This course deals exclusively with the
requirements for DOMESTIC mail. For specifications regarding International
mailings, refer to the International Mail Manual (IMM).
Welcome to the Mailpiece Quality Control program. This course is designed to assist the individual (or group of individuals) responsible for creating mailpieces for entry into the U.S. Postal Service's mailstream. This program will help graphic artists, administrators, sales representatives, or anyone else involved in the preparation of large mailings, accomplish their job with proficiency and confidence.
After completing this course, you will better understand the acceptance requirements of the U.S. Postal Service as they relate to mailpiece design. In addition, you will have enough understanding of the requirements of the presorted mailing process to analyze discount and payment options for your clients. You will also have sufficient understanding to consult reference materials to help make your job easier.
Poor mailpiece design can cause delays in the processing and delivery of your mail. Mailpiece quality control is a systematic method of ensuring that designs coming from individuals in your company are acceptable for mailing and are eligible for worksharing discounts from the Postal Service. Good designs give you the confidence that your time and effort will pay off in postal "worksharing" discounts and successful postal processing of your mail.
MAILPIECE QUALITY CONTROL (MQC) PROGRAM
SELF-STUDY GUIDE MODULES1. CLASSES OF MAIL: Mailability, Expedited Services, First-Class Mail™, Standard Mail, and Package Services.
2. PERIODICALS
4. ADDRESSING
6. AUTOMATION REQUIREMENTS: Letters, Flats, and Parcels
10. EXTRA SERVICES
11. Appendix
As the mailpiece quality control (MQC) specialist within your organization, you will either perform an actual mailpiece design function or administer your facility's ongoing quality control procedures concerning physical mailpiece design. From time to time, as an MQC specialist, you may be called upon to perform either function.
You are responsible for the evaluation and approval of the physical mailpiece design as it relates to the processing category, the class of mail, and, in some instances, the postage rate claimed. Completion of this course gives you the background necessary to identify design limitations and suggest positive changes. You will also be familiar with the reference material that contains the answers you are looking for now or in the future.
As the MQC specialist, you can correct problems before the mail is taken to the Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) and inconsistencies are discovered. You can become the key quality technician within your facility for planned mailings. Your responsibility will end when the Postal Service accepts your mailpiece, and mailing, into the mailstream.
As the MQC specialist, you must ensure that the physical design of the mailpiece meets postal requirements. You will become the liaison with Postal Service personnel on mailpiece design issues. Your expertise can save your company and/or your client's real time and money in all phases of mail production. If you feel you currently don't know enough about postal standards and regulations, this course will introduce you to nearly all of the basic postal concepts and requirements you'll need in your job.
If your company processes its own mail exclusively, you will no doubt assist in the physical layout and design of its mailpieces. Assisting your company's clients with their mailpiece design allows you the opportunity to recommend a mailpiece design that:
In all cases, you will function as a mailpiece design consultant. You will provide information concerning critical physical design elements. The design must satisfy the needs of your client and simultaneously meet Postal Service guidelines for rate qualification and processing.
The desires of your firm, your client's needs and postal requirements are not always in perfect harmony. Your client may wish to distribute a marketing or advertising mailpiece of a distinctive color and design so that the article stands out in the mailbox, for example. However, the client's color selection may not provide enough contrast between the print and the paper to qualify for the prebarcoding discounts you've quoted and they expect.
The Barcode Sorter (BCS), for example, must be able to see barcodes applied by the customer or by the USPS Optical Character Reader (OCR). The OCR, similarly, must see addresses with an electronic scanning eye and make matches with the address elements in computer memory. The OCR then sprays a barcode containing the necessary sorting information onto the mailpiece.
Developing the ability to design a mailpiece qualifying for USPS postage discount programs and yet still meeting individual client needs will require hard work and practice. You can count on continued guidance from your local postal business mail entry (BME) professionals.
The mailpiece design analyst (MDA) is your best ally in judging whether your designs meet technical specifications of the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM). In addition, there are other members of the postal business mail entry staff who can assist you in putting together the best mailpiece design possible. This program will introduce you to all of them.
After completing the training, you'll have acquired the basic information necessary to serve as a valuable postal resource and consultant for your company and its customers.
It is important that you have your mailpiece designs evaluated before they are printed. This will smooth their way through the business mail acceptance system. Consult with your local postal professionals to confirm compliance with existing guidelines. Contact them whenever you have a question on certain mailpiece designs. This is especially important when those articles are intended for automation discount postage rates.
To ensure that a mailpiece is automation compatible, contact the local MDA; an account representative (AR), if one has been assigned to your company; or your local postmaster or Business Mail Entry (BME) office.
The MDA is specially trained on the technical characteristics of automated processing equipment and the assessment of related mailpiece designs. If you need assistance and don't know the MDA, AR, or BME in your area, contact your local postmaster or use the MDA locator on the USPS's web site at http://www.usps.com..
If, after examining a mailpiece design, you determine that alterations are needed to meet Postal Service mailability, automation compatibility, or barcode readability requirements, you should recommend appropriate changes.
When this mailpiece undergoes a second review, if additional changes are necessary, you should contact the client again. The key is to ensure that your company's and client's mailpieces are acceptable for mailing and qualify for the best possible postage rate.
Mailpiece quality control at each stage of mailpiece design is essential to the smooth entry of business mailings at your local BMEU. As the MQC specialist functioning in a continuous quality control capacity, you should make an initial evaluation of the mailpiece before forwarding it on to the next design stage. At each milestone, or decision point in the process, you need to determine if:
A more detailed explanation of the duties, responsibilities and hierarchy of postal personnel can be found in the Appendix titled "Postal Contacts" at the end of this workbook.
The mailpiece design and planning process is a series of decisions that represent a balance between the purpose of the mailing and the potential postage costs. A client may need a letter-sized mailpiece to successfully convey their message, but would prefer to pay the lower postcard rates. However, you may delight the very same client by pointing out that properly designed letter-size mailpieces can qualify for additional automation discounts!
Helping your company's artists or your company's clients modify their mailpieces to meet Postal Service standards and guidelines helps ensure a smooth acceptance process. This places you in an important position to determine whether the planned savings from postage discounts will be realized at the Business Mail Entry Unit.
This program will introduce you to the concepts you need to know now, and in the future. The MDA and the rest of the BME staff are available to help you in every step of the process. We have provided margin notations throughout this self-study guide for:
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Critical decision points and cautions and important notations. |
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Specific design tips. |
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Clarifications and cautions regarding postal acceptance procedures. |
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Valuable ideas and suggestions about postal products and services. |
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Materials for further reference not included in this course (often available upon request at your local mailing requirements office or Post Office). |
Feel free to use the ample margins to add your own notations. Adding personal reminders will help ensure that you are engaged in your training and are getting the most out of the material.
The format of the modules in this course represents a logical progression of the mailpiece design and planning process from concept to finish. The matrix on the following page shows the basic information, from top to bottom, that you need to know to determine the mail classification and discount category most appropriate for any particular mailing/mailpiece.
Each module of the MQC self-study course is represented in the decision matrix. The intention is to provide you with a logical approach to these concepts, and to provide a guideline to follow when dealing with clients on design issues. The matrix is designed as a decision tree that flows from start to finish (top to bottom). In your day-to-day dealings with customers, however, you may encounter these issues in any order.
The MQC DECISION MATRIX can be used as a "macro" checklist for design issues during the planning process. It can also be used as a quick reference index for the subject matter contained in this course. Each module of the course, along with a brief description of the subject matter covered in that module, is included in the matrix.
What is the content? Is the piece mailable? (Most mailable items may be sent either by Express Mail, Priority Mail, or First-Class Mail.)
Periodicals Requirements
What is the size?
Is Address Update Required or Desired?
Are automation discounts desired or feasible?
Basic Presort, Machinable, Carrier Route Requirements
Is Reply or Return Mailpiece Desired?
Are Additional Services Desired?
The following additional training materials are provided to you as part of the optional resource kit. While not necessarily required to complete this course, you are encouraged to refer to them during this program when referenced.
This will improve not only your comprehension of the course material, it will also build familiarity with important reference and source material for future use. The materials include:
All training materials normally included in this course with the resource kit are noted in the text with the following gray box and icon:
References to electronic versions of postal publications included on the Postal Explorer CD are indicated by a gray box and computer icon.
The publications on the Postal Explorer CD are also available in hardcopy from your local Post Office.
All the course material, including the Domestic Mail Manual and this self-study guide, plus much more, is available online through Postal Explorer.
Postal Explorer is available on the World Wide Web at: pe.usps.gov.
The discounts the USPS offers mailers for presorted mailings are based on a concept called worksharing. The more of the Postal Service's work you do prior to submitting your mailing, the greater the discount the USPS can offer. The USPS recoups your discount in workhour savings from your presorting, hence the term workshare.
When you submit a discounted mailing, you are actually functioning as a commercial partner with the USPS. Mailpieces meeting automation and barcoded discount requirements bypass one or more of the Postal Service's sorting operations. This represents savings for the USPS in processing costs, and forms the basis of your discount from full rate postage.
Helping your company's artists or clients modify their mailpieces to meet Postal Service regulations and guidelines helps us process and accept your mail more efficiently. The concept of worksharing for postage discounts places you in an important position to ensure that planned savings from postage discounts are realized at the time of mailing.