During the past several years, the USPS has made significant technological improvements to the automation of flat mail processing. Automated processing of flat mail not only provides improved service to mailers but results in cost savings by converting flat mail processing from a labor-intensive manual/mechanized environment to a more efficient automated mode. Automated processing has already yielded considerable savings to the Postal Service and it is expected to be the mainstay of flats processing for some years to come.

In April 2002, the USPS completed deployment of 534 Automated Flat Sorting Machines (AFSM 100s). The AFSM 100 is vastly superior to previous USPS flat sorting machines, with optical character reader (OCR) and barcode reader (BCR) functionality, three automatic feeders with throughput rates capable of more than 17,000 pieces per hour, and 120 individual sort separations.

Testing has been conducted on the AFSM 100 to define acceptable physical mailpiece characteristics and polywrap characteristics. The new AFSM 100 criteria became effective on June 30, 2002, replacing the old FSM 881 standards (see DMM C820.2.). Data from these tests shows that the majority of the standards for physical dimensions — height, length, and thickness — developed for flats processed on the old FSM 881 still apply to flats processed on the AFSM 100. On the basis of these findings, the Postal Service set the size requirements to qualify for AFSM 100 automation rates for flats:

• Minimum: 5 inches high, 6 inches long, 0.0009 inch thick.
• Maximum: 12 inches high, 15 inches long, 0.75 inch thick.

The length and height are not determined by the orientation of the delivery address. For an AFSM 100 mailpiece prepared as a single sheet or in an envelope, full-length wrapper, or full-length sleeve, the length is the longest dimension. For a piece prepared with a bound, folded, or closed edge (e.g., a newspaper, folded envelope, tabloid, or catalog), the length is the dimension parallel to the bound, folded, or closed edge. The height (vertical dimension) is the dimension perpendicular to the length. If the piece is folded more than once or is bound and then folded, the length of the piece is based on the final fold.

This is opposite to how the height and length was determined under the old FSM 881 standards. Under the old FSM 881 standards, the height was the dimension parallel to the bound, folded, or closed edge. Consequently, the new specifications in effect now allow for an additional 3 inches on the bound or folded edge and 3 inches less on the edge perpendicular to the bound or folded edge.

Under the old FSM 881 standards, many broad sheet newspapers did not qualify for the automation rates because their height (final fold) exceeded 12 inches. To meet the height and length standards, the newspaper had to be quarter folded. Under the AFSM 100 standards, many newspapers can meet the height and length requirements, because the final fold is the length – up to 15 inches. It is still recommended that all newspapers be prepared as quarter-folds.

Another change that has impacted pieces with a final fold is the address placement. An AFSM 100 flat-size piece with a final fold must be designed so that the address is in view when the final folded edge is at the bottom of the piece and any intermediate bound or folded edge is to the right. This requires some customers, especially newspaper style mailpieces, to redesign the address location on their publications.

The information compiled during the testing of the AFSM 100 concluded that the seven polywrap standards for the FSM 881 would continue to be required for polywrap pieces. Plus new property number 8, known as "blocking" will be added. Blocking is simply the property that prevents polywrapped pieces from sticking together.

Mailpieces prepared according to the AFSM 100 standards must continue to meet the rigidity, flexibility, and turning ability criteria that was used for the FSM 881. The Flat Mail Machinability Tester can continue to be used to verify these requirements.

The USPS is also upgrading the FSM 1000 with automatic feeders to continue efforts to improve flat mail processing. The FSM 1000 handles a wider range of flats than the AFSM 100, but it has a lower productivity so it is limited to flats that cannot be processed on the AFSM 100. Since the AFSM 100 processes mail much faster — more than twice as fast — as the FSM 1000, the physical criteria are more stringent. There are several differences in the standards for physical dimensions — height, length, and thickness — and address placement between the AFSM 100 and the FSM 1000.

— Mail Preparation and Standards