Effective July 5, 2011, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM\u201A) 133.1.5, 201.2.2, 233.2.8, 333.2.7, and 507 to provide new standards for round-trip mailings with one standard optical disc no larger than 12 centimeters in diameter enclosed per mailpiece.
For this purpose, a round-trip mailing is defined as a mailing of a disc to a subscriber with the intent that the subscriber will return the disc via Business Reply Mail® (BRM) or permit reply mail (PRM). Mailers wishing to prepare mailings and pay postage under the new standards will be required to pick up the return mailpieces at designated USPS® facilities.
Letter-size pieces weighing no more than 1 ounce mailed under the new standards will not be subject to a nonmachinable surcharge when prepared as presort or automation mailings at First-Class Mail® letter prices. Flat-size pieces mailed under the new standards will be subject to the applicable 1-ounce First-Class Mail flats prices for pieces weighing no more than 2 ounces and mailed at single-piece, presorted or automation prices. BRM and PRM letter-size pieces weighing no more than 1 ounce each and that were enclosed as part of a round-trip mailing also will not be subject to a nonmachinable surcharge. BRM and PRM flat-size pieces weighing no more than 2 ounces will be subject to postage for a 1-ounce flat. For both letters and flats, a disc itself is not considered to be rigid, but the pricing indicated applies only if a piece is not in rigid packaging.
Mailers may begin mailing optical discs under these provisions on June 19, 2011.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
100 Retail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
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130 First-Class Mail
133 Prices and Eligibility
1.0 First-Class Mail Prices and Fees
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1.5 Nonmachinable Surcharge
[Revise 1.5 by adding a new last sentence as follows:]
***An envelope weighing no more than one ounce with one enclosed standard optical disc no larger than 12 centimeters in diameter that is mailed as letter-size BRM (see 507.9.0) or PRM (see 507.10.0) and addressed to a company who sent the disc and BRM or PRM envelope to a subscriber as part of a round-trip mailing (under 233.2.8) is not subject to the nonmachinable surcharge.
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200 Commercial Letters and Cards
201 Physical Standards
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2.0 Physical Standards for Nonmachinable Letters
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2.2 Additional Criteria for First-Class Mail Nonmachinable Letters
[Revise 2.2 by adding a new last sentence as follows:]
***An envelope weighing no more than 1 ounce with one enclosed standard optical disc no larger than 12 centimeters in diameter that is mailed to or from a subscriber as part of a round-trip mailing under 233.2.8 and 507.9.0 (or 507.1.0) is not subject to the nonmachinable surcharge.
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230 First-Class Mail
233 Prices and Eligibility
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2.0 Content Standards for First-Class Mail Letters
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[Add new 2.8 as follows:]
2.8 Round-Trip Mailings with One Optical Disc
When a letter-size mailpiece weighing no more than 1 ounce in round-trip mailings includes one standard optical disc no larger than 12 centimeters in diameter per mailpiece, the disc will not be considered to be rigid, and a nonmachinable surcharge will not be charged on either the outgoing piece or the returned BRM or PRM piece as long as the disc is not put in a rigid container and the envelope itself is not rigid. For the purpose of this standard, round-trip mailings are mailings entered under these conditions:
a. The mailing is presented at a BMEU or other acceptance facility as a presort mailing at presort machinable or automation First-Class Mail letter prices.
b. The mailpieces are addressed to subscribers and include either a BRM (under 507.9.0) or PRM (under 507.10.0) envelope designed for return of the disc to the permit holder.
c. A sample of the return envelope is provided to the acceptance employee at the time of mailing for verification that the mailing is designed for round-trip purposes.
d. Returned BRM or PRM pieces must be picked up by the mailer at designated postal facilities upon payment of all applicable postage and fees.
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300 Commercial Flats
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330 First-Class Mail
333 Prices and Eligibility
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2.0 Content Standards for First-Class Mail Flats
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[Add new 2.7 as follows:]
2.7 Round-Trip Mailings with One Optical Disc
When a flat-size mailpiece weighing no more than 2 ounces in round-trip mailings includes one standard optical disc no larger than 12 centimeters in diameter per mailpiece, the mailpiece will be subject to the applicable price for a 1-ounce First-Class Mail flat as long as the disc is not put in a rigid container and the envelope itself is not rigid and all other standards in 2.7 are met. The disc itself is not considered to be rigid for purposes of the flexibility test in 301.1.3. BRM or PRM pieces that meet the standards will be charged the applicable 1-ounce First-Class Mail flats price for pieces that weigh no more than 2 ounces. For the purpose of this standard, round-trip mailings are mailings entered under these conditions:
a. The mailing is presented at a BMEU or other acceptance facility as a single-piece mailing using a permit imprint or as a presort mailing at presort or automation First-Class Mail flats prices.
b. The mailpieces are addressed to subscribers and include either a BRM (under 507.9.0) or PRM (under 507.10.0) envelope designed for return of the disc to the permit holder.
c. A sample of the return envelope is provided to the acceptance employee at the time of mailing for verification that the mailing is designed for round-trip purposes.
d. BRM or PRM pieces must be picked up by the mailer at designated postal facilities, upon payment of all applicable postage and fees.
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500 Additional Mailing Services
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507 Mailer Services
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9.0 Business Reply Mail (BRM)
9.1 Business Reply Mail (BRM) Prices and Fees
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[Add new 9.1.6 as follows:]
9.1.6 Special Standards for BRM Pieces with an Optical Disc
A letter-size BRM piece containing one standard optical disc will not be charged a nonmachinable surcharge if the piece meets the standards in 233.2.8. A flat-size BRM piece containing one standard optical disc and weighing no more than 2 ounces will be charged postage applicable for a 1-ounce First-Class Mail flat if the piece meets the standards in 333.2.7.
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10.0 Permit Reply Mail
10.1 General Information
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[Add new 10.1.5 as follows:]
10.1.5 Special Standards for PRM Pieces with an Optical Disc
A letter-size PRM piece containing one standard optical disc will not be charged a nonmachinable surcharge if the piece meets the standards in 233.2.8. A flat-size BRM piece containing one standard optical disc and weighing no more than 2 ounces will be charged postage applicable for a 1-ounce First-Class Mail flat if the piece meets the standards in 333.2.7.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next monthly update of the online DMM available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Pricing, 6-2-11
