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MAIL CLASSIFICATION REFORM In order to take advantage of postage discounts under the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Mail Classification Reform, certain requirements regarding address quality are in place for business mail entered at bar-coded presort rates. Address quality refers to the correct address for the specific person or firm to whom the mail is addressed. The USPS requirement states, "...addresses appearing on all pieces claimed at the automation (bar-coded) and presort rates must be updated within six (6) months before the mailing date by a USPS approved tool." There is a simple method for meeting this requirement. It is the use of the ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED endorsement. Mailing Services meter equipment prints this endorsement on letter mail at the same time postage is placed on your department's outgoing U.S. mail. When this endorsement is used on your first-class letter mail and the addressee no longer receives mail at that address, the person's new address or reason for non-delivery is placed on the mail and it is returned to you at no charge. When the mail is returned, you must then correct your address records. This not only meets the new requirement, but it also enables you to keep your addresses current. For a complete selection of endorsements and USPS actions, contact Mailing Services at 575-5649. Other than the endorsement requirement, there are other guidelines of which you should be aware when preparing first-class letter mail.
Mail Classification Reform not only changed mail regulations regarding automated (bar-coded) mail, but most terminology relating to classes of mail changed with only one exception: First-Class mail category remains as First-Class Mail. The following categories have changed: Express Mail changed to Expedited Mail; second-class mail is now Periodicals Mail;Third-Class and Fourth-Class mail changed to Standard-A Mail and Standard-B Mail, respectively. The Postal Service requests that mailers follow certain addressing guidelines that permit the efficient processing of letter-size mail on automated OCR's and bar code sorters (BCS's). The address, or at a minimum, the city, state, and ZIP Code line of the address on a letter-size mail piece should be located within an imaginary rectangle (the OCR read area) on the front of the mail piece formed by the following boundaries: a) at least 1/2 inch from the left edge; b) at least 1/2 inch from the right edge; c) at least 5/8 of an inch from the bottom edge (bottom line of rectangle); d) no more than 2 3/4 inches from the bottom edge (top line of the rectangle). Nonaddress printing, computer-punched holes, underlines, boxes or other unnecessary information should not be placed within the OCR read area, alongside or below the city, state and ZIP code line of the address. The address elements (street and number and apartment number, p.o. box number, or general delivery address) should be included in the address on all mail to ensure delivery and to prevent nondelivery or return due to insufficient addressing. A University departmental return address must be included on all outgoing mail. The return address on letter-size mail should be located in the upper left corner of the address side. The return address should not be positioned below the delivery address, and it should not appear on the reverse side of a mail piece. In addition to the above information for address placement, the Postal Service has implemented guidelines to assist mailers in addressing for automation readability and faster delivery. When typing addresses or generating address labels, you should use capital letters only; do not use lower case letters. Do not use punctuation: delete the use of a colon in the attention line; do not use a comma to separate the city and state abbreviation; delete the use of a period such as is normally used after words like "MR, PO BOX AND MAIN ST". The only punctuation permitted is the hyphen, used as part of a ZIP + 4 code. When addressing for automation readability, the attention line should be the first line of an address. The name of a company, if applicable, is the second line of an address. The next line is the delivery information such as street address or post office box address. If applicable, remember to include an apartment number. The last line of an address must be the city, state abbreviation, and ZIP code. Please remember to use the two-letter alpha abbreviation for the state, such as AR for Arkansas. If you know the ZIP + 4 code, the Postal Service prefers that it be used. Adherence to these guidelines will help hold down future postage cost increases and promote the speediest movement of your mail to its destination. Mailing Services has established a centralized nonprofit, Standard-A (formerly Third-Class mail) bulk service under University Permit #278 with the Postal Service. The Campus Post Office is the clearinghouse for all departmental bulk mailings. Bulk mailing supplies and instructions are available at no charge to departments at the Campus Post Office. Bulk mail is a much less expensive, yet efficient method of mailing printed pieces of identical size and weight, addressed in quantities of not less than 200 pieces or not less than 50 pounds. Postal regulations and University policy require that a University (department) return address be displayed on all bulk mail pieces. Departments should be aware that delivery of bulk mail is a non-priority item and is significantly slower than first class mail delivery. The Campus Post Office and the U. S. Postal Service do not guarantee the processing of a bulk mailing on the same day it is received. Therefore, departments should prepare bulk mailings well in advance of the anticipated delivery date. Contact the Campus Post Office at extension 575-2650 or e-mail at mailsrvs@comp.uark.edu for more information. BUSINESS REPLY MAIL Business Reply Mail (BRM) enables departments to receive reply mail back from addressees by paying the postage and fees on only the mail that is returned from their original mailings. This is an important feature for those sending information that requests a reply from the addressee. A specific format, including the use of Permit #294, must be followed in preparation of BRM envelopes and post cards. Printing Services implements the basic format whenever a request for Business Reply cards or envelopes is made through that department. If your department is interested in reducing the BRM fee, contact Mailing Services for information prior to printing. This
service is provided for written communications of reasonable size,
shape, and weight. The Campus Mail System is limited to official
University business. To address mail properly use the format
below:
You may refer to the convenient telephone station number cards to obtain departmental addresses. Please cross out all old addresses on campus mail envelopes. Remember that mail is delivered to DEPARTMENTS ONLY, so be sure to include the department on each mailing piece. Do not use staples to seal campus mail. Transparent tape is recommended for this purpose. Limitations on campus mail:
This method of distribution can save your department valuable time and expense when sending campus mail requiring campus-wide distribution. A department may send campus mail to the following general distribution lists:
MAIL ARRIVAL, DELIVERY, AND DEPARTURE SCHEDULE Incoming U.S. Mail is sorted, bundled and delivered by University mail officers twice daily Tuesday through Friday to most departments, once daily on Monday and once daily to outlying areas of campus. U.S. Mail addressed to students living in residence halls is delivered directly to each hall by the Postal Service. Standard Mail (Parcel Post) is delivered separately by a mail officer to departmental offices. A University address should not be used for delivery of personal mail. Post office boxes are available at the Campus Post Office Postal Plus for this purpose. All outgoing U.S. Mail, whether metered at Mailing Services or affixed with departmental postage stamps, is collected from the Mail Center at various intervals each afternoon before 5:00 pm. Note: With few exceptions, all incoming U.S. Mail is delivered the same day it is received from the Postal Service. With few exceptions, Campus Mail is delivered during the next scheduled delivery after pickup. METERING SERVICE This service is provided as a convenience to University departments. Out-going U.S. Mail requiring postage is collected by mail officers at the same time deliveries of incoming mail are made. Metered mail bypasses several processing steps at the U.S. Post Office, thus ensuring speedier delivery over stamped mail. After meter postage is applied, letter mail is bar-coded and presorted by a local presort company. All presort savings are passed on to departmental accounts. Code numbers are issued to departments for identification/charge-back purposes when metered postage is to be applied to mailing pieces. The code number must appear in the upper, right corner of envelopes or parcels before postage will be applied. Departments which have not previously utilized meter services may obtain information by contacting Mailing Services at extension 575-5649. University policy requires that all meter mail display a University (Department) return address. Policy also prohibits the use of meter mail service for personal mail. POSTAGE
STAMPS University departments may procure postage stamps from Mailing Services, provided the stamps are used exclusively for University related purposes. All departments may obtain up to $250 in postage stamps each fiscal year. Due to a limited number of available meter code numbers, departments with annual postage costs of less than $250 per cost center number are advised to use postage stamps. The procedure for obtaining postage stamps for departmental use has not changed. A completed Stamp Request form itemizing the quantity and denomination of stamps must be submitted in person at Mailing Services office. (Do not use the BASIS University Procurement System/UPS to generate a requisition for postage stamps.) The Stamp Request form must be signed by the properly authorized person, usually the department head, and the cost center number must be cited on the form. Postage stamps will be issued at the time the Stamp Request from is presented at the Mailing Services office. Departments with small outgoing mail volume which normally requisition postage stamps instead of using meter service may occasionally have a large mailing to be metered. By contacting Mailing Services arrangements can be made to receive a code number to be used one time only. Mailing services requests prior notice of at least 2 days before a large mailing is to be metered. This service is available through Mailing Services to University departments only. Personal items may be shipped via UPS at the Campus Post Office-Postal Plus. Mailing Services offers four shipment options via UPS.
MAILING SERVICES Department_____________________________________ Address________________________________________ Purchase Order #____________________________________ Mail Code #______________________________________ Type of Address (check one):
3-Day Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ______ 2nd Day Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ______ Next Day Air Letter . . . . . . . ______ Next Day Pak/Parcel . . . . . . ______ If insured for over $1,000, what are the contents? ______________________________________________ Are the contents securely packaged?_________________ Signature______________________________________ Date________________ Telephone #________________ EXPEDITED SERVICES A University department may periodically have a mail item which must reach its destination as quickly as possible. To provide departments with next-day delivery options, Mailing Services offers expedited service through the following companies:
For information concerning available delivery locations, daily service deadlines, and shipment costs for individual expedited services, please contact Mailing Services. STATION 1 POST OFFICE and POSTAL PLUS Policies, Procedures, and General Information Campus Post Office and Postal Plus are located in 105 Arkansas Union. Services are available to all University employees and students in order to meet the personal mailing needs of the campus community. Hours of operation are from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Both operations are closed during all official holidays, including the Christmas season. Station I Post Office is a full-service U.S. Post Office. Services include the following:
POSTAL PLUS Services provided by Postal Plus include:
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