Introduction

With this chapter, the focus of setup activities shifts to distribution. Routes and routers are discussed, along with the trucks that service them and the accounts that deliver on them. Mail distribution is also addressed.

Route Distribution

At the center of route distribution is the distribution point or route, a collection of one or more addresses which receive one or more copies of a publication. In Circulation, distribution points are broken down into two types: single copy outlets (convenience stores, racks), which contain one address with many copies, and home delivery routes, which contain many addresses that receive (usually) one copy apiece.

A distribution point is linked to the one or more publications it distributes. A distribution point is also linked to the account (home delivery carrier or dealer) that delivers the route, the router (which determines what route an address belongs to), and the truck that drops off the copies. In addition, home delivery routes are assigned to delivery maps (used with home delivery routes). Distribution points are organized into districts, which in turn are organized into distribution zones. One or more distribution zone belongs to a region, and one or more regions make up an area. Districts, distribution zones, regions, and areas may all have managers assigned to them.

Typically, one truck distributes papers to many distribution points. The truck sequence determines which trucks drop which distribution points, and in what order; only one truck sequence will be used on a given day for a given publication. So, for example, you might have a “Daily” truck sequence that is used Mon-Fri, and a “Weekend” truck sequence used Sat-Sun. A truck sequence is tied to a publication through its deliverable (see Introduction). The truck is also linked to the truck departure order, which determines what order the trucks leave the building. This is important to the people who load the trucks.

This distribution structure is illustrated in the diagram below. For a discussion of how Circulation helps to manage distribution, see the User Manual.

Mail Distribution

Mail distribution does not involve routes or trucks. Rather, mail subscribers are organized (usually by Zip code) into mail label groups. For example, if delivery is made to two post offices you might have two label groups. Mail labels can print in label group order and within label groups in:

• Periodical class order (sorted using either Postalsoft’s PostWare product or Circulation sorting),

• Zip code order, or

• A user-defined order

The following table lists the mail options that may be selected for the various mail distribution methods.

We recommend that you use PostWare for periodical class mail sorting, so that you can achieve the best possible mailing rates. See the Postware and Label Studio documentation for more information about PostWare.