Mail Services Information

USPS Marketing Mail - formerly known as BULK Mail or Standard Mail is non-profit mail

For help and inquiries please email Colin Pilkington at colin.pilkington@stonybrook.edu

Mail Service Nonprofit Presentation

What is Nonprofit Mail? 

Nonprofit Mail is printed material eligible to be mailed as USPS Marketing Mail at significantly reduced nonprofit postage rates.

What are qualifying items that can be mailed using Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail from our nonprofit permits?

• Letters
• Flats
• Self-mailers
• Newsletters
• Booklets (weighing less than 16 ounces)

Minimum Quantity

USPS Marketing Mail provides economical prices for mailings of 200 or more pieces or 50 or more pounds of mail.

Mail-piece Weight

All USPS Marketing Mail pieces must weigh less than 16 ounces. Flat-size pieces that do not meet the standards must be prepared as parcels and pay parcel prices. The following weight limits also apply to pieces mailed at USPS Marketing Mail letter prices:

1. Pieces mailed at automation or machinable letter prices may weigh up to 3.5 ounces. Automation or machinable letter-size pieces weighing more than 3.5 ounces are mailable at the nonautomation, nonmachinable letter prices.
2. Pieces mailed at automation carrier route (saturation, high density, high density plus, and basic) letter prices may weigh up to 3.5 ounces. Automation carrier route letters weighing more than 3.5 ounces are mailable at the applicable nonautomation carrier route letter prices.

A properly designed mail-piece qualifies for the best postage rates possible and will help you avoid unanticipated costs and ensure accurate delivery.

Mail-piece Design Analyst

Central Services has Mailpiece Design Analysts (MDAs) on staff who can answer your questions about mail-piece design, including reply mail design. These employees provide advice and evaluate mail-pieces for machinability and automation-based prices.  Contact us at 2-6348 for additional information.

Commercial - Designing Letters and Postcards for Automated Processing

Letter-size mail and card-size pieces meeting the applicable automation standards are entitled to automation prices. This Quick Service Guide summarizes the standards for mail with 100% delivery point barcodes and mail without barcodes processed on USPS optical character readers (OCRs).

Dimensions:

• Minimum: 3-1/2 inches high, 5 inches long, and either 0.007 inch thick if not more than 6 inches high and 9 inches long; or 0.009 inch thick if more than 4-1/4 inches high or 6 inches long, or both.
• Maximum for cards at card rates: 4-1/4 inches high, 6 inches long, and 0.016 inch thick.
• Maximum for letters and other cards: 6-1/8 inches high, 11-1/2 inches long, 1/4 inch thick.
• Rectangular, with four square corners and parallel opposite sides. Letter-size, card-type mailpieces made of cardstock may have finished corners that do not exceed a radius of 0.125 inch (1/8 inch). Automation priced letter-sized pieces are not subject to 201.1.1.1c (rectangular) when they are prepared as a trailing edge die-cut (TED-C) automation piece under the “Trail Edge Die-Cut (TED-C) Process for Eligibility at Automation Letter Prices” advisory available on PostalPro at https://postalpro.usps.com.

Maximum Weight:

• First-Class Mail Presorted Machinable—3.5 ounces (0.2188 pound).
• First-Class Mail Automation—3.5 ounces (0.2188 pound).¹
• Periodicals Barcoded (Automation)—3.5 ounces (0.2188 pound).¹
• USPS Marketing Mail Automation—3.5 ounces (0.2188 pound).¹
• Enhanced Carrier Route—3.5 ounces (0.2188 pound).¹

Heavy letters over 3 ounces, if barcoded, must bear an address block delivery point barcode unde and be part of a 100% delivery point or Intelligent Mail barcoded mailing. Heavy letters must be prepared in a sealed envelope, and may not contain stiff enclosures or be prepared as a self-mailer or booklet-type mail-piece.

Prohibitions:

• Polywrap, polybag, and shrinkwrap.
• Clasps, strings, staples, buttons, or protrusions that might impede or damage the mail or mail processing equipment.

Other machinability standards:

• Rigid and odd-shaped items prohibited or restricted.
• Tabbing for self-mailers or booklets. 

Pieces with delivery point barcodes or Intelligent Mail barcodes must meet all standards.

• Format of barcode bars  
• Minimum clearance around barcode for barcodes printed on a mail-piece or label: 1/8 inch on left and right sides; 1/25 inch above and below barcode.
• Placement of address block barcode, lower right barcode, or barcode within a window: see page two.
• Reflectance standards for barcode and portion of mail-piece on which barcode is printed.

Barcode in Address Block

When the barcode is included as part of the address block the barcode must be placed in one of these positions:

• Above the address line containing the recipient’s name.
• Below the city, state, and ZIP Code line.
• Above or below the keyline information.
• Above or below the optional endorsement line.

Additional Basic Standards for USPS Marketing Mail

Each USPS Marketing Mail mailing is subject to these general standards:

• All pieces in a mailing must be of the same processing category, except that irregular and machinable parcels may be combined in 5-digit scheme and 5-digit sacks or on 5-digit scheme and 5-digit pallets.
• Each mailing must contain at least 200 pieces or 50 pounds of pieces. For volume requirement eligibility unique to Presorted USPS Marketing price mailings contact the department of Mail Services. 
• All pieces in a mailing must be sorted together and marked under the standards for the price claimed.
• Each letter and flat piece must bear the addressee‘s name and delivery address, including the correct ZIP Code or ZIP+4 code, except as allowed when using alternative addressing formats or detached address labels (DALs) and detached marketing labels (DMLs).
• Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail machinable or irregular parcels must bear the addressee‘s name and complete delivery address, or may use an alternative addressing format.
• Postage must be paid with precanceled stamps, meter stamps, or permit imprint.
• A postage statement, completed and signed by the mailer, using the correct USPS form or an approved facsimile, must be submitted with each mailing. In addition, mailings must be documented and the standards for the price claimed.
• Each piece must meet the standards for any other price or discount claimed.
• Any barcode on a mailpiece must be correct for the delivery 
• Mailings must be deposited at a business mail entry unit of the Post Office where the postage permit or license is held and the annual mailing fee paid, unless deposit elsewhere is permitted by standard.

L.I.F.T. Services
Mail encapsulates Labeling, Inserting, Folding and Tabbing

Rate of Service- $0.11 cents per piece up to three pieces, anything thereafter is free.

Ex. Folding cost is $0.33 cents up to three sheets, next five sheets are free of charge. Tabbing is free. Labeling is free.

All mailing lists are uploaded into our Pitney Bowes ConnectRight Database, and we perform NCOA for free.  Mail Services updates all mailing lists for the departments for free when we do the mailings.

Mail Services can help the campus community eliminate time consuming tasks of folding and inserting by using our Pitney Bowes Relay 2500 Folder Inserter for accuracy and uninterrupted process performance as well as our Pitney Bowes Tabber to apply wafer seals to material that require them.

Mail Services is a mailing agent for Stony Brook University and provides the most cost-efficient savings on your material and mailings with no hidden charges.

Please contact Central Services today to see how we can better service your needs.