Resources Your local USPS mail piece design analyst
No charge for their expertise and advice! For help designing a mailpiece. Mailpiece Design Analysts (MDAs) 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. Use this handy link to locate the MDA responsible for your ZIP Code area. Mailpiece Design Analysts are available for: • Testing paper and actual mailpiece samples for acceptable thickness, background color, flexibility, rigidity, and barcode print tolerances. • Assigning unique ZIP+4 codes for Business Reply Mail (BRM) mailpieces. • Providing camera-ready artwork for the proper facing identification marks (FIM) and barcodes for BRM and Courtesy Reply Mail (CRM). • Reviewing artwork prior to printing. • Reviewing and approving vendor-prepared "privately printed" forms for USPS extra services. • Analyzing optical character reader (OCR) readability and automation compatibility of prospective or actual mailpieces. USPS – Designing Letters and Cards for Automated Processing – See Quick Service Guide 201A USPS – Physical Standards for Commercial Letters and Cards –See Quick Service Guide 201 USPS – Tab, Wafer Seals and Glue Strip specs – See Quick Service Guide 201B USPS - Move Update Standards – See Quick Service Guide 230A USPS Business mail Glossary of terms USPS Business Mail 101
Size and Shape of mail pieces. USPS Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) USPS Quick Service Guide (smaller easier version of the DMM)
www.USPS.com
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