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Effective October 27, 2005, the Postal
ServiceTM is adopting new mailing standards to enhance our ability to
process bundles of flat-size and irregular parcel mailpieces on our new
Automated Package Processing System (APPS) equipment. APPS has optical
character reader (OCR) technology that enables it to read delivery information
on bundles of mail and process that mail efficiently. We are adding the
new standards to Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service,
Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®).
Summary of the New Standards
Mailers preparing presorted bundles
must have the delivery address information and any presort label or optional
endorsement line on the top piece of each bundle visible and readable
by the naked eye. The new standards apply only to bundles of Periodicals,
Standard Mail®, and Package Services mailpieces intended for processing
on APPS equipment. The new standards do not apply to:
• Letter-size mailpieces.
• First-Class Mail® flat-size
pieces or parcels.
• Mail placed in or on 5-digit
or 5-digit scheme sacks or pallets.
• Mail placed in carrier route
or 5-digit carrier routes sacks.
• Carrier route mail entered
at a destination delivery unit (DDU).
• Standard Mail flat-size pieces
prepared in letter trays under DMM 345.3.4.
• Customized MarketMail®
(CMM).
Recommendations
To help mailers meet the new standards,
we recommend that strapping used for bundling be clear and smooth and
have less than 70 percent haze in accordance with the American Society
for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D1003. Clear, smooth strapping
that is tightly secured around the bundle does not obstruct visibility.
Strapping should not contain any seams or texture marks that obscure address
characters. We recommend that any shrinkwrap used to secure bundles show
less than 70 percent haze after shrinkage. Seams, blisters, wrinkles,
or other protrusions on shrinkwrap material should not obscure addresses
on the top pieces of bundles. We also recommend that any bundle with multiple
layers of bundling materials show less than 70 percent haze through all
combined layers.
Effective Date
We are implementing the new standards
on October 27, 2005. However, we realize that the mailing industry may
have to change some procedures to ensure address visibility, and we will
allow a 6-month grace period for compliance. We will not assess penalties
on bundles not meeting the standards until April 30, 2006.
During the grace period, acceptance
employees will randomly examine bundles for address visibility. We will
provide feedback to mailers at acceptance and via eMIR from destination
sites. We also will work closely with mailers to improve address readability
on their bundles.
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Mailing Standards of the United States Postal
Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
* * * * *
300 Discount Mail Flats
* * * * *
340 Standard Mail
* * * * *
345 Mail Preparation
* * * * *
2.0 Bundles
* * * * *
[Renumber current 2.2 through
2.13 as new 2.3 through 2.14. Add new 2.2, "Address Visibility,"
and revise new 2.11, as explained below. Make these same changes to 445.2.0
(for Standard Mail parcels), 365.2.0 and 465.2.0 (for Bound Printed Matter
flats and parcels), 375.2.0 and 475.2.0 (for Media Mail flats and parcels),
385.2.0 and 485.2.0 (for Library Mail flats and parcels), 705.8.5 (for
bundles on pallets), and 707.19 (for Periodicals). Exception:
Do not repeat items a through e for Media Mail or Library Mail;
do not repeat items a and e for Bound Printed Matter and Periodicals.]
2.2 Address Visibility
Mailers preparing presort bundles
must ensure that the delivery address information on the top mailpiece
in each bundle is visible and readable by the naked eye. Mailers using
strapping that might cover the address can avoid obstructing visibility
by using clear, smooth strapping tightly secured around the bundle. Mailers
using barcoded pressure-sensitive bundle labels, optional endorsement
lines, carrier route information lines, or carrier route facing slips
also must ensure that the information in these presort designations is
visible and readable by the naked eye. This standard does not apply to
the following:
a. Customized MarketMail.
b. Bundles placed in
or on 5-digit or 5-digit scheme (L001) sacks or pallets.
c. Bundles placed in
carrier route and 5-digit carrier routes sacks.
d. Bundles of mailpieces
at carrier route rates entered at a destination delivery unit (DDU).
e. Bundles of Standard
Mail flat-size pieces prepared in letter trays under 345.3.4.
* * * * *
2.11 Labeling Bundles
[Replace the third sentence
in 2.11 with the following two sentences to clarify that the bundle label
must not obscure the delivery address.]
***Barcoded pressure-sensitive bundle
labels must not obscure the delivery address block. Banding or shrinkwrap
must not obscure any bundle label.***
* * * * *
We will incorporate these revisions
into the next printed version of the DMM and into the monthly update of
the online DMM available on Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards,
Pricing and Classification, 10-27-05
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