Mail Processing

• 1. Will PostWare be used to produce subscriber mail? BCP (Client) Presort and Label are Postalsoft software products that have been integrated into Circulation for the purpose or sorting mail (Periodical and Standard A class) and designing label formats. Presort and Label give greater flexibility for sorting and designing mail labels. However, you may still elect to use Circulation programs for these tasks.

  Value
  Yes	Use Presort and Label to sort and format mail labels.
  No	Use Circulation to sort and format mail labels.

  The following two rules apply only to Postalsoft. If Yes:

  • 2. For how many days do you wish to retain Postalsoft data and work files? BCP (Client) If you use Postalsoft Presort and Label software, each mailing will generate work files, reports, and other information. This setting governs how many days the information should be retained before being automatically purged. The default is 7 days.

  • 3. Will Postalsoft’s Desktop Mailer be used to print mail labels? BCP (Client) Desktop Mailer is a PC-based program that can be used to sort and print mail labels. Circulation is not integrated with Desktop Mailer, but you can, by setting this rule to “yes,” have Circulation export an unsorted address file that can be used by Desktop Mailer. The file will be created when mail labels are generated (in the publishing run or TM processing). It will be comma delimited, with each field surrounded by quotes; the file will be written to your PW/data directory and named <productid>dd.txt, where “dd” is the day of the month. Note that you will also need to create a .def and .dmt file in Desktop Mailer before the mail labels file can be imported.

    Value
    Yes	Desktop Mailer will be used—mail labels should be exported to a delimited file.
    No	Desktop Mailer will not be used and no delimited file need be exported.

• 4. What is the sort sequence for subscriber mail labels? BCP (Client) Mail labels may be printed in Zip code or user-defined Zip code order. This setting determines the order used to print subscriber mail labels.

  Value
  UserDefined ZIPCode	If subscriber mail labels should print in the sort order established by the user. If this option is selected, the user will be prompted to define the order in the ZIP Label Sequence file.
  ZIP Code	If subscriber mail labels should print in order by ZIP/postal Code, beginning with foreign (no Zip codes) and ending with zzzzz-zzzz.

• 5. What is the number of subscriber mail labels across one page? BCP (Client) Subscriber mail labels may be printed in one- to five-column format, depending on the number of columns specified here.

  Value
  1	Print subscriber mail labels in one column.
  2	Print subscriber mail labels in two columns.
  3	Print subscriber mail labels in three columns.
  4	Print subscriber mail labels in four columns.
  5	Print subscriber mail labels in five columns.

• 6. Should subscriber mail labels print in horizontal or vertical order? BCP (Client) Subscriber mail labels may be printed in order horizontally or vertically.

  Horizontal order of mail labels ordered alphabetically from A-I (assuming, for this example, that there is one mail label per letter of the alphabet) will print like this if labels are printed in three columns: A B C D E F G H I Vertical order of mail labels will print like this if labels are printed in three columns: A D G B E H C F I

  Value
  Horizontal	If subscriber mail labels should print in horizontal order.
  Vertical	If subscriber mail labels should print in vertical order.

• 7. Should subscriber mail labels print in ascending or descending sort order? BCP (Client) Subscriber mail labels may be printed in either ascending (A-Z) or descending (Z-A) sort order, according to the sort order selected.

  Value
  Ascending	If subscriber mail labels should print in ascending sort order.
  Descending	If subscriber mail labels should print in descending sort order.

• 8. What is the number of lines on subscriber mail labels? BCP (Client) The number of lines from one subscriber mail label to another is determined by the number entered here. There are six lines per inch, vertically. The default number of lines is 6.

• 9. What is the width of subscriber mail labels in characters? BCP (Client) The width of subscriber mail labels in characters is determined by the number entered. There are usually 10 characters per inch, horizontally. The default number of characters is 30.

• 10. What is the starting position of the first column of subscriber mail labels? BCP (Client) The limitations (if any) of your printer and label stock will determine the print position, in characters, of the first character of the first column of subscriber mail labels. Assuming the type face is non-proportional and that there are 10 characters per inch, horizontally, enter the desired starting position for the fourth column of subscriber mail labels. The default starting position is 1.

• 11. What is the starting position of the second column of subscriber mail labels? BCP (Client) If subscriber mail labels are being printed in two or more columns, you must indicate the horizontal starting position of the second column of labels. Enter the desired starting position for the second column of subscriber mail labels. The default starting position is 35.

• 12. What is the starting position of the third column of subscriber mail labels? BCP (Client) If subscriber mail labels are being printed in three or more columns, you must indicate the horizontal starting position of the third column of labels. Enter the desired starting position for the third column of subscriber mail labels. The default starting position is 69.

• 13. What is the starting position of the fourth column of subscriber mail labels? BCP (Client) If subscriber mail labels are being printed in four columns, you must indicate the horizontal starting position of the fourth column of labels. Enter the desired starting position for the fourth column of subscriber mail labels. The default starting position is 103.

• 14. What is the starting position of the fifth column of subscriber mail labels? BCP (Client) If subscriber mail labels are being printed in five columns, you must indicate the horizontal starting position of the fifth column of labels. The default starting position is 0.

• 15. Should bag tags print for subscriber mail labels? BCP (Client) Bag tags may be printed for subscriber mail labels to identify the mail contained in the sacks provided by the post office. These bag tags may also be used to identify the mail labels for which they are printed. If you will use PostWare for mail sorting, PostWare will produce the bag tags (this setting will be disregarded).

  Value
  Yes	If bag tags should print for subscriber mail labels.
  No	If bag tags should not print for subscriber mail labels.

  If Yes:

  • 16. Should bag tags print at the start of a group of labels or at the end of a group of labels? BCP (Client) You may choose to have bag tags print at the start or end of a group of labels, depending on your labeling needs and the print order of your labels. In this version of the software, Start is the only valid option.

    Value
    Start	If bag tags should print at the start of each group of labels.

• 17. What is the page length for a page of mail labels? BCP (Client) This is the number of lines to a page of labels. The default value is 66.

• 18. Do label groups represent separate mailings (e.g., from different points of entry)? BCP (Client) The label groups may define delivery to multiple post offices or they may represent different mailings to the same post office which need to have separate financial post office reports. When separate financial post office reports are required and will be submitted to the post office, the dollar figures must be rounded per postal standards on each label group’s report. When only the summary report will be submitted, rounding per postal standards is only required on the summary report.

  Value
  Yes	Label groups represent different points of entry or different mailings. Separate postal reports will be submitted to the post office.
  No	Only a single postal report will be submitted to the post office.

• 19. Will the Financial Post Office report be submitted for each label group? BCP (Client) Separate post office reports may be needed if delivery is made to multiple post offices.

  Value
  Yes	Print separate financial postal reports for each label group.
  No	Separate financial reports are not required for each label group. Print one financial report which is the total of all label groups.

  Note: If you set this rule to “no,” you should also set the previous rule to “no.” If not, the Financial Post Office Report will process as though you set it to “no” anyway, and produce an error message.

• 20. In the Piece sections of the report, should Copies refer to “Average” daily copies or “Total” copies? BCP (Client) The Financial Post Office report is printed in two sections: Piece Rate and Pound Rate. For the date range covered by the report, the number of copies shown in Pound Rate sections is a daily average, and the number of copies shown in Piece Rate sections is the actual count. Enter “Total” to continue displaying information in this way. Enter “Average” to display the number of copies in Piece Rate section as averages rather than as totals.

  Value
  Total	Continue to display the number of copies in Piece Rate section as totals.
  Average	Display the number of copies in Piece Rate section as averages rather than as totals.

• 21. Should page breaks occur between mail label groups? BCP (Client) Mail labels are printed by label group. When the labels are completed for one label group, should a new page be started before printing the next group of labels?

  Value
  Yes	A new page should be started at the beginning of each new label group.
  No	A page break should not occur when a new label group is started.

• 22. Which walk sequence indicator, if any, should appear on the first line of the mail label? BCP (Client) There are several types of walk sequence delivery available from the USPS: ERCLOT (Standard A basic walk or lot sequence), ECRWSH (high density), and ECRWSS (saturation). WS is a general walk sequence label. Selecting a walk sequence indicator here means only that it will appear on mail labels; it does not indicate that these subscribers qualify for the walk sequence rate.

  Value
  ECRLOT	“ECRLOT” should appear on the first line of the mail label.
  ECRWSH	“ECRWSH” should appear on the first line of the mail label.
  ECRWSS	“ECRWSS” should appear on the first line of the mail label.
  None	No walk sequence indicator should appear on the first line.
  WS	“WS” should appear on the first line of the mail label.

• 23. Should detail pages print along with the Financial Post Office report? BCP (Client) Circulation creates a number of “detail” pages showing how certain figures were calculated in the process of compiling the Financial Post Office report.

  Value
  Yes	Print the Financial Post Office report detail pages.
  No	Do not print the Financial Post Office report detail pages.

• 24. For which single copy type should mail labels print when using Postalsoft Presort and Label? BCP (Client) Note: This setting applies only to Postalsoft. Newspapers sometimes mail draw to single copy routes in remote areas. Circulation can be used (in concert with PostWare) to print “firm labels” for these routes, which can be useful to the distribution staff and the post office. A firm label is generated for each single copy route, so that all copies for the route can be mailed together as a single piece. The firm labels print the truck ID, route ID, and distribution information for the route. To produce firm labels, you need to set up a special single copy type for mailed single copy routes (see Single Copy Type) and enter the single copy type as the setting of this rule. You then set up your “mail trucks”, just like ordinary trucks: you create a special truck sequence for them, and place the routes on the trucks in the correct drop order. Firm labels will be created for all single copy routes that have the single copy type indicated here. The process for creating the labels is the same as for bundle wrappers for subscriber mail (see Specifics, Mail Truck): the single copy route information is exported to PostWare with other mail information when mail labels are produced. Note that you will need to work with Postalsoft to incorporate this information on the firm labels (which will be package or sack labels created in PostWare). Unless you will be creating firm labels, leave this setting blank.

• 25. If using Postware, do you mail with the category Automated Flat? BCD (Client)

  Value
  Yes	The Automated Flat category is used.
  No	The Automated Flat category is not used.

• 26. If using Postware and process mail for Automated Flat, what is the maximum weight in pounds for an Automated Flat paper? BCD (Client) This and the previous Business Rule work together. When the previous Business Rule is set to “yes” and the average copy weight entered in Press Room Entry is greater than the setting of this Business Rule (default is 1.25), the paper is considered “heavy,” and a warning will advise the user that it exceeds the maximum weight. When leaving the Run Date field of the Financial PO Report, if the previous Business Rule is set to “yes” and the paper is considered heavy, a warning message will advise users of that fact, and also that the Processing Category will be updated. When the Financial PO Report is processed, if the paper is considered heavy, the Processing Category will be set to “flat,” and Prepare Automation Rate Packages will be set to “n.” If the paper is not considered heavy, the Processing Category will be set to “automated flat,” and Prepare Automation Rate Packages will be set to “yes.”