Frequent Direct Mail Questions

1. How does direct mail work?
   The post office gives discounts simply for doing part of their work for them. By pre-sorting and barcoding your postcards and addresses it bypasses the manual sorting and labor of the USPS (Postal Service) delivery process. For this work they discount the postage based on the level of sorting. To perform the sorting we use software specifically approved by USPS to sort your lists current to their delivery routes.

2. Can we deliver our own mail?
   When mailing in bulk the mail is only able to be dropped from the BMEU (business mail entry unit) registered to the permit. If you have your own permit, we can presort and ship you the paperwork and mail trays to drop in your local area.

3. What kind of coatings can we use on our postcard?
   Because of our special inks and heater equipment, we are able to inkjet on aqueous coating for your postcards as most mail houses are unable. UV coating is great for the front of postcards, but can not be used on the back, because the post office can not inkjet their necessary routing information.

4. Can we pay for postage with our credit card?
   The Post Office does not accept credit cards for bulk mail. You may pay for your printing and mailing by Visa, Mastercard, or American Express, however postage must be paid with a separate check written directly to the US Postmaster. By using this process it assures you that we are not upcharging your postage and it is paid directly to the postal service.

5. How long is your mailing turnaround?
   We schedule mailing services 5 days in advance. We cannot and will not drop jobs for mailing without your payment check for postage. It is also best to submit your mailing list at the same time you place your print order. Rush mailing (3 days) is an additional $75. Under NO circumstances will your mail be sent without postage.

6. How long does it take for mail to be delivered?
   Typically 1-4 Days from mail drop date for first class, and 1-10 days for standard mail. Please note that standard will take longer for delivery during peak mail/holiday seasons. The post office does NOT specify a delivery time for Standard mail and will possibly defer delivery during peak mail times. The best way to decide postage is if the postcard has a date, it's best to mail first class.

7. Is there any proof that my mail was dropped?
   Once a job has mailed and has been inserted into the postal system, the post office mails back a time-stamped confirmation of the mailing, price, and how many pieces. We will gladly fax the confirmation on request.

8. Can you hold our postcards until we are ready to mail?
   Absolutely! There is no charge for warehousing your mailing pieces for up to 1 year. If you would like to mail quarterly, monthly or weekly we can schedule your mailing up to a year in advance!

9. Can you provide a mailing list?
   Of course! Please refer to our mailing lists page for more information.

10. Is my list safe?
    We treat confidentiality with utmost importance. We never share data with anyone. If you would feel more comfortable, we would be delighted to send over a signed confidentiality agreement, assuring your data is safe with our company.

11. Are there lower postage rates for Non Profit organizations?
    Non Profit groups can apply to the U.S. Postal Service for approval to mail at special Non Profit postage rates. This class of mail is a lower priced Bulk Mail rate with the same delivery timeframes. Once this approval has been received, We can mail for your organization at this postage rate once you have sent us the proper documentation. This includes a completed Postal Service Form 3623 plus a request for additional entry on company letterhead signed by a responsible organization official. We will forward these documents to our local Post Office for their approval.

12. Do you remove duplicate and bad addresses?
    We automatically look for duplicates where both the name AND the address match. Our default procedure is to keep just one of the duplicates for mailing. If you want us to remove duplicates using different criteria, such as where ONLY the address matches, please be sure to indicate this when submitting your list. There is no charge for this service.

13. Can I mail the "extra" postcards?
    Yes. However, because our permit can only be used from our local mail center, you would have to put a first class stamp over our mailing indicia.