Effective September 7, 2010, the Postal Service™ will revise the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 707.3, to incorporate “content” changes to the standards governing pages, supplements, products and product samples, and mailpiece design.
A final rule Federal Register (75 FR 47717-47720) was published August 9, 2010, permitting mailers to incorporate these revisions on that date.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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700 Special Standards
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707 Periodicals
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3.0 Physical Characteristics and Content Eligibility
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3.3 Permissible Mailpiece Components
3.3.1 Pages
***Pages are also subject to these standards:
[Revise 3.3.1a. to replace “fastening” with “non-paper” materials in the first sentence and to include new language to further describe a multilayer page as follows:]
a. Multilayer pages (including pages formed by sheets glued together and pages that have unusual shapes, such as cutouts, movable flaps, or “pop-ups”) may include small amounts of non-paper material such as grommets, string, or rubber bands as needed to assemble the page. Not all elements that make up a multilayer page must be printed. In addition, multilayer pages may contain novel characteristics such as an LED display, a sound device, or battery operated movable parts. Multilayer pages may also be formed as pouches or pockets, but may contain only permissible loose enclosures (see 3.3.4) or other securely affixed permissible components.
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3.3.5 Supplement
***Supplements are also subject to these conditions as applicable:
[Revise 3.3.5a. to make clear that the required supplement endorsement must be shown on the front/cover page. In addition, the requirement that a supplement to a bound Periodicals publication contain at least 25% nonadvertising is eliminated except for unwrapped loose supplements.]
a. A loose supplement to a bound Periodicals publication must bear on the front/cover page the endorsement “Supplement to” followed by one of the following: the title of the publication, the name of the publisher, or “Periodicals Publication.” A bound publication with one or more supplements must be enclosed in a wrapper. However, a wrapper is not required when a loose supplement is included within the same mailing as the host publication, bears a proper delivery address, contains at least 25% nonadvertising material, and includes on the front/cover page the endorsement “Periodicals Supplement to” followed by the exact title and issue date of the host publication. The external dimensions of such unwrapped supplements may exceed those of the host publication provided they are of the same processing category as the host publication. If a supplement to a bound publication is formed of more than one sheet, all sheets making up the supplement must be bound together.
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[Renumber current 3.3.9 and 3.3.10 as 3.3.10 and 3.3.11 accordingly, and add new 3.3.9 to provide for “product samples” in Periodicals publications as follows:]
3.3.9 Product Samples
Subject to the requirements in 3.3.1 and 3.4.5, product samples: related to print advertising in the issue and are not offered for sale within the meaning of 3.4.2a and 3.4.3 may be included in a Periodicals publication as a page, or part of a multilayer page. Examples include, but are not limited to, a swatch of cloth; a paper towel as part of a printed page, or printed paper towel; a bandage; and fragrance, cosmetics, lotions, or edibles in packet form. The combined weight of product samples in an issue is limited to 3.3 ounces. Any product sample in the form of a packet is limited in total weight to no more than one ounce, but does not include the page weight upon which the packet is affixed. Packet product samples also must have a minimum burst strength of 3,000 pounds per square inch (psi). Travel size and similar small products in commercially available form or packaging do not qualify as permissible product samples, even if less than 3.3 ounces. In addition, CDs, DVDs, and similar media do not qualify as permissible product samples. Permissible product samples:
a. Are not eligible with letter-size pieces;
b. Must comply with hazmat standards (601.10.5);
c. Must comply with machinability standards, e.g. uniform thickness (301.1.4);
d. Must not be attached to the front or back cover page of the host Periodicals publication, or any other permissible component;
e. Must be secured in place (spine or tip-on interior page) to prevent shifting (601.2.1); and,
f. Must be placed at least 3/4 inch from all non-bound edges of any interior page.
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3.4 Impermissible Mailpiece Components
3.4.3 Products
[Revise 3.4.3 to update examples of impermissible “products” in Periodicals publications as follows:]
Except as provided for in 3.3.9, products may not be mailed at Periodicals prices. Examples include stationery (such as pads of paper or blank printed forms); cassettes; floppy disks; CDs; DVDs; merchandise, including travel-size merchandise in commercially available form or packaging; and wall, desk, and blank calendars. Printed pages, including oversized pages and calendars, are not considered products if they are not offered for sale.
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3.5 Mailpiece Construction
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3.5.4 Without Mailing Wrapper
[Revise the last sentence of 3.5.4 to allow for 3/4 inch clearance of any open edge on attachments to a Periodicals publication as follows:]
***When the mailpiece does not have a mailing wrapper, all the components of an unbound publication must be combined with and inserted inside the publication. Only enclosures mailable at Periodicals prices under 3.3.4 may be included loose inside a bound unwrapped publication. An enclosure under 3.3.3c, Enclosures at First-Class Mail or Standard Mail Prices, or 3.3.4, Loose Enclosures at Periodicals Prices, or a single sheet prepared as an attachment under 3.3.8c, may be securely attached along the bound edge on the outside of an unwrapped publication if it does not exceed any dimension of the cover of the publication and comes within 3/4 inch of any open edge.
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3.5.6 Cover Page and Protective Cover
[Revise the first sentence of 3.5.6 to allow for 3/4 inch clearance of any open edge on a protective cover to a Periodicals publication as follows:]
If the piece is not completely enclosed in a mailing wrapper, then any protective cover or cover page must cover both the front and back of the host publication and extend to within at least 3/4 inch of any open edge. Exception: Flat-size pieces may have short covers as provided in 301.3.5.2. If the host publication is bound, the protective cover must be permanently attached to the publication.
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We will incorporate this revision into the next printed version of the DMM and into the monthly update of the online DMM available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards,
Pricing, 8-26-10
