August 15, 2005

Periodicals Preparation - Federal Register Notice Proposed Rule

The Postal Service has published a Federal Register Notice today that will change the standards for Periodicals preparation.  We are proposing new standards to reduce handling costs for Periodicals mail prepared in sacks. The proposal includes the following changes:

1.   Most sacks must contain a minimum of 24 pieces.

2.   Generally, mailers may prepare a bundle with fewer than six pieces if they place that bundle in a sack that  meets the new 24-piece minimum.

3.   We added two new types of sacks:  a 3-digit carrier routes sack and a merged 3-digit sack.

You can access this notice on the the Federal Register website located at the following link:  http://ribbs.usps.gov/files/fedreg/usps2005/05-16200.TXT.