What File Types Are Supported by Direct Mail Equipment?
Whether you are a newcomer to the world of direct mail or a print industry veteran, it is important to understand what terminology is used. Not only will it help you communicate with service providers, but it also can prevent you from making mistakes or misunderstandings.
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The New Direct Mail Glossary explains the terms and phrases that you will encounter in the world of digital marketing, advertising, and mailing. It is organized by sections that focus on strategy, data, printing and mailing.
First, you need to decide what type of direct mail you are going to send. There are several standard types of mailers, including postcards (4 x 6 inches), brochures, envelopes, and self-mailers (direct mail pieces without an envelope).
What’s more, you can use variable printing to change the text or graphics on a piece according to the data that appears in your data file. You can use this functionality to make your direct mail campaign more targeted and effective.
Variable Logic is another technique that you can use to increase the effectiveness of your direct mail campaigns. It is a way to automatically alter the text or graphics on a piece depending on certain variables that appear in your data file.
Cleaning Names is a process used to correct misspellings, standardize addresses, correct ZIP codes, or eliminate duplicates to get a data file ready for printing. This helps your company save time and money by reducing the amount of labor involved in preparing a data file for printing.
CASS stands for Coding Accuracy Support System and is a standard that improves the accuracy of matching mailing list entries to USPS delivery point codes. This is important if you are claiming discount automation postage rates for your direct mail.
DPV is a USPS tool that confirms whether an address is valid and accepts mail. It is especially important for businesses that use bulk or oversized direct mail pieces, as it ensures that all addresses on the mailpiece are deliverable.
In addition to addressing errors, there are other formatting mistakes that can occur during the direct mail production process. In order to avoid these common errors, it is important to adhere to the standards set forth by the USPS in its Domestic Mail Manual.
You can easily learn the rules of the game by referring to the USPS’s Online Domestic Mail Manual. This large, cross-referenced volume is periodically updated and can be accessed through the Postal Service’s website.
Vote-By-Mail – The producer DM series is the ideal high-speed inserter for operations that demand high production volumes and low operating costs during election season. The series features enhancements that allow for a true “in-line” inserting approach, allowing for the processing of a wide variety of formats with minimal operator intervention.
SCF/Sectional Center Facility – An SCF is a major mail entry and handling point in the USPS delivery network designated by the first three digits in a ZIP code. These locations oversee the distribution of mail to multiple ZIP codes and are sometimes reorganized by the USPS as efficiencies or demand dictate.
