My customers are caught off guard every year when, seemingly without warning, the Holiday Season jumps out and screams "Ha! You forgot about the greeting cards again!" Consider this post your own personal warning...it's almost November.
We should actually jump ahead to something even more overlooked than the card, which is the envelope it will travel in. This is, without a doubt, the most overlooked object in the world of printing...if I had a nickel for every Holiday card that showed up at the shop sans enveloppe I could immediately retire and buy a yacht. This is unfortunate because, at the very least, it's an inconvenience to throw one together at the last minute.
More problematic is the fact that envelopes are only available certain sizes and paper stocks, and if your card is not designed with an existing envelope in mind you may end up with a misfit. Below is s a link to help keep you out of trouble...I urge you to be sure you know which envelope you plan to use before you lay out the card which'll go in it:
MAC Papers Anatomy of an Envelope Note that the style you will want is either "A-Size" (with a square flap) or "Baronial" (with a pointy flap). Hold your cursor over each style to see the sizes available. The A-Sizes are usually available in a range of paper stocks but the Baronials (which are less expensive) are limited to white and ivory. Thanks to MAC Papers for this great link.
So far as you actual card is concerned there are two options; a stock card can be purchased and sent to the printshop to be imprinted, or something fully customized can be designed and produced for you. Both options are quite affordable, even in small quantities, and can be finished in just a few days. (The printing, that is, not necessarily the design.)
For those who call in a panic during the third week of December the printers will have nothing but cheer, and goodwill. (You can always discuss moving to a New Years greeting.) But just think how proud you'll be if you get started now and have plenty of time for a great design, and mailing well in advance of the Christmas rush.
Bring it up at the next client or staff meeting...see what the budget is...talk to the designer. Why wait to the last minute to put together something fun and maybe even meaningful. It's that kind of season, after all.
Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business
PS. As "Your friend in the printing business" moves into it's second year I hope to expand readership by offering this non-commercial blog to as many people as possible. If you are a member of an organization whose membership could benefit from our discussion please let me know. Thanks again!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Weird Rules and Good Habits
This is a post with two parts...one which you have no control over, and one which you do. Both have to do with our relationship with the U.S. Postal Service. The first is a rule change effective October 5, 2009:
QSG 201b Commercial Letters and Postcards - Using Tabs, Wafer Seals and Glue Strips
This two page notice is self explanatory, and worth printing out if you do a lot of mailing. It's current information may impact your design decisions and mail processing costs. USPS is serious about automation-compatible mail, so be aware that all regs are being strictly enforced. For those who are picture oriented here's the relevant graphic, which is page two of the notice:
(Click on the image to see full-size)
You can't do anything about the Byzantine USPS rules, but it's important to understand those parts of the mailing process you must participate in directly. If something goes wrong in this regard we all feel bad, but it's you, the customer, who bears responsibility for compliance, and will sacrifice the discounts available for automation-compatible mail. With that in mind, Your Friend in the Printing Business discloses the Mail Service Provider Top Five suggestions:
1) Be familiar with USPS requirements about elements on your mailpiece. Notice 67 from USPS is a plastic template which defines various elements such as min and max sizes, clear area for barcodes, OCR Read Area (optical character cognition of address), and FIM location (facing identification marks for reply mail).
This graphic is a simplified version of the template available at the Bulk Mail Entry Unit of the Post Office. If you print this one out, please be sure it's true to scale before you use it for real! (Click on image to see full size.)
Many requirements have changed recently, and they are important! Phil at Modern Mailers in Tallahassee, (who supplied a lot of information for this post), told me that USPS has rejected about 6 jobs in the last two weeks for problems such as background printing in the barcode clear area.
2) Confirm, in advance, whose permit number will be used, and what type of postage the indicia should specify. This insures that the correct permit language can be incorporated into the original design, and not have to be tacked on as an afterthought. It will also prompt you to tackle some logistical decisions, such as where does the job deliver to for mailing, do they know it's coming, and is there money in the permit (see number 5).
3) Submit your list to the mail service provider before you place your printing order. New regulations require your list be processed through the NCOA database (National Change of Address) to eliminate uncodable entries. We have actually seen jobs drop in quantity by thousands, (even, in one case, tens of thousands) after this step. If the printing order has been placed, and stock cut to size, you may end up owning a lot of extra paper!
4) Watch the thickness minimums Chuck at TCB Marketing (who also provided much insight for this post) told me the #1 problem he sees is material printed on paper which does not come up to the thickness minimums. If your final size is 3.5" x 5" (the minimum) the final thickness must be .007" which is equivalent to #65 uncoated cover. If your final size is larger than 4.25 x 6" all the way up to 11.5 x 6 (the max for letter-size mail) the thickness must be .009" which is where most of the problems come up.
Here's a chart of typical papers relative to the .009" thickness standard, (please bear in mind these are somewhat general):
(Click on image to see full size)
5) Be sure there's money in the permit! If your job gets to USPS and there's no money in the permit the result is obvious...confusion, delay, embarrassment...all the worst parts about working with a tangible product.
The Domestic Mail Manual, the definitive rules and regulations, is well over 1,000 pages long and the USPS website is equally impenetrable. It's difficult even to be conversant in this area, but you have responsibilities as a mailer none the less. The good news is that there are always friendly, competent people available to help at your printer, mail service provider, or the bulk mail unit at USPS.
The secret, as with so much of what we discuss, is to get a hold of these good people while your project is in development so changes can be worked in. The consequences of getting these details wrong can be dire, but some planning, (and a few timely questions), should keep you out of trouble. Neither snow nor sleet, nor dark of night or crazy rules will keep you from looking like a pro!
Thanks for reading! I am proud to observe that this post marks the one year anniversary of this blog! I'm having way to much fun!
Hugh Butler
Your Friend in the Printing Business
QSG 201b Commercial Letters and Postcards - Using Tabs, Wafer Seals and Glue Strips
This two page notice is self explanatory, and worth printing out if you do a lot of mailing. It's current information may impact your design decisions and mail processing costs. USPS is serious about automation-compatible mail, so be aware that all regs are being strictly enforced. For those who are picture oriented here's the relevant graphic, which is page two of the notice:
(Click on the image to see full-size)
You can't do anything about the Byzantine USPS rules, but it's important to understand those parts of the mailing process you must participate in directly. If something goes wrong in this regard we all feel bad, but it's you, the customer, who bears responsibility for compliance, and will sacrifice the discounts available for automation-compatible mail. With that in mind, Your Friend in the Printing Business discloses the Mail Service Provider Top Five suggestions:
1) Be familiar with USPS requirements about elements on your mailpiece. Notice 67 from USPS is a plastic template which defines various elements such as min and max sizes, clear area for barcodes, OCR Read Area (optical character cognition of address), and FIM location (facing identification marks for reply mail).
This graphic is a simplified version of the template available at the Bulk Mail Entry Unit of the Post Office. If you print this one out, please be sure it's true to scale before you use it for real! (Click on image to see full size.)
Many requirements have changed recently, and they are important! Phil at Modern Mailers in Tallahassee, (who supplied a lot of information for this post), told me that USPS has rejected about 6 jobs in the last two weeks for problems such as background printing in the barcode clear area.
2) Confirm, in advance, whose permit number will be used, and what type of postage the indicia should specify. This insures that the correct permit language can be incorporated into the original design, and not have to be tacked on as an afterthought. It will also prompt you to tackle some logistical decisions, such as where does the job deliver to for mailing, do they know it's coming, and is there money in the permit (see number 5).
3) Submit your list to the mail service provider before you place your printing order. New regulations require your list be processed through the NCOA database (National Change of Address) to eliminate uncodable entries. We have actually seen jobs drop in quantity by thousands, (even, in one case, tens of thousands) after this step. If the printing order has been placed, and stock cut to size, you may end up owning a lot of extra paper!
4) Watch the thickness minimums Chuck at TCB Marketing (who also provided much insight for this post) told me the #1 problem he sees is material printed on paper which does not come up to the thickness minimums. If your final size is 3.5" x 5" (the minimum) the final thickness must be .007" which is equivalent to #65 uncoated cover. If your final size is larger than 4.25 x 6" all the way up to 11.5 x 6 (the max for letter-size mail) the thickness must be .009" which is where most of the problems come up.
Here's a chart of typical papers relative to the .009" thickness standard, (please bear in mind these are somewhat general):
(Click on image to see full size)
5) Be sure there's money in the permit! If your job gets to USPS and there's no money in the permit the result is obvious...confusion, delay, embarrassment...all the worst parts about working with a tangible product.
The Domestic Mail Manual, the definitive rules and regulations, is well over 1,000 pages long and the USPS website is equally impenetrable. It's difficult even to be conversant in this area, but you have responsibilities as a mailer none the less. The good news is that there are always friendly, competent people available to help at your printer, mail service provider, or the bulk mail unit at USPS.
The secret, as with so much of what we discuss, is to get a hold of these good people while your project is in development so changes can be worked in. The consequences of getting these details wrong can be dire, but some planning, (and a few timely questions), should keep you out of trouble. Neither snow nor sleet, nor dark of night or crazy rules will keep you from looking like a pro!
Thanks for reading! I am proud to observe that this post marks the one year anniversary of this blog! I'm having way to much fun!
Hugh Butler
Your Friend in the Printing Business
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