New Postal Addressing Standards for Periodicals
This illustration is from the postal document E8-8621, showing the addressing changes for periodicals and other automated flat mail. The new address changes take effect March 29, 2009.
I find it somewhat confusing as the address appears to be upside down on the front cover of the magazine. My understanding is that with the equipment recently purchased by the United States Post Office, the address is actually right side up and correct for the equipment. Visually, it's upside down for the reader, not the postman.
I contacted Sean Stiewe, our postal service representative at QuadGraphics, and asked him if I had interpreted the rules correctly. Sean replied, "It looks that way as of right now. I am waiting to see how Quad is going to handle this with the post office."
Currently, the delivery address is right side up on the front cover. We'll keep you posted on this issue as March 2009 nears.
Here's a comment from our QuadGraphics, account manager Brian Kusserow:
"I just wanted to expand a bit on the new standards.
Back cover addressing would be right reading.
The USPS rule is that the book is held by the carrier halfway up the spine with the right hand....that's how they will read the address.
For FRONT cover addressing: holding the spine in the right hand, means the address will need to be printed upside down. For BACK cover addressing: holding the spine in the right hand, means it will be right reading. However, the address would need to be at the TOP of the back cover.
There will be more information to follow when it is made available."
May 12, 2008< back
CAPS for Clients
Today, I received an email from a client wanting to know when she would receive the postage estimate for her magazine. Usually, postal estimates are one of the last things clients want to receive. Checks have to be requested, approved, written, signed and Fed Exed to the USPS Postmaster by a certain date. Often, after the magazines are mailed, excess postage accumulates in the account. The post office will not refund this money, but only hold it for future mailings with no interest paid.
But a year or so ago, Hammock helped this client switch to the USPS CAPS (Central Automated Payment Services) system for submitting postage to the postmaster for her association’s magazines. Using CAPS, a client sets up a trust or debit account for payment of postage.
One or two days before the postage is due in the account, the client is given an actual expense for postage, and her money can be deposited in the account the next day. There is no overage for accounting errors added to the amount as there is with an estimate.
For the above client, it has worked really well. She is included in a co-mailing pool with other magazines that utilize CAPS. Not only are her postal costs reduced because of shared freight charges, the magazines get to local post offices quicker and into the hands of her members. Plus the balance in her account at the end of the mailing is $0.
It can be cumbersome and time-consuming to navigate the postal system, but we have helped many clients achieve similar efficiencies. We serve as a bit of a translator for the intricacies of the postal system for our clients.