DS Blog
Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 2
This continues our series of introductory posts on designing for direct mail. Part 1 introduced your friend at the post office, the Mailpiece Design Analyst, the basic mailpiece shapes, and some helpful online resources. Here in Part 2, we'll look more closely at the shapes and other ways that the USPS categorizes mail.
Factors determining the type of mailing
As a designer, unless the format of the mailpiece and the class of mail are already decided for you, you'll be basing decisions about the design of the piece on what kind of message, information, or material needs to be conveyed, weighed against how much the client is willing to pay to get their piece into the hands of the recipients on their list. This cost analysis tool can help start that decision-making process if the client is unfamiliar with commercial mailing.
Retail or Discount
In most cases, commercial mail is discount mail and is designed for easier processing by the post office's equipment. Not meeting the specific physical requirements will bump you back up to full retail price or incur a nonmachinable surcharge. Retail is synonymous with Full Rate First Class. There is also a discounted Presorted First Class category for commercial mailings.
Size and Shape of Mailpiece
As mentioned in Part 1, any piece of mail will be classified as a postcard, letter, flat, or parcel, depending on the dimensions of the piece.
Postcard
Small postcards only
To qualify for the postcard rate:
• Minimum size 3-1/2 x 5 inches and .007 inches thick (equivalent to 80lb text weight stock, or an index card).
• Maximum size 4-1/2 x 6 inches and .016 inches thick (about as thick as 120lb cover weight stock).
• Postcard rate is only available if using First Class.
Letter
Larger postcards, letters, booklets, self-mailers
• Minimum size 3-1/2 x 5 inches and .007 inches thick (equivalent to 80lb text weight stock, or an index card).
• Maximum size 6-1/8 x 11-1/2* inches and 1/4 inch thick.
*Maximum length for a letter will be 10-1/2 inches effective 9/8/09.
Flat
Larger envelopes, newsletters, magazines, larger booklets, larger self-mailers
• A flat has at least one dimension that is greater than 6-1/8 inches high or 11-1/2* inches long or 1/4 inch thick.
• Maximum size: 12 inches high x 15 inches long x 3/4 inch thick.
*Maximum length for a letter will be 10-1/2 inches effective 9/8/09.
Parcel
Anything that isn't a postcard, letter, or flat
• Length + girth cannot exceed 108 inches (130 inches for Parcel Select).
Class
Classes can be thought of as service levels. The class affects postage rates, speed, and services included such as forwarding and returning.
Express Mail
Anything mailable can be sent Express
• Highest cost
• Fastest service available
First Class Mail
Anything mailable can be sent First Class
• First Class Mail offers a discounted rate for small postcards
• Faster than Standard
Standard Mail
Advertisements, circulars, newsletters, magazines, small parcels, merchandise
• Maximum weight is 16 ounces
• Slower than First Class
Periodicals
Newsletters, magazines
• Must be published at regular intervals and meet other specific qualifications
• Requires a formal application procedure
Package Services
Merchandise, books, circulars, catalogs, computer-readable media, film, recordings, educational materials, binders, other printed matter
• Subclasses are Parcel Select, Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, and Library Mail
• For merchandise, Priority Mail (First Class) may have similar postage costs to Package Services but is faster.
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In Part 3, we'll look at what you need to know to get your mailpiece through the USPS's processing equipment.
Comments (1)|Posted by: Alison Ashe, 1 July 2009 at 12:29pm
Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 1
We recently attended a breakfast talk hosted by AIGA Knoxville on designing for direct mail. Sheila Kirton, our local USPS Mailpiece Design Analyst (did you know those existed?), gave us a great refresher on what to do and not to do when designing direct mail and alerted us to some upcoming changes in mailpiece requirements. Since we found this so helpful, we decided to put together our own introductory guide to mailing standards. Even if you’ve worked on mailpieces before, there can be many gaps in your knowledge. Mail can be pretty tricky, and it’s difficult to know where to go for a comprehensive overview from a designer’s perspective.
Interesting Findings from the AIGA Knoxville Breakfast Talk
• The maximum length for a mailpiece in the Letter category is being reduced from 11.5 to 10.5 inches on September 8. Anything over 10.5 inches will be mailed as a Flat instead of a Letter. (This applies to Sumo-sized postcards, self-mailers, booklets, etc.)
• A square letter-sized mailpiece will receive a nonmachinable surcharge because it will tumble end over end instead of sliding smoothly through the equipment. Flats can be square, however.
• Glossy paper stocks can cause problems in the machines because they generate static electricity. They can also interfere with machine readability and incur additional charges.
• Some paper coatings or printing methods can interfere with the barcode your piece will receive during processing. A mailer that we received recently had a barcode which was badly smeared over a field of solid color. The color appeared to have been printed by a color laser / quick run method.
• Blue inks are more difficult for machines to read.
• Your envelope’s flap can be on either the front or the back side, but cannot be on the bottom edge.
• Your piece can have rounded corners, but they can have a radius no larger than 1/8 inch.
• Don’t use an open / cutout address window in your self-mailer; it can get caught in the machines. A booklet that we received advertising a well-known design conference demonstrated this error!
• Those clear tabs for closing self-mailers look nicer, but they often don't stick as well as the opaque ones.
Mailpiece Design Analyst
Something you may not know even if you have been designing mailpieces for a while is that there is someone at the USPS whose job it is to help you design mail correctly and prevent unexpected postage costs and delays for you and your clients. Sometimes this information finds its way to you through others, such as printers or mailing services / presort bureaus, but the MDA is closest to the source.
From the USPS site: “Mailpiece Design Analysts (MDA) are postal employees specially trained to answer your questions regarding mailpiece design. These employees provide advice and issue rulings regarding acceptability for automated rates. MDAs provide technical assistance on mailpiece design to envelope manufacturers, printers, advertising agencies, and graphic designers.”
This includes testing your chosen paper stocks, if needed, and checking your artwork via email/PDF for problems before you send it to print.
To find the analyst assigned to your zip code:
http://pe.usps.gov/mpdesign/mpdfr_mda_lookup.asp
Brief Introduction to Mailpiece Shapes
We’ll look more in depth at how mail is categorized in upcoming posts, but one of the first things you should know, which will make it easier to navigate the USPS’s reference documents, is that there are only four categories of mail shapes.
• Postcard
• Letter
• Flat
• Parcel
Any piece of mail will be classified as one of these, depending on the dimensions of the piece. Many things which do not seem like a letter, for example, actually fall into the Letter category, such as a small booklet, a self-mailer, or a large postcard.
Small postcards under 4.5×6 in. and being sent First Class are the only things the USPS places in the Postcard category; a Postcard is really only a type of discounted Letter.
Other Resources
For those who would like to dive right in, these have been the most helpful online resources for us. The USPS publishes an overwhelming number of reference documents, many of which repeat the same information in ways that are tailored for the different audiences to which they speak. The more in-depth resources also tend to include lots of information on sorting methods, barcode creation, etc. which most designers don’t need to know; that information is targeted at mailing professionals (presort bureaus; postal employees; in-house mailing departments).
Business Mail 101
Online introductory tool for beginning or infrequent mailers (this applies to a lot of designers!), including a glossary.
Quick Service Guides
A more user-friendly version of the information in the Domestic Mail Manual. Includes visual diagrams of sizes and shapes of the different types of mail (see the sections labeled “Physical Standards”).
USPS Domestic Mail Manual (the Bible of mailing)
It’s actually not easy to locate this online version of the ultimate domestic mailing reference when browsing the USPS site.
USPS International Mail Manual
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In our posts to follow, we'll examine the different shapes and classes of mail, and discuss how to ensure that your mailpiece will travel safely through the post office's automated equipment.
Demystifying Direct Mail, Part 2
Comments (4)|Posted by: Alison Ashe, 8 June 2009 at 3:28pm
The Stage is Set (again) for Designsensory
What a year 2009 has been already! Here's the latest bit of heartfelt news. I am pleased to announce Designsensory has officially been awarded a second term with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development as their interactive agency of record.
In turn, we are partnering with our peeps at Paramore|Redd on the online marketing initiatives which includes email, social and viral initiatives all driving back to the tnvacation family of sites.
If you spent any time with us for the past several weeks you would know this was a more emotional win than the many we are thankful to be awarded. So, why all the mushy gushy sentiments you ask?
Well, our work with the state has always been a labor of love. For nearly five years we have poured hour upon hour on this project. In many ways our stewardship of tnvacation.com has defined our professional and personal lives. It made many things possible when we were just starting out as a going business. We have grown steadily through this time and have developed some great relationships in the process. Most of all, a lot of life was lived in those five years!
When the rebid process finally arrived in late 2008, it certainly brought with it moments of retrospection and a great deal of stories to boot. As you can probably guess incumbent agencies do not eagerly await the rigors of the rebid process. Nevertheless, what a way to re-evaluate, refresh, research and recommit to a program. It's a great way to stay hungry and keep the fire burning.
This victory was especially sweet to me, Brandon and the crew here at Designsensory. Though the results were released a few weeks ago and I am most happy to share the news with you now.
Here's to another great five years. I know the best is yet to come!
Comments (2)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 12 March 2009 at 5:59pm
Though this news is a little late making it to our blog, I am happy to report we had a stellar showing at this year's Addy Awards. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we went 5 for 5 entries to awards. We were happy to get that notice but ecstatic when the results were finally revealed. Your favorite (I hope) design and tech peeps walked away with 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze.
• Tennessee Vacation Seasonal Sites - GOLD
• Hunter Museum of American Art - GOLD
• Designsensory Website - GOLD
• Designsensory Stationery System and Identity - SILVER
• Lifesaver Luau (Secret Safe Place of East TN) - BRONZE
Respectfully, I would disagree with their awarding of the Bronze to Lifesaver Luau. The design team worked incredibly hard on that campaign in particular. It featured time-consuming hand drawn visual elements across all pieces and the campaign worked very well from a conceptual and results standpoint. In particular, Mark S. and our then-intern, Sara N. did a wonderful job. Bronze is nothing to scoff at but you guys were golden in my book.
Anyway, this isn't the end of the road for the Addys. The gold-awarded projects move on to regional competition, so keep your fingers crossed! Thank you to everyone who showered us with kind words. It is much appreciated.
Comments (0)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 5 March 2009 at 8:14pm
Early Returns for the 44th Annual Addy Awards
Early this year we decided to submit a few projects to the Addy Awards for consideration.
I am happy to report that early indications are favorable. As the letter for Exhibit A (above) states, all five of our entries have been awarded an Addy. The question now is, what color are we going to walk away with---bronze, silver or the almighty sparkly gold. Personally, we are hoping for gold---these days, it's good for a diversified portfolio. Ok, bad joke.
Anyway, being a proud American Advertising Federation member we thought to not only shamelessly plug our success but also the AAF Knoxville event itself. The awards presentation is Saturday, February 21 at the Crowne Plaza in Downtown Knoxville. It is at said proceedings where one finds out the color of their victory. Needless to say, the event is a victory for all Knoxville creatives! Congratulations to the other local winners and to our talented Designsensory peeps.
Keep up with the AAF Knoxville's blog for highlights of the event and check back with our blog for an update of the final results!
Here are our entries:
• Our very own Designsensory (1) identity, stationery, and (2) website.
• The new Hunter Museum of Art website
• Our 2008 Lifesaver Luau campaign for Secret Safe Place of ET
• The four seasonal mini-sites of tnvacation.com
Which color (gold, silver, bronze) would you give to each?
Comments (8)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 10 February 2009 at 12:07pm
Well, what can I say? You blink an eye, the year goes by and it's Christmas once again. It used to be that we'd get a little snow, and that would help to make the season feel more like a winter wonderland. Now, what generally signals the approach of the holidays is our frantic search for what has become a Designsensory tradition---our yearly ornament gift to our new client friends.
Over in design, this is coupled with designing our package label and Christmas card. For the past several years it so happens this honor has been bestowed on the newest designer to join our ranks. I am happy to report that this year's designs come from none other than our Mark Schafer. They continue the festive Designsensory tradition and sparkle with a little of Mark's signature goodness. If you are one of the lucky ones to receive this gift you will see the card and ornament as well.
What makes this tradition even more sweet is seeing the progressive years of ornaments on our Christmas tree. Every year we reserve one of our winning ornaments to put on our tree. I suppose it is our version of tree rings---our way of keeping track of many years in business. It's a sweet realization that makes a season already steeped in symbolism and meaning all the more real. It represents the many blessings we share and the many relationships that make our lives possible. For that, we are most thankful.
On behalf of everyone at Designsensory, let me wish you a wonderful Christmas season. We look forward to sharing these sentiments with you again in 2009.
Comments (1)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 18 December 2008 at 4:50pm
Five sites on "Best of CSS Design 2008"
Once again we have had the fortune of having our work recognized over at the popular design-blog Web Designer Wall. None other than five of our websites have been selected and included on this years "The Best of CSS Design 2008." Our seasonal site series for the State of Tennessee and the website for local Knoxville favorite, Dara's Garden are included with 45 other examples of great web development. Five out of 50 ain't bad but 2009 is almost here! New year..new challenges...new inspiration. Let's see what 2009 has in store. Appreciate the nod Nick.
Here are the showcased websites:
Comments (16)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 17 December 2008 at 9:36am
Cut & Paste: The 2008 Greeting Card Competition, AIGA Knoxville
As many of you may know, Designsensory is a proud and active member of our local chapter of the AIGA, the professional association of design. Given that Alison and I both serve on the Knoxville AIGA board we thought we'd do our part to get the word out for this year's greeting card competition.
The theme is handmade and the competition is open to everyone! Here's more info:
We're encouraging you to step away from your bright computer screens this holiday season and get back to working with your hands. Create an original holiday greeting card(s) and mail it in to our competition by December 1st for a chance to win one of four locally handmade packages: 1st prize = $150 value, 2nd = $75 value, 3rd = $30 value, 4th = $20 value.
Then, join us on First Friday, December 5th at the kickoff of the Handmade Holiday Show in the former White Store Building on North Central (get directions). The Glowing Body / MagPies reception will open at 6.00 pm with music starting at around 8.00pm. Proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, Downtown North Redevelopment and AIGA Knoxville.
Fifty designs will be chosen from the submitted entries. All fifty chosen designs will be on display and offered for sale in a silent auction on December 5th.
So break out the pens, pencils, and brushes to show us what beautiful things you can make. Be it cross-stitch, screenprinting, letterpress, collage, illustration, spraypaint, etc...the options are limitless!
Go to Knoxcards.org today to download your application.
P.S. Also, don't forget we have our PM: Happy Hour coming up this November 18, 2008 from 6:30-8:00pm at the Urban Bar. Come join us for drinks and good conversation with folks from the local creative community in Knoxville! In fact, if you mention you learned about this event through this blog post, I will personally buy you a drink.
And...no, I am not resorting to bribery. :-) See you there!
Comments (3)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 11 November 2008 at 4:40pm
From Abingdon, Virginia with Love
Several weeks ago we had the pleasure of taking a quick trip to Abingdon, Virginia. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Highland region in Southwest Virginia and steeped in Old World tradition, Abingdon succeeds in transporting the lucky traveler to a different time and place. Rumor has it that Abingdon is also an old childhood stomping ground of a certain Technical Director here at Designsensory.
Anyway, we found Abingdon a magical setting when we were there last but it is surely going to hold a special place in our hearts now. The business that brought us there weeks ago (bidding on their tourism website RFP) has concluded and we have been graciously selected as their new development firm. Our task: redesign www.abingdon.com.
With visual inspiration like the photographs above and a heritage that goes back to the formation of our country and the Revolutionary War it should prove to be fertile ground for some great authentic design. Thank you to our friends in the Abingdon Town Government who granted this opportunity. Time to work some magic of our own. ;-) Stay tuned...more to come in early 2009. In the meantime, experience Abingdon for yourself!
Comments (1)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 16 October 2008 at 10:33am
Work Honored by Graphic Design USA
Just a few days ago the mailman brought a little dose of love in the form of a good ole catalog envelope. There was nothing special about the envelope except for what was inside---five awards for design excellence and a special note of congratulations. Our selections were picked out of a pool of 10,000 plus entries as part of the top 15%. A big pat on the pack to everyone who worked on these projects! Check out the certificates below. More importantly, click on the projects and see the work!
Recognition for the new Tennessee Theatre ID mark (logo) | View project»
Recognition for the Goodwill Industries 2007 Fashion Show Campaign | View project»
Recognition for the redeveloped AC Entertainment website, Concertwire.com | View project»
Recognition for Careers and Education website for the State of Tennessee | View project»
Recognition for the Lifesaver Luau 2007 Fundraising Campaign | View project»
Again, congratulations to everyone for their passion and hardwork. Awards are great but effectiveness and business performance are better. I am happy to report that in each case above, the customer AND their constitents benefited from great design. Anyone have a favorite?
Comments (14)|Posted by: Joseph Nother, 12 September 2008 at 1:39pm
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Authors
Alison Ashe
Alison solves visual communication problems through a process of research, concept exploration, and original thinking.
Sarah Loebner
Sarah worked for agencies in Ohio and Boston before coming to Knoxville seven years ago and burnishing her reputation as an innovative designer and fresh thinker. While inspiring design is her form of communication her passion lies in client partnerships,
Josh Loebner
Josh combines research and strategic thinking as the foundation for powerful, goal-oriented marketing experiences.
Lindsay Miller
Lindsay is dedicated to the unrelenting pursuit of delivering unique, effective media solutions that bring a company's message to life.
Joseph Nother
As co-founder and creative director for Designsensory, Joseph oversees teams that deliver award-winning and compelling design.
Brandon Rochelle
Brandon, co-founder and technical director, oversees technology development spanning interactive work through online marketing.
Susan Sewell
Susan brings a background as a writer, senior editor, promotion specialist, and project manager.
Erin Slattery