Effective July 9, 2018, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), section 705.15.1, to provide clarification on available options when combining flat-sized pieces and ensure consistency within the standards.
The Postal Service published Customer Support Ruling (CSR) PS-325, Cobundling Several Periodicals Publications, to provide another option for Periodicals mailers when combining flat-sized pieces. This option allows mailers to exceed the maximum weight of 20 ounces (by raising the limit up to 24 ounces) under certain circumstances. The Postal Service will revise CSR PS-325 to clarify that the heavier weight option is for flat-sized pieces combined under section 207.27, Combining Multiple Editions or Publications. The Postal Service will also add another option to CSR PS-325 that allows mailers to exceed the maximum weight of 20 ounces (by raising the limit up to 24 ounces) in certain circumstances under DMM 705.15.
Additionally, the Postal Service will publish newly implemented standard, CSR PS-349, Combining Bound Printed Matter Flat-Sized Pieces, to provide mailers with the option to exceed the maximum weight of 20 ounces (by raising the limit up to 24 ounces) in certain circumstances under DMM 705.15 for Bound Printed Matter (BPM) flat-sized pieces. While the option to include heavier weighted pieces under DMM 705.15 applies to both Periodicals and BPM, a mailer is only allowed to include either heavier weighted Periodicals or BPM pieces in a mixed-class mailing.
The Postal Service will revise DMM 705.15.1 to ensure consistent standards as a result of the changes to CSR PS–325 and the planned publication of CSR PS-349. Although the Postal Service will not publish this revision in the DMM until July 9, 2018, the standards are effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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700 Special Standards
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705 Advanced Preparation and Special Postage Payment Systems
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15.0 Combining USPS Marketing Mail Flats, Bound Printed Matter Flats, and Periodicals Flats
15.1 Basic Standards
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[Delete item h. in its entirety.]
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The Postal Service will incorporate this revision into the next online update of the DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification, Marketing, 5-10-18
