As announced in “DMM Revision: Change in Dimensions for Standard Mail Saturation Flats With Simplified Addresses” in Postal Bulletin 22335 (4-19-12, pages 4–6) several changes are being made to enhance the Every Door Direct Mail product and create more options for mailers. These changes, effective May 7, 2012, will appear in the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) as noted below.
With this revision, the Postal Service™ is providing more options for customers sending Standard Mail® simplified addressed mailpieces. The expanded dimensional eligibility enables more types of mailpieces to qualify for Every Door Direct Mail. For example, flat-sized mailpieces, like menus and door-hangers, which are typically distributed to neighborhoods by means other than mail delivery, are now eligible to be mailed by Every Door Direct Mail. Similarly, the addressing changes will simplify mail preparation for Every Door Direct Mail entered at a Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU).
Dimensional Changes and Markings for Flats (Standard Mail Simplified Address Only — Optional for Rural Route Mail Entered at BMEU) — DMM 301
The defining characteristics for flats prepared as Standard Mail Simplified Address mail are being revised with the change affecting one dimension only. The minimum length for flats is being lowered from exceeding 11½ inches to exceeding 10½ inches. This new flats definition applies to Standard Mail Simplified Address mailpieces only. The main impact of this change will be to expand Every Door Direct Mail opportunities for mailers entering pieces at retail as well as mailers of pieces addressed to city routes that are entered through a BMEU. Note: Neither of these changes applies to letters.
For Every Door Direct Mail intended for distribution to rural routes and entered at a BMEU, mailers have the option of preparing their mailing as flats or letters when the mailpiece falls within new or old dimensions; i.e., they may adhere to the old or new flats dimensional criteria.
Under the new criteria, mailpieces entered as Standard Mail Simplified Address flats must be one of the following (bold emphasis added):
As a reminder, to be defined as a flat (except under the new definition described above), at least one dimension of the mailpiece must exceed the maximum letter dimensions, e.g., the mailpiece’s length, height, or width. Also, all Standard Mail flats continue to have maximum dimensions of 15 inches in length, 12 inches in height, and ¾ inch in thickness.
Standard Mail Simplified Address mailpieces being entered as flats and that are greater than 10½ inches and up to and including 11½ inches in length (minimum height of 3½ inches) submitted at a BMEU must also include an “EDDM” marking directly after the ECRWSS marking on the label.
Customers now will be able to target Standard Mail mailings to all-business routes using a “Postal Customer” simplified address. This change pertains to Standard Mail Simplified Address mailpieces entered both at BMEUs and retail.
Use of the city/state/ZIP Code™ is being removed as a requirement for Standard Mail Simplified Address flats. It is nonetheless recommended (when mail is not entered directly at a destination delivery unit) that the city/state/ZIP Code be included to ensure accurate delivery.
— Catalogs and Saturation Mail,
Domestic Products, 5-3-12
