MAJOR CHANGES COMING FOR SELF-MAILERS in 2013
Major changes from the postal service are coming to self mailers. And these new regulations are going into effect the first week of January 2013. Non-compliance will mean doubling or tripling postage.
“Self mailers” are pieces that are not inserted into envelopes and which have an address applied to the outside. Most commonly these are newsletters that start out as 11×17 and are folded down to 5.5 x 8.5. Or they may be an 8.5 x 11 folded into thirds.
However, there are many variations to what can be called a “self mailer” so they are not limited to what I described above.
Thickness of paper, folding and tabbing standards have been changed with the new standards. In fact, this is, in my opinion, the largest change in regulations during the 10 years I have been in the business, so it is a really big deal.
The first thing you should do is contact your designer. Let them know these changes are coming. Your designer can give us a call prior to the next round of your mailings.
Resources that are available to you are the USPS customer service rep at Mailing Requirements, 651-681-2630 and this document which summarizes the changes.
Do-Good recommends a phone call to us and we will discuss your project with you. If we do not have the answers, we will get them.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to think about these things prior to designing, printing and mailing your next project.
As always, Do-Good is trying to be proactive. Education and awareness of the postal standards are important to us and to our customers.