Think Outside the Box to Reduce Your Postage Costs

January 2007 By Bob Makofsky

multipage

Businesses also can achieve savings by converting flats to letters. Folding letter-size documents in half and mailing them in 6˝ x 9˝ envelopes downsizes their postage classification, an effective solution for financial institutions and other firms that currently mail flat statements. Companies that ship CDs can realize the same postage reductions by using special mailers that qualify as letter pieces.

Passing the “Flex Test”

As mentioned above, the USPS will be implementing specific guidelines for flexibility and uniform thickness. Even if the dimensions of a mail piece qualify it as a flat, the piece also must comply with the following standards to ensure compatibility with automated processing machines.

To test flexibility for pieces longer than 10 inches:

• Place the mail piece on the edge of a table or other flat surface, extending its length five inches beyond the edge.

• Press down at a central point about an inch away from the extended short edge of the mail piece, using steady pressure. The piece meets flexibility requirements if it bends at least two inches without damage.

To test flexibility of pieces shorter than 10 inches:

• Repeat the process used to test mail pieces longer than 10 inches, but extend the piece one-half of its length beyond the surface edge before pressing down. The piece meets flexibility requirements if it bends at least one inch without damage.

In addition, the contents of the flat must remain uniformly thick. That’s easy enough when sending catalogs or books that fit snugly in the envelope. But smaller items or those of varying thickness require additional padding or some other method to secure them and ensure they don’t shift during processing.

Some companies are developing creative ways to bypass the flexibility requirements, including envelopes specifically designed to accommodate the new pricing structure. Other options use void-filling materials to meet the uniform thickness mandate.

Reconfiguring packages to meet these standards may take time, but the cost savings will more than make up for the extra effort.

Bob Makofsky is general manager for Conformer Expansion Products. He can be reached at (516) 504-6300, ext. 307. For more information about the company and its automation-friendly expanding envelopes, visit http://www.conformerinc.com

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