UCSC Mail Services - Preparing a Bulk Mailing

A bulk mailing must have a minimum of200 pieces and be sorted by zip code before it is delivered to the Postal Service. For UCSC, the most commonly used bulk mail class:

Non-Profit Standard Mail (formerly Third-Class Bulk Rate): Minimum of 200 pieces, all the same weight and size. Available for letters up to 3.4 ounces, and flats up to 16 ounces. Content restrictions: Advertising for credit cards, insurance and travel are prohibited. Other advertising must be "substantially related" to the mission of the University. This requirement can be difficult to interpret; please contact Mail Services for assistance if you have any questions.

BMC Capabilities

Labeler Machine Insertion Machine List Maintenance

one-up pressure sensitive up to four insert Mac or PC

four across cheshire letter size only
ASCII comma or tab delimited

Presort Rate and Automation Rate

Both presort and automation rates are sorted by Zip Code. The automation rate provides better service and has lower postage costs. If you cannot qualify for the automation rate, then you must use the Presort rate, increasing your postage and production costs. This guide is designed to help you qualify for the automation rate.

Tips for Designing Your Mailing

Design your mailing to be less than 6.125 " H x 11.5" W (oriented to the address) to qualify for the letter rate. Larger pieces are considered flats and are charged a higher postage rate, even if they weigh the same as a letter.
Design your mailing to the specifications in USPS Pub. 25 (letters) and Pub. 63 (flats), which are available through Mail Services at no charge.
If your mailing includes a Business Reply Mail (BRM) envelope or card, it must be automatable if you plan to send your mailing at the automation rate. The campus' BRM templates are automatable and available through UCSC Printing Services.
Mail Services provides free design consulting service to help ensure that your mailing will get the best delivery at the lowest postage and production cost. We strongly recommend that you have us look at your design before you print.

Preparing Your Address Data

To get the lowest postage and production costs, you must provide your address data to Mail Services. Please do not print your own labels or label your own mailing. You will incur extra charges or your mailing may not qualify for Non-Profit Standard Mail Rates. Ensure that you can send us your address date in comma or tab delimited ASCII (plain text) format. There may be additional charges if you use another format.
Structure your address data so that each address element is in a separate field: addressee, firm name, delivery address, city, state, zip code (5 or 9 digits).
In the address data you send us, each address record must have exactly the same number of address elements. If you provide more than one address line for each name, identify which is the delivery address.
Exclude address records for those to whom you do not plan to send the mail. If you cannot do this, please provide a way to identify these addresses, so we can exclude them.
Address data can be sent to Mail Services on 3.5" diskette (Mac or PC) or attached to email: Mail Services.
Unless you have mailed to your addresses very recently, we strongly recommend that you provide your address data a least one week in advance of your mailing. This gives us, and you, time to process your data and correct any problem addresses. We must have the final version of your data three days before your planned mailing date.

Processing and Follow-up

Address data will be checked and standardized with the Postal Service's national address database.

Addresses that do not match will be returned to you. Mail Services will attempt to determine why addresses do not match.
Addresses that do not match cannot be mailed at discount rates, and must be mailed at full First Class rates. You must let us know whether to include them in your mailing or not.
At your request, we will send back to you all addresses that matched and were standardized. Since the standardization process sometimes makes minor changes and corrections to addresses, it may be beneficial for you to make these changes in your original data.

Helpful Hints

Do not preassemble any part of your mailing without first consulting the Bulk Mail Center. (For example, our equipment cannot label three or four across pressure sensitive labels.)
If you purchase a mailing list, be sure to request that the list be provided with barcodes already printed on the labels. Also request USPS Form 3553, "standard documentation", and barcoded tray or bag tags, for the class of mail and rate you will be using.

How to Contact Mail Services or BMC for More Information or Assistance

For assistance with list maintenance (including CASS certification) or mail labels, contact Evan at extension 3169.
To schedule a bulk mail job, coordinate pick-up of mail pieces, or for information on bulk mail services and prices, contact Manny at extension 3339.
Our web site contains a variety of information on services and can be accessed from your desktop computer. The URL is: http://cmsmailserv.ucsc.edu/

Postal Service Requirements for Non-Profit Standard Mail

Two hundred (200) piece minimum, same size & weight
Zip Code verification – every 12 months, before using mail list
Zip Code order – presort by destination
Standard documentation: sortation & preparation, and PS 3602
Address standardization & quality (optional for "automation rates")