry and Payment Technologies. “Many of them are on target to save millions of dollars a year. Considering the savings from free ACS as well as the postage discount for participating in Full Service, the return on investment can be very high.”
For mailers who are still thinking about signing on to the program, Mehra has these tips:
* Talk to colleagues who generate the mail in your organization to determine the return on investment of Full Service price discounts and free ACS.
* Work closely with your mail service providers, including equipment manufacturers and software vendors, to determine their capabilities, such as the ability to print the Intelligent Mail barcode.
* Make sure your mailing software is capable of submitting postage statements and other supporting documentation electronically through the PostalOne! system. (Mailers are encouraged to use one of three electronic options: Postal Wizard, Mail.dat or Mail.XML.)
* When developing solutions with your mail supply chain, determine how barcodes will be created. Will you use your own Mailer ID or that of the mail owner? How will you ensure uniqueness of the barcodes? (A unique barcode on each mail container, for example, enables it to be scanned for “start-the-clock” when it’s inducted into the Postal Service network. Also, a unique barcode on each piece of mail enables tracking of that piece.)
For more information about Intelligent Mail Full Service, visit ribbs.usps.gov.
USPS To Postal Employees: Do Not Obliterate the Barcode
USPS reminds postal employees not to cross out barcode as mail moves through the system
The Intelligent Mail® barcode contains important data that is used to provide mailers — including the Census Bureau — with information, such as when the mailing entered the mailstream and undeliverable or address correction information. But technology cannot reliably produce this information if it can’t read the barcode.
That’s why the Postal Service™ is telling employees to make sure they don’t obliterate the barcode as mail moves through the system. Specifically, employees should not mark through, obliterate, or affix any labels over the Intelligent Mail barcode.
Also, the Postal Service wants to make sure that when employees mark up First-Class Mail® items, they use only clear space on the front of the envelope, being careful not to mark over any address or barcode information.
source: Postal Bulletin
Intelligent Mail Volume Triples in Four Weeks
Sixty Percent More Mailers Sign On to the Full Service Program
WASHINGTON — It took seven months to hit the 1 billion mark, but only four more weeks to hit 3 billion. That’s the number of Intelligent Mail Full Service mailpieces processed by the U.S. Postal Service since the program’s implementation last May.
The milestone mailing entered the postal distribution network the week of Jan. 4, and the actual number was confirmed yesterday.
The number of Intelligent Mail Full Service mailers increased to 171, a 60 percent increase from mid-December. To date, Intelligent Mail Full Service has generated $1 billion in revenue.
“The month of December has been one of exceptional participation and performance,” said Tom Day, senior vice president, Intelligent Mail and Address Quality. “The PostalOne! system handled more than twice the previous peak of eDoc postage statements and did so with 98 percent being processed in 30 minutes or less. Mailers are realizing the benefits of Full Service Intelligent Mail, and are doing so in a stable operating environment.”
For more information about Intelligent Mail Full Service, visit ribbs.usps.gov.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
source: USPS